Outline of underwater diving

Outline of 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 diving[edit | edit source]

Scuba diving: 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: Any of various aquatic activities that share the practice of breath-hold underwater diving. Examples include spearfishing, freedive photography, apnea competitions, and to some degree, snorkeling.
Cave diving: Underwater diving in water-filled caves.
Deep diving: Underwater diving to a depth beyond the norm accepted by the associated community.
Ice diving: A type of penetration diving where the dive takes place under ice.

Diving equipment[edit | edit source]

Diving mask: An item of diving equipment that allows underwater divers to see clearly underwater.
Diving suit: A garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment.
Diving regulator: A pressure regulator that reduces pressurized breathing gas to ambient pressure and delivers it to the diver.
Buoyancy compensator: A piece of diving equipment with an inflatable bladder which is worn by divers to establish neutral buoyancy underwater and positive buoyancy on the surface, when needed.

Diving procedures[edit | edit source]

Buddy diving: A recreational diving safety procedure where two divers operate together as a single unit sharing all operational tasks, observing each other for signs of stress or distress, and offering assistance when necessary.
Decompression: The reduction in ambient pressure experienced by the diver after hyperbaric exposure and the elimination of dissolved gases from the diver's tissues.
Dive planning: The process of planning an underwater diving operation.

Diving safety[edit | edit source]

Diving hazards and precautions: Hazards associated with the marine environment, the presence of the diver in the water, exposure to a pressurised environment and breathing gases, and the use of diving equipment.
Diving medicine: The diagnosis, treatment and prevention of conditions caused by humans entering the undersea environment.