Pool boiling heat transfer and critical heat flux (CHF) of water-based nanofluids with alumina and titania nanoparticles of 0.01% by volume were investigated on a disk heater at saturated and atmospheric conditions. The experimental results showed that the boiling in nanofluids caused the considerable increase in CHF on the flat surface heater. It was revealed by visualization of the heater surface subsequent to the boiling experiments that a major amount of nanoparticles deposited on the surface during the boiling process. Pool boiling of pure water on the surface modified by such nanoparticle deposition resulted in the same CHF increases as what boiling nanofluids, thus suggesting the CHF enhancement in nanofluids was an effect of the surface modification through the nanoparticle deposition during nanofluid boiling. Possible reasons for CHF enhancement in pool boiling of nanofluids are discussed with surface property changes caused by the nanoparticle deposition.