Important Information On Scuba Diving Atlanta Residents Should Know

By Maryanne Goff


Scuba diving involves diving under water using special equipment for breathing while underwater. While other methods require one pumped air from the water surface or literally holding your breath, scuba divers use breathing gas. These are some of the important facts about scuba diving Atlanta residents would be interested to know.

The word SCUBA is historically an acronym, self- contained underwater breathing apparatus. The equipment was originally used by soldiers for underwater warfare. Military frogmen apply this technique in following up enemy lines, directly confronting their enemies or setting up bombs. The police department also uses this method in crime investigations involving water and in performing a search.

The field of professional diving is one that has continued to generate great interest from many different areas. Persons that want to be professional divers are among those that need to have highly specialised scuba diving equipment. This is because of the dangers that are posed by the deep waters. Professional divers offer training to other people who have an interest in this sport. Apart from this, they also play an important role in field such as marine biology, underwater archaeology, geology, oceanography and photography.

The apparatus used in this exercise allow the diver to breath while under water. The air needed for breathing requires enough pressure to balance with the surrounding pressure which is a sum of the normal atmospheric pressure and the increasing hydrostatic pressure as the diver descends. There has to be a balance between the internal and external pressures. For this reason valve regulators ensure smooth inspiration and expiration regardless of depth.

The most common set of apparatus is one that consists of an open circuit that has both the source of gas and a regulator connected in series but indirectly. It consists of two compartments with one of the parts connected to the valve of cylinder and the other to the mouth piece. A regulator in the first compartment helps to reduce the pressure in the cylinder from 300 to about 10 bars above the surrounding pressure. These pressures are then transmitted to the second compartment. The exhaled air is released into the surrounding water.

Another type of apparatus that can be used is the rebreather. This is likely to fail hence is not commonly used. There are two types of rebreathers in current use. They are the closed and the semi-closed systems or CCR and the SCR respectively. The main difference that exists between these systems and the open circuits is that the closed systems allow for recycling of exhaled air unlike in the open circuits where exhaled air is released as waste.

For buoyancy control, divers need diving suits, weighting systems and buoyancy compensators. A constant depth in water has to be maintained by controlling the speed of descent and ascent. This reduced the physical effort of swimming and economise on gas consumption.

There are a number of hazards relating to scuba diving Atlanta residents may want to know. The most frequently encountered include oxygen toxicity, barotrauma, hypothermia, nitrogen narcosis and incompetence. Dry suits are greatly helpful in helping avoid hypothermia. The suits also help prevent damage to the skin by underwater organisms. It is important to ensure that all the safety precautions are taken to avoid accidents.




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