Post on 12-Sep-2021
Recreational SCUBA Diving
Presented by Shaun Sykes
Topics of Discussion
• SCUBA – Its meaning and history
• Equipment
• How to dive/types of dives
• After you learn, what then?
• Health and safety
• Dive sites and statistics
• Summary
What Does it Mean? History?
• SCUBA – Self Contained Underwater Breathing
Aparatus
• Long history dating back from 332 BC
• Modern fins, mask and snorkel tubes were
developed by fishermen from America, Russia,
France and England in the 1920s and 1930s
History continued
• Recreational SCUBA Diving began between 1942
- 1943, after Emile Gagnan and Captain Hacques
–Yves Cousteau developed the self-contained
“Aqua-Lung” and new regulator that was
automatic.
• Cousteau took many successful, experimental
dives with his friends, wife and two sons, making
this an experimental family trip and experience.
Equipment
• Mask- Device
covering eyes and
nose, allowing you to
see underwater
• Fins – Device put on
the feet to extend the
kicking motion
underwater.
Equipment continued
• BCD or BC – (Buoyancy compensator device) Device/jacket that controls buoyancy up or down
• Regulator – Device
that delivers air to you
on demand at reduced
pressure
Equipment continued
• Pressure gauge – (SPG-
Submersible Pressure
Gauge) Device that tells
diver how much air they
have left
• Weights – Lead
weights used to weigh
down divers for depth
decent
Equipment continued
• Snorkel – Device used
to breath air close to
or on the surface of
the water
• Body suit – Warm temperature suit that protects the body against abrasions and stings
Equipment continued
• Wet suit – Insulated
suit used to keep the
body temperature in
• Dry suit – Used to
keep the diver dry and
warm in colder
temperatures
Equipment continued
Gloves
Hood
Boots
Knife
Air cylinder
Or tank
Light
Watch
Scooter
Recommended diving apparel
Temperature
• High 80s
• 80º - 90º F
• 75º - 80ºF • 70º - 80ºF
• 50º - 70ºF
• Below 50ºF
What to wear
- A Lycra body suit, a shorty, or a dive jacket (the top of a two-piece suit)
- A shorty, a dive jacket, or a full-length, one-piece, 3mm wet suit
- A 3mm one-piece jumpsuit, or a two-piece wet suit
- A 5mm full-length wetsuit, a two-piece wetsuit, or a dry suit with light weight insulating garments
- A 7mm full-length two-piece wetsuit with gloves and hood, or a dry suit with insulating garments
- A dry suit with insulating garments, hood, gloves or mitts, and possibly face mask
How to dive/types of dives
• Types of dives – Boat, shore, pier
• How to enter the water – if on shore, walk into the water without fins, then put them on in the water
- If entering rough water, put fins on and walk in backwards
• If on a boat or pier
1. Giant Stride
2. Backward roll
3. Controlled Seated
entry
4. Group entry
How to dive/types of dives
continued
• Decent
• Travel under water
• Hand signals
• Ascent
Other types of dives –
• Seawater, Freshwater, Wreck, Cave, Night, Drift
and Ice
After You Learn, then what?
Levels of Specifications • Pre-open water
certification – Open Water Certified
• Non – professional certification – Advanced SCUBA diver and Master SCUBA diver
• Professional – Divemaster, Skin-diving instructor, assistant instructor and Instructor
• Specialties open to
recreational divers –
Underwater photography
or videography, wreck
diving, night diving, boat
diving, ice diving, cavern
diving, dry suit diving,
Nitrox diving, search and
recovery, career diver, etc.
Health and Safety – the hazards
of diving • How soon to fly after
diving – old vs. new philisophy
• DCS – Epidermal or cutaneous, muscular, joint and limb pain and neuroligical
• Hypothermia
• Hyperthermia
• Cramps
• Overexertion
• Nitrogen Narcosis
• Overexertion
• Nitrogen Narcosis
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Gastrointestinal barotrauma
• Heart problems
• Ear infections
• Nosebleeds
Breathing problems
Dehydration
Diving while pregnant
Dive sites
• Worldwide: Papua, New
Guines, Egyption Red
Sea, Galapagos Islands,
Equador, Great Barrier
Reef, Australia, The
Maldives, India, Great
White Wall, Fiji,
Bunhaken Island,
Indonesia, Blue Corner,
Palau and the Caribbean
• United States: The
Hawaiian Islands, Florida
Keys, Catalina Island,
California and many
oceans, rivers, lakes and
quarrys
Statistics
• 8.5 million certified SCUBA divers in the
U.S., and 14.5 to 15.5 million divers
worldwide
• Top 6 states for SCUBA certification:
Florida, California, Hawaii, Texas, Illinois
and New York
Summary
• SCUBA – Its meaning and history
• Equipment
• How to dive/types of dives
• After you learn, what then?
• Dive sites and statistics
• Health and safety
Web sites for SCUBA access,
research and resources • PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)-
http://www.padi.com
• DAN (Divers Alert Network) -
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org
• NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors)-
http://www.naui.com
• The Ultimate SCUBA source -
http://www.scubasearch.com
• About SCUBA diving - http://scuba.about.com
• Joe Diver America - http://www.joediveramerica.com