diving
/˙dʌıvıŋ/
noun
1. Diving is the activity of working or looking around underwater, using special breathing equipment.
Back to basics for today's blog, and we're taking a quick look at the term 'diving', and what it actually means. Chances are, if you're reading this then you're a diver, which basically means you wear special kit that gives you the ability to spend time exploring underwater.
Diving equipment normally refers to a SCUBA system, that is a Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. While technology has come on in leaps and bounds since Jaques-Yves Cousteau invented the first scuba set in 1943, the fundamentals remain the same. In the simplest terms, a pressurized cylinder supplies on-demand breathing gas to the diver via a hose and mouthpiece. The gas in the cylinder is reduced to a breathable pressure as it passes through a regulator, and the whole system is attached to the diver using some form of a harness. Modern additions include the use of a buoyancy device and weights, as well as other standard items of kit such as a mask and fins.
Scuba is by far and away the most commonly used underwater breathing method for recreational divers. It allows the diver to move independently, providing mobility and range while being easy to maintain, store, and transport. Other systems, for example, surface supplied diving, are far less common, however, this method is sometimes used during shark cage dives or as a novelty experience at tourist resorts.
Many of the equipment improvements and fundamental methods used in diving today have been developed through the work of experienced individuals at the forefront of the sport. However, like any hobby, some fashions and conventions change over time, and from country to country. None-the-less, the basic skills that new divers learn are all governed by the same agency, the World Recreational Scuba Training Council, and this should be seen as the foundation of any scuba education.
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