The Underwater World

A detailed Summary of The Underwater World

"There you are, totally weightless, quietly soaring just above the sea floor with only the smallest amount of physical exertion. Small fish come out of their holes to look at you. How about that? You are the curiosity. You are the thing that does not belong. Perhaps this is why you dive. You are taking part in exploring man's last ecological frontier. The very thought would excite anyone whose blood still flows in his veins. The diver is the observer, he looks at everything he can. He totally forgets the outside world" (Reseck 4).

When I first read this piece, I got goosebumps. For years man has explored this vast universe, spending millions of dollars, and only making a tiny scratch on its surface. For me, to be able to explore a world completely different from mine sounds like an opportunity of a lifetime. When I had to choose a topic for my senior project, scuba diving was the most compelling of all. This paper is about the development and use, the techniques, and the physiological concerns of scuba diving.

Man underwater dates all the way back to the Iliad, but sports diving for fun and for a profession is fairly new. If one has ever been underwater, he should know that

When diving, the "buddy system" should always be used, and all equipment should be placed in reach from the dive site. A buddy is there to help you check your gear and, when underwater, to help you in case of an emergency. After you are in the water, put on the fins, mask, and snorkel, and, carrying a weight belt, walk slowly backward to the middle of a shallow area. Sit on the bottom with the weight belt across your thighs. When inhaling, the body should make a slow rise. If it does not rise, then the weight should be decreased. This makes the body neutrally buoyant. Always make sure the mouthpiece and mask are clear. Free ascent should also be learned in case of emergency and the diver must ascend without his gear. The ascent is made slowly, and a constant exhalation of air is required. If you hold your breath during an ascent after breathing compressed air, and air embolism can be caused. This is when air escapes the lungs and enters the bloodstream, causing bubbles to form in the veins. These bubbles block the blood flow to the brain, causing death. Always exhale during a free ascent. The "buddy breathing" and "ditch and recover" methods are also important in diving. Buddy breathing is when you use your partners' air during a dive if yours is not available. The mouthpiece is to be switched back and

Hyperventilation, or shallow water blackout, has more potential to occur on skin dives rather that scuba dives, but may occur on both. Hyperventilation results when rapid, forced exhalations significantly lower the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the bloodstream, which may lead to unconsciousness. To treat hyperventilation, the airway should be opened by hyperextending the neck, mouth-to-mouth respiration may not be necessary if the carbon dioxide level build up and triggers the breathing mechanisms, which often happens (Griffiths 85).

Decompression sickness, aka: "the bends", is one of the most feared diving maladies. With increasing depth, the partial pressure of nitrogen also increases. As

and pull it away from the face to allow the mask to flood. Roll the head to one side so that the face plate is turned to the surface. Hold the uppermost side of the mask firmly against the face, and exhale into the mask through the nose. The air trapped in the mask will fill the space and force the water out under the bottom edge. Some divers prefer to clear the mask by holding it firmly against the forehead and tilting the head back until they are looking up at the surface before blowing into it. Common errors are failing to tilt the mask toward the surface, pressing the top edge so tightly against the face that the mask is pulled away from other parts of the face, and allowing air to escape under the top edge of the mask by failing to hold the mask firmly in place (Counsilman and Drinkwater 31-33).

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Approximate Word count = 2653
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Sports