A hazardous condition that scuba divers may experience at depths usually in excess of 80 ft (24.38 m). It occurs when nitrogen builds up in the body tissues and replaces some of the oxygen required by the brain. The longer a diver with conventional scuba stays at a deep depth, the more nitrogen accumulates. As the brain is deprived of oxygen, the ability to think and function clearly diminishes. It may progress from a slightly confused feeling to an almost intoxicated state, where thinking and judgement is severely impaired. If the diver does not ascend to a shallower depth and off-gas nitrogen, nitrogen narcossis may eventually cause death. Although this can happen at any depth, it is especially a problem with dives in excess of 80 feet. Nitrogen narcossis is also called 'rapture of the deep'.