Nitrogen Narcosis

Nitrogen narcosis, or “rapture of the deep,” is one of those things that some divers like to joke about but really is no laughing matter. (Pun intended) While a recreational diver is far more likely to experience nitrogen narcosis than decompression illness, we know much less about the exact physiological mechanism of nitrogen narcosis than that of DCI. Unfortunately, both can result in a diver fatality, the first from being bubbly drunk and foolish and the second from being bubbled up.