Commons:Category:Underwater diving

Underwater Diving is the practice of descending below the water's surface to interact with the environment. Immersion in water and exposure to high ambient pressure have physiological effects that limit the depths and duration possible in ambient pressure diving. Humans are not physiologically and anatomically well adapted to the environmental conditions of diving, and various equipment has been developed to extend the depth and duration of human dives, and allow different types of work to be done.

Types of Underwater Diving

Underwater diving is classified into different types based on the diving equipment used. The major types of diving include Scuba diving, Free-diving, Technical diving, Commercial diving, Military diving, and Cave diving.

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving where the diver uses a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba), which is completely independent of surface supply, to breathe underwater.

Free-diving

Free-diving, also known as breath-hold diving or skin diving, is a form of underwater diving that relies on the diver's ability to hold their breath until resurfacing rather than on the use of a breathing apparatus such as scuba gear.

Technical Diving

Technical diving is a form of scuba diving that exceeds the scope of recreational diving (although the vast majority of technical divers dive for recreation and personal satisfaction). Technical divers require advanced training, extensive experience, and specialized equipment.

Commercial Diving

Commercial diving involves working underwater using surface supplied diving equipment. This type of diving is often used for underwater welding, offshore construction, dam maintenance, and harbor and ship maintenance.

Military Diving

Military diving involves military forces performing tasks such as reconnaissance, demolition, salvage, or combat. Military divers may also perform non-combat roles in support of naval operations.

Cave Diving

Cave diving is underwater diving in water-filled caves. It may be done as an extreme sport, a way of exploring flooded caves for scientific investigation, or for the search and recovery of divers lost while diving for one of these reasons.

Safety and Risks

Underwater diving is considered a high-risk activity. Divers face specific physical and health risks when they go underwater or use high pressure breathing gas. The most common risks include drowning, decompression sickness, arterial air embolism, and other diving related disorders.

See Also

• Diving equipment
• Diving physics
• Diving medicine
• Diving signals
• Diving hazards and precautions