35 Seriously Cool Diving Facts You Need To Know Right Now

The mysterious underwater world hosts a plethora of flora and fauna that are still unexplored by most of us.

One can be a certified scuba diver or an absolute novice, but the oceanic enigma has always attracted people to delve into its abysmal depths. Plunging into seas and oceans, and exploring the marine life along with the breathtaking coral reefs, is an experience in itself.

The great depths do come with a lot of dangers that may push you into the unknown for good. In order to enjoy the underwater ride, using the correct scuba gear is an absolute necessity. Planning a dive and executing it in an appropriate way is also important to enjoy it to the fullest.

Let's dive in to discover amazing scuba diving facts!

History Of Scuba Diving

Scuba diving has a rich history associated with it. It is linked with the invention of scuba equipment and its further evolution for a more effortless diving experience.

• In the beginning, only two breathing pieces of equipment were built. One was an open-circuit surface apparatus, and the other was a closed-circuit breathing apparatus.
• The open-circuit surface apparatus involved the direct exhalation of gas into the water, while the closed-circuit breathing apparatus included the same exhaled air of the diver, from which carbon dioxide is filtered out and replenished with oxygen. This was then used by the diver.
• Henry Fleuss was the first person to design and build the first practical scuba rebreather in the year 1878. During World War II, Germans, Italians, as well as British divers rebuilt and redesigned the oxygen rebreathers extensively.
• The first free-swimming oxygen rebreather, named SCUBA, was brought out by U.S. Major Christian J. Lambertsen in the year 1952.
• In the year 1942, the first safe open-circuit scuba, along with a twin hose system, which is known as the Aqua-Lung, was invented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Émile Gagnan.
• In the earlier days, the scuba diving sets usually contained a simple harness of shoulder straps along with a waist belt.
• Due to the absence of backplates of the earlier scuba sets, the heavy cylinders rested on the back of the diver, thereby causing discomfort. Also, no buoyancy aid was provided to scuba divers.
• The very first stabilizer jacket, which is a buoyancy compensator, was introduced by ScubaPro in the year 1971. They also introduced backplates as well as wings, which made the diving experience extremely smooth.
• Semi-closed circuit rebreathers have become available to the market since the mid-'90s. Previously, the nitrox mixture limited divers to plunge into great depths. Upon successfully measuring the partial pressure of oxygen, it was finally possible to maintain a breathable gas mixture at any depth. The Nitrox Rebreather was used by the Royal Navy for a long time.

Types Of Scuba Diving

There are several types of scuba diving that come with their own set of adventures and are experienced by people throughout the world.

• Night diving is considered one of the most exciting adventures for a scuba diver. With only the light of a torch, the underwater world, which is full of new life, is viewed. It tests the various wits of scuba divers and imposes great challenges.
• Drift diving uses propels with which one can travel underwater more quickly and easily. However, this type of diving is performed only by skilled and experienced scuba divers as it comes with a lot of dangers. This includes the ocean currents that can drive you further away.
• Deep diving is when the depth of the dive is at least 59 ft (18 m) from the surface. Most of these deep divers travel more than 98.4 ft (30 m) underwater. Although this dive will make you come across some of the hidden gems of seas and oceans, it imposes a lot of threats to divers, especially the risk of toxic compressed air and decompression sickness. This can also lead to nitrogen narcosis. Therefore, proper planning with accurate time management is extremely important for this kind of dive.
• Scuba diving involves a great deal of calorie burn in your body, which can be up to 600 kilo-calories per hour. This is because of the heat loss of divers underwater and the constant effort of the body to maintain body temperature.
• Although scuba diving is one of those recreational activities, including the highest economic turnaround globally, scuba divers earn a very low salary. There are around 6 million registered scuba divers in the world!
• The most popular scuba diving course is the PADI Open Water Diver.
• 130 ft (39.6 m) below the surface is considered to be the safe limit for divers for recreational activities.
• The world record of the deepest dive of 1090 ft (332.2 m) underwater was made by a 41-year-old Egyptian man named Ahmed Gabr. This dive was in the Red Sea in Egypt. This world record of diving in the Red Sea took him only 12 minutes underwater to reach such a depth, but 15 hours to come back to the surface.

Requirements For Scuba Diving

To safely experience the underwater world, various types of equipment are needed. This will not only ensure the smooth oxygen intake of divers but will also help them stay afloat and balance their bodies while diving.

• A strong practical and theoretical knowledge of diving is a must before plunging into the deep. Therefore, a certification from an open water diving course is a mandate.
• As divers travel deep, their chance of losing body fluids increases with an increase in time underwater. This can result in dehydration. Therefore, proper hydration should be ensured to prevent risks of decompression sickness.
• All new divers need to undergo diving training which will help their body adapt and breathe the Nitrox, Trimix, and other gas mixes.
• Choosing the right pieces of equipment is also an important job for divers to start with. A well-fitted wetsuit, dive mask, fins, weights, underwater cameras, both the regulator and the backup regulator, a BCD, and a tank are the basic diving things that are needed for a safe dive.
• One should remember that one must never hurry while diving. The key to experiencing the underwater view is diving slowly and steadily. All diving instructors teach new joiners to go slow and swim back up slowly as well. The maximum descent rate is about 75 ft (22.9 m) per min, while the ascent rate is 30 ft (9.1 m) per min.
• Knowing the diving limit is also important. In most training and certification courses, your diving instructors will guide you with all these instructions and let you know about the depth to which you can travel.
• Due to the cold temperatures underwater, it is essential for all divers to shower under warm water right after diving. This warmer water helps relax their muscles, which can often cramp up due to the cold temperature and the prolonged swimming.
• The number of dives per day depends on the depth. For recreational activities, which include shallow depths, about five dives per day can be undertaken. Experienced divers can dive more than two days in a row.
• Although accidents are rare while diving, even though it is considered a risky sport, it is always better to stay prepared for your dive. New divers must not dive alone. Diving in groups or with an instructor will help scuba divers keep a watch on each other and notice any kind of decompression sickness. The minimum age limit for diving is eight years. This is because of weights of the diving equipment which are usually quite heavy.
• The maximum depth of the Olympic Diving Pool is about 16.4 ft (5 m). This requires the platform diving height to be about 32.8 ft (10 m).
• Did you know that water absorbs light? You will notice different colors disappearing from the visible spectrum. So if you bleed underwater, you will notice blue blood oozing out.

Best Places To Scuba Dive

There are plenty of places to dive and experience the enchanting underwater world.

• The best place to scuba dive in is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, which is the largest coral reef and home to a large number of living organisms. It is explored by most scuba divers, who are fascinated by the enriched and vibrant underwater world.
• The Great Blue Hole in Belize City at Lighthouse Reef is also popular among divers, which offers unique diving sites in the Caribbean Sea.
• Barracuda Point on Sipadan Island, Malaysia, offers a spectacular view of the diverse ecosystem which hosts more than 3,000 fish species. The peak time of diving here is between April to June.
• Diving in the rich blue waters of the Maldives is extremely popular, and thousands of people come to visit here every year from all over the world. The Maaya Thila, located in the Southern Ari Atoll, just northwest of Maayaafushi Island, is perhaps one of the most picturesque and diver-friendly diving locations in the entire Maldives.
• The Richelieu Rock in the Andaman Sea, a dive site in Thailand, is a hotspot for abundant marine life.
• The Santa Rosa Wall, Cozumel in the Caribbean, is also a well-known site for deep dives into the sea. It provides an incredible view of coral reefs and sea organisms, including turtles, toadfish, queen angelfish, and many more.
• The Thistlegorm Wreck in the Red Sea is one of the most captivating diving sites. You can get to see numerous soldierfish, sweepers, and crocodile fish in this fairly remote wreck.