Scuba diving gear, Equipment, and Aquatic Sports
Hello and welcome to dive-aquaticsports.com. This site is a tool to help one explore the world of diving and the associated scuba equipment necessary to dive safely. When one breaks the undulating surface of the water and slips quietly underneath, a whole new fascinating world is opened to the diver. The only sound one hears is his own breathing accompanied by the golden silence of vivid beauty as the diver swims with the multi-colored fishes through coral covered reefs and variegated aquatic vegetation.
Scuba diving is not a hazardous sport. It is riskier than baseball or basketball, but very safe when proper training is obtained and utilized.
What are the risks of diving? To dive safely, training and certification are essential. One of the most important parts of certification training is recognizing and avoiding risks. The greatest danger to one’s health and safety is barotraumas, which are risks caused by changes in pressure. One must also know the risks associated with high absorption of gases and understand that many hazards are mechanical and environmental in nature.
The two most inherent risks of scuba diving are decompression sickness and nitrogen narcosis. Decompression sickness is caused by the formation of gas bubbles in the body. This condition is commonly called the “bends.” The bends can be avoided by slowly ascending to the surface while making occasional stops to allow the body to adapt to the change in pressure.
Nitrogen narcosis is caused by breathing high pressure gases at depth. The symptoms are similar to alcohol intoxication and giddiness. This condition can make diving very hazardous because judgment is greatly affected. The symptoms gradually disappear as one ascends to the surface.
An axiom in scuba diving is that certification is harder than getting a library card, but easier than getting a driver’s license. Scuba certification is not easy or free. One must demonstrate that he or she knows how to use the proper diving gear, manage themselves underwater and possess trained reactions to a wide variety of underwater situations.Since more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, the mystical drawing power of the underwater world has stimulated the imagination, from mythical sea monsters to Jules Verne and the modern tales of Hollywood films. For generations, only a few select divers have been delving into this water world, holding their breath, while searching for everything from pearls to lobsters. Scuba diving, today, is open to almost everyone with only a very modest expenditure for diving gear.
Choosing the proper scuba equipment is necessary for successful diving. Among the needed equipment is:
• Diving mask – This is the diver’s window to the underwater panorama of the undersea world. Masks come in a myriad of colors and styles but the most important considerations are construction material (silicone preferred), an adequate seal, field of vision, adaptable straps and fasteners and comfort.
• Swim fins – Without swim fins scuba diving is almost impossible. Fins allow a person to thrust oneself through the water with minimal effort and energy. When one is burdened with scuba gear, moving in the water can be nearly impossible and very tiring. This is where swim fins come into play. The best fins will allow one to swim faster with less effort in spite of the equipment.
• Scuba weights – Since the human body is naturally buoyant, the diver is compelled to wear weights or weight belts. These counter the body’s ability to float allowing one to stay easily underwater. They are either solid weights or bags fill with lead shot.
• Snorkel – This piece of diving equipment allows one to breathe under the water while swimming on the surface. It is similar to how a whale blows water out of its blow hole.
• Wet suit or dry suit – Cold, hypothermia, affects the mind’s ability to think wisely and to use good judgment. It also slows down physical responses. To be safe, the scuba diver must keep his core body temperature as close to normal as possible. Wet or dry suits are used for this purpose. In effect, wet or dry suits are insulation. Suits also protect the diver from painful irritation, burns and scrapes caused by reefs and rocks.
• Gauges – Diving gear is incomplete without gauges. Gauges measure three things: water depth, air consumption and time. To manage air and nitrogen, depth and time gauges are essential. The safe, successful diver must know how long he has been in the water, how much air is left in his tank and how deeply he has ventured. This is necessary to know the necessity and length of decompression stops as one ascends. A scuba diving watch tells the diver how long he or she has been in the water.
• Scuba tank – Scuba divers usually rent tanks as opposed to buying them. Dive shops inspect, maintain, test and fill the tanks as required.
• Regulator – A regulator controls the pressure under which one breathes the air from the tank. It is connected to the hose that travels from the tank to the diver’s mouth. This aids in avoiding decompression sickness.
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