Scuba diving is an adventurous way to explore creeks, rivers and oceans. Through the use of scuba, or self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, you can discover ecosystems and even shipwrecks. Although scuba diving appears to be a simple and fun activity for men, women and even teenagers, the sport can have considerable safety risks.
Diver Ability
If you’re planning a dive to a popular destination, decide whether you have the skills to complete that dive safely. For example, if you are diving a deep water wreck that requires maneuvering through potentially ensnaring interior passageways, evaluate your ability to dive that wreck calmly and competently. If you know your skills are lacking, sign up for a wreck-diving course before you undertake that dive. Advanced and specialty courses can be located through the National Association of Underwater Instructors and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.
Equipment Maintenance
As a certified diver, you are responsible for keeping your dive equipment in good operating condition. This includes regular maintenance on parts that can wear out, along with periodic professional inspections on your regulator and tank. For example, your regulator can malfunction because you didn’t get its worn hose replaced. If that occurs underwater, your air supply can be compromised, putting your safety in jeopardy.
Predive Checks
Each dive should begin with you and your dive buddy performing equipment checks for each other’s gear. Dive-center.org recommends that the checklist include your buoyancy compensator device, or inflatable vest that helps control your buoyancy, along with your weighting system. You should also check your primary and emergency regulators and your signaling devices. If you have completed other dives safely, it’s tempting to rush through or even eliminate the checklist. That can be a risky behavior because properly functioning dive gear can save your or your buddy’s life.
Dive Management
Always be aware of your depth, your relationship to the dive boat and your remaining air supply. In a potentially dangerous move, you can follow a colorful fish far below your allowable depth. You must now expend additional energy to return to your origination point. You may also need to readjust your dive plan based on the time spent at that deeper depth. The Scuba Diver Info website recommends that you always plan your dives conservatively so that you don’t push the time limits set by your dive tables.
Decompression Sickness
Your dive tables provide specific instructions on the recommended time to be spent at each depth. If you compromise those limits, your body may be subject to decompression sickness from excess nitrogen in your system. You may subsequently require medical evaluation and treatment. The Divers Alert Network website notes that you can experience decompression sickness even when you have followed your dive table’s guidelines.
Decompression sickness can affect different body systems and can be life threatening. Because this condition may not resolve itself immediately, your diving activities can also be curtailed while you recover.
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