SCUBA DIVE SCHOOL CLASS - 001 Required Reading:
Scuba, a common word, is actually an acronym for Self Contained Underwater Breathing
Apparatus originated in 1939 to refer to US military diver's rebreather sets used by the Navy. A
Scuba set is basically an independent breathing equipment, equipped with breathing gas that
enables divers to stay underwater for considerably long periods of time. The Aqualung was the
first modern scuba diving equipment invented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emile Gagnan in
1943.
Scuba diving, which was initially intended for military and scientific use, has now become one
the most popular recreational water sports around the world today. Children, as young as 10
years old, can now get Open Water Diver Certification (junior) from various centers. Scuba
diving can be a lot of fun for people who love marine life, commonly used by recreational divers
for fish identification, search and recovery, underwater photography or videography, etc.
However, since scuba diving is a fairly dangerous sport, it is recommended by experts to take
necessary lessons or certifications before pursuing the sport as a hobby.
Commercially, scuba diving is used for underwater constructions such as oil platforms, bridges,
docks, dams, nuclear power plants and other coastal structures. Scuba diving, which involves
scientific surveys and inspections, is known as scientific diving, which is exclusive to scientific
purposes such as underwater experiments and underwater archaeology. As for the military, scuba
diving has been put to use for naval ship repair and construction, and includes specialized diving
divisions such as explosives ordnance disposal and combatant divers.
A person has to be at least at least 15 years old to get the open water diver certification, in good
health and be able to swim 200 yards using any stroke, and float or tread on water for about 10
minutes. Some of the most popular and biggest scuba diving certification agencies include PADI,
NAUI, YMCA, Scuba Schools International, and PDIC. These organizations offer some of the
best scuba courses and training instructors available. There is also a Junior Open Water Diver
Certification for people between ages 10 to 15, provided by agencies such as Bubblemakers,
Scuba rangers, and SASY.
Basic scuba diving equipment includes accessories such as the mask, fins, snorkel, weight belt
etc. There are two main types of scuba sets - open-circuit and closed-circuit.
Most scuba divers use standard air - 21% Oxygen, 79% Nitrogen - for their open-circuit scuba
sets, which is much more cost-effective than using mixtures such as heliox and trimix. The opencircuit scuba set (also known as Aqualung) itself is quite simple so is also cheaper and more
popular than other types. Basically, the user breathes in from the set and out to waste, with the
gas cylinder worn on the back. There are 2- and 3 backpack cylinders open-circuit scuba sets
available.
Closed-circuit scuba sets use rebreathers. In this system, exhaled air is reprocessed by the
rebreather to make it fit for re-inhalation. This can be very economical for people who need to
take long dives. The three types of rebreathers include oxygen, semi-closed circuit and fullyclosed circuit rebreathers.
Scuba diving is popular, scuba diving is easy and scuba diving is fun. Scuba diving as outdoor
recreation is gaining in popularity, while participation in other pastimes is diminishing. Why is
scuba diving so popular?
Over 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water. The allure and mystery of the underwater
world has inspired the human imagination since prehistory, from the mythological monsters
described by seafaring people, to the science fiction of Jules Verne and the modern underwater
adventures in Hollywood films. Breath-hold diving, dangerous though it can be, has been used
to collect pearls, sponges and valuable commodities from the sea floor for many generations.
Advances in underwater exploration began nearly three centuries ago using diving bells and
large cumbersome sealed suits using pumped air from the surface. Only very recently advances
in technology and mechanics have allowed people to visit this domain safely for exploration
using comfortable, self-contained air delivery systems.
Though air-assisted underwater exploration
has been around since the 1700's, underwater
exploration was out of reach for the average
person, and recreational scuba diving was an
unthinkable luxury. Great advances in the
engineering of valves and compressed air
tanks in the 1930's produced the first
systems that we would call "scuba": the SelfContained Underwater Breathing Apparatus
. These early scuba tanks were clunky,
inefficient systems that spouted air
constantly into the diver's face. Between
1942 and 1946, Jacques-Yves Cousteau (a
French naval lieutenant) and Emile Gagnan
(an engineer) developed the Aqua Lung; a
device which used pressure valves to deliver
properly pressurized air only when the diver
breathed in. Over the next two decades
experimental dives with the Aqua Lung
proved its reliability and in the 1960's "sport
diving" was born.
NAUI, the National Association of Underwater Instructors, was formed in 1960 to regulate and
teach safe scuba diving to enthusiasts of this new sport. PADI, the Professional Association of
Diving Instructors, was formed in 1967.
In the 1970's, scuba equipment continued to evolve and the typical scuba system was enhanced
by buoyancy compensation vests, better valves and submersible pressure gauges. Through the
1980's and 1990's, scuba as a recreational sport became a multi-billion dollar industry with its
popularity prompting even more innovation in the design and the engineering of better, safer,
lighter, more comfortable equipment.
Today, scuba diving is accessible to almost anyone with only a modest investment in
equipment. Anywhere you want to dive you can usually find a dive shop near-at-hand to rent
tanks, go on a guided dive with a master diver, take a chartered boat or just strap on the tanks
and swim out from the shore