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