Scuba Diving - Essay Example

Scuba Diving Have you ever wondered what it looks like below the surface of the ocean, or any other deep body of water? One way to find out is by scuba diving. SCUBA stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, although the acronym has now found its way into the English vocabulary as a word. Scuba divers use scuba sets to help them breathe under water for extended periods of time. These sets usually consist of either one or two hoses connected to tanks of compressed air on one end and to the diver’s breathing mask at the other end. The first commercial scuba sets were created by French underwater explorers Emile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau. These open-circuit sets were designed to be safer than the earlier closed circuit sets, although both are still in use today. Scuba divers also wear special wet suits to help them move quickly through the water. Also, to help with underwater movement, divers use swimfins they wear on their feet to propel themselves. People scuba dive for all sorts of different reasons. Some use scuba diving as a form of recreation, while others actually make a living at it. And even the military uses scuba divers for different reasons (Scuba Set, 2010; Scuba Diving, 2010). Recreational Diving This type of diving became popular in the 1950s, when scuba sets were first made commercially available. Some training is provided for recreational divers, although it is not strictly enforced and is often not standardized. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) offers the most comprehensive scuba diving instruction and even has a certification program. Divers who participate in recreational scuba diving often wear open-circuit scuba sets and neoprene suits. Most people participate in recreational diving in order to explore the world that is under the water, including the natural wildlife and rock and coral formations, and many even dive because of interest in historical and cultural matters, like looking for shipwrecks or sunken aircraft. Recreational diving includes many different categories, like cave diving, shipwreck diving, and ice diving (Recreational Diving, 2010). People who dive in caves use scuba sets to help them explore natural and artificial caves that have water in them. It is not the most common form of recreational diving because it is considered more dangerous than other types of diving and requires special skills and equipment. It is often difficult to navigate underwater in a cave due to decreased visibility and the inability to swim straight back up to the water surface. It can often take a long time to reach the water surface, so it is necessary to ensure that enough air is available in case of an emergency. Another reason cave diving is considered to be dangerous is that caves often have strong water currents. If a diver doesn’t know how to handle these currents, they could be in serious trouble. To ensure their safety, divers need to make sure they: have adequate, systematic training that includes real world experience; use a guide line at all times that connects them to a safe area outside the cave; are mindful of the maximum operating depth of the gas mixture that is in their tanks; pace their air usage so that they have enough for the whole underwater trip; have three lights with them at all times - a main source of light and two back-ups. Even with these possible risks, it is worth exploring caves for the trained scuba diver because they often contain things that cannot be found elsewhere, like stalactites and stalagmites, and some forms of plant life. And cave diving is enjoyed all over the world (Cave Diving, 2010). Shipwreck divers often explore shipwrecks, but they may explore other types of underwater vehicle wrecks as well, such as plane crashes. Shipwrecks are attractive to people for many reasons. They create an artificial habitat for many types of sea life. They allow for an exploration of the mechanisms and technology involved in building the ships, which is not always visible when the vessel is in working order. Many wrecks often have a tragic, or at least interesting, history. Wreck diving categories extend from non-penetration diving to full penetration diving. Non-penetration wreck diving is the least dangerous level of wreck diving, although divers can still get tangled up in fishing nets and lines extending from the ships, and divers may be in danger of snagging themselves on sharp edges. Penetration within the light zone is a little more dangerous due to the nearness of the wreck's structure. It provides a sense of security, however, because a visible exit point is present, and some external light is available. Full penetration is often the most dangerous form of wreck diving because it usually means the diver is in full darkness except for the artificial lights he takes with him and has a greater chance of getting lost inside the wreck. PADI offers a specific wreck diving course, and they recommend not going beyond the light zone to decrease the chance of getting seriously injured or killed (Wreck Diving, 2010). Ice diving, as the name implies, takes place under the ice. Ice diving is considered to be a specialized form of diving because it usually involves only one entry/exit point. Ice divers typically undergo training that teaches about how ice forms, how to know when you are in unsafe ice conditions, how to prepare the dive site, what equipment you will need, and how to get safely out of a dangerous situation. Ice divers always wear a safety harness that keeps them secured to the surface. Ice diving is a team activity because the diver’s line requires a line tender so that the diver doesn’t get tangles up in the line. Communication between the diver and tender takes place by tugging on this line. Because of the water temperature below the ice is so cold, it is necessary for the diver to wear a special exposure suit. This is either a dry suit or a thick, pre-heated wetsuit. A hood and gloves are also required. Ice diving can be safely undertaken as long as the proper precautions are taken. This is why training is a must (Ice Diving, 2010). Commercial Diving Commercial divers get paid for their diving work, unlike recreational divers. They often wear the same outfits and use the same equipment as recreational divers, however. The best known kind of commercial diving is offshore diving. These divers work for the oil and gas industries in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea. The divers make sure oil platforms are maintained and they build underwater structures that used to produce oil and gas. Offshore diving is usually the career starting point for professional divers who have just received their certification. Because the offshore divers are relatively inexperienced, their pay is not as high as some of their fellow commercial divers, but they typically have much more demanding work schedules. Most live and work on-site for weeks at a time an usually work 12-hour shifts without any days off. Inland or onshore divers do very similar work to offshore divers and they use very similar equipment. Onshore divers work on civil engineering projects, either conducting underwater surveys or doing actual engineering work. These divers work in many different places, although they work mostly around freshwater sources - harbors and lakes, hydroelectric dams, and on rivers. Onshore divers get paid more than offshore divers, and they are usually home every night. They also work 12-hour shifts, though. Onshore divers use a combination of scuba gear and surface-supplied diving equipment. Perhaps the most dangerous type of commercial diving is called HAZMAT diving. HAZMAT divers have to be highly skilled and extensively trained. This work involves actually diving into raw sewage of dangerous chemicals. Because of the special risks these divers take, they must use the following precautions: they have to be vaccinated against diseases like tetanus and hepatitis; each diver and his/her equipment must be decontaminated following the dive; the diver might need to have a weighting adjustment if diving into a liquid much thicker than water; and the dive team must have a plan of action for rescuing the diver in case of an emergency. A HAZMAT diver can usually be found: maintaining underwater valves and sluice gates; fixing pipelines that have been damaged; cleaning up pollution; diving into landfills to keep the pumping equipment in good working order; doing sewer or septic tank work; and finding dead bodies or other objects that have been lost. These divers have to wear a full vulcanized rubber drysuit at all times with protective gloves, helmet, and boots. Since light is often scarce in HAZMAT diving situations, most divers have to use their sense of touch to guide them. They also have to be attached to a guide rope that connects them to the surface (Professional Diving, 2010). Military Diving Military divers, also known as frogmen, are specially trained drivers who work in a military role. They are also trained combat fighters. Frogmen often use diving as a way to invade enemy ships or shorelines. Some frogmen do not participate directly in combat activities. They may also be involved with getting rid of underwater explosives. Frogmen also work in construction crews who remove underwater obstacles to make the waterways easier for military fleets to navigate. Frogman training is often much more difficult and takes longer than training for recreational divers. And sometimes frogman training is only offered to people who have no prior experience in scuba diving. Frogmen must be in top physical shape before they begin the training because of the high physical fitness requirement. Passing the training to become a frogman is not easy to do, and many would-be frogmen do not make the cut. Frogmen must be able to follow orders, even while they are under water, and they cannot allow themselves to become distracted. The frogman’s diving costume also has to be different from recreational and commercial diving equipment for some very important reasons. Frogmen often use a closed-circuit scuba set because open circuit sets are very noisy and produce a lot of bubbles, which can easily give away a diver’s position. Also, the open-circuit sets are much heavier and make it harder to move underwater. Finally, and probably the most important advantage of the closed-circuit set for frogmen is that it has a much longer duration of air availability than an open-circuit set. Frogmen usually wear a full-face mask underwater because it lets them communicate and is much less likely to get knocked off or lost. The scuba sets and suits must be a dark color so that they are not visible outside of the water. They also should not contain much iron or steel so that they can avoid being detected by motion sensors. Frogmen often wear special fins, called Flipfins. These have a lockable hinge that can be unlocked when on land to allow for easier walking. The diving suit should be a tough, scratch-resistant dry suit, unlike the normal wetsuits commercial and recreational scuba divers wear. These are often made with some kevlar. In addition to the special suits military divers wear, the also carry with them more specialized equipment and weaponry. Knives can be carried underwater as standard weapons. Often, frogmen take a speargun with them under the water, although unlike regular spearguns, these spearguns are not used for fishing; they are used for fighting. Other weapons the frogman carried underwater with him include both underwater rifles and pistols and standard issue rifles. The frogman may also dive with explosives and other tools that may prove useful for certain tasks, such as net-cutters (Frogman, 2010). Any type of diving has its risks. In fact, some studies have shown that diving is almost one hundred times more dangerous to an individual than is driving an automobile. Divers are particularly susceptible to injuries that are caused by changes in air pressure. The injuries can be as serious as rupturing an eardrum of causing great harm to the sinus cavities. Constant attention must be given to evening out the pressure so that these sorts of injuries do not occur. Some other dangers the scuba diver faces include: decompressions sickness, which occurs when gas bubbles are formed inside the body; nitrogen narcosis, similar to being drunk on alcohol, which occurs sometimes when high pressure gas is inhaled at a depth; and oxygen toxicity, which takes place when the body goes over the safe partial pressure oxygen limit, often resulting in seizure and possible death (Scuba Diving, 2010). Still, even with all these possible hazards, scuba diving has remained popular for over sixty years, and many people have been able to keep themselves safe while doing it. All you need to do is pay attention to what is going on around you and make sure you have people with you who know what they are doing in an emergency. References Cave Diving (2010). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Cave_diving. Frogman (2010). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Frogman. Ice Diving (2010). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Ice_diving. Professional Diving (2010). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 November 2010 from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_diving. Recreational Diving (2010). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 November 2010 from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_diving. Scuba Diving (2010). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Scuba_diving. Scuba Set (2010). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Scuba_set. Wreck Diving (2010). In Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 November 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Wreck_diving. Read More