Diving much beyond 40 m (130 ft) is generally considered outside the scope of recreational diving. Thus narcosis while diving in open water rarely develops into a serious problem as long as the divers are aware of its symptoms, and are able to ascend to manage it. Narcosis may be completely reversed in a few minutes by ascending to a shallower depth, with no long-term effects.

The main class of diving that deals with its prevention and treatment is scuba diving at substantial depth. Narcosis can affect all divers, although susceptibility varies widely among individuals and from dive to dive. Divers can learn to cope with some of the effects of narcosis, but it is impossible to develop a tolerance. As depth increases, the mental impairment may become hazardous. The effect is consistently greater for gases with a higher lipid solubility, and although the mechanism of this phenomenon is still not fully clear, there is good evidence that the two properties are mechanistically related. It can occur during shallow dives, but does not usually become noticeable at depths less than 30 meters (100 ft).Įxcept for helium and probably neon, all gases that can be breathed have a narcotic effect, although widely varying in degree. Narcosis produces a state similar to drunkenness (alcohol intoxication), or nitrous oxide inhalation. The Greek word νάρκωσις (narkōsis), 'the act of making numb', is derived from νάρκη (narkē), 'numbness, torpor', a term used by Homer and Hippocrates. It is caused by the anesthetic effect of certain gases at high pressure.

Narcosis while diving (also known as nitrogen narcosis, inert gas narcosis, raptures of the deep, Martini effect) is a reversible alteration in consciousness that occurs while diving at depth. A cylinder label shows the maximum operating depth and mixture (oxygen/helium). Divers breathe a mixture of oxygen, helium and nitrogen for deep dives to avoid the effects of narcosis.

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