Portal: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

There are several types of diving, including scuba diving, free-diving, and saturation diving. Each type of diving requires specific training, equipment, and techniques.

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.

Saturation Diving

Saturation diving is a diving technique that allows divers to reduce the risk of decompression sickness ("the bends") when they work at great depths for long periods of time.

Diving Equipment

Underwater divers use equipment to adapt to the underwater environment. This equipment includes diving masks, diving suits, diving regulators, and diving cylinders.

Diving Safety

Safety is a key concern in underwater diving. Divers face specific physical and health risks, such as decompression sickness, nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity, and hypothermia.

See Also

• Diving signals
• Diving medicine
• Underwater sports
• Underwater archaeology