Outline of underwater diving explained

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to underwater diving:Underwater diving – as a human activity, is the practice of descending below the water's surface to interact with the environment.

What type of activity is underwater diving?

Underwater diving can be described as all of the following:

• A human activity – intentional, purposive, conscious and subjectively meaningful sequence of actions. Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where the practitioner submerges below the surface of the water or other liquid for a period which may range between seconds to the order of a day at a time, either exposed to the ambient pressure or isolated by a pressure resistant suit, to interact with the underwater environment for pleasure, competitive sport, or as a means to reach a work site for profit or in the pursuit of knowledge, and may use no equipment at all, or a wide range of equipment which may include breathing apparatus, environmental protective clothing, aids to vision, communication, propulsion, maneuverability, buoyancy and safety equipment, and tools for the task at hand.

Diving activity, by type

Modes of underwater diving

There are several modes of diving distinguished by the equipment and procedures used:

Diving skills and procedures

Underwater diving, by environment

Occupational diving

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •  – Special operations forces of the French Navy – Unit with combat swimmers.

Recreational diving

Diving and support equipment, tools and weapons

Diving equipment

Breathing gas

• Breathing gases by composition:
  • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Breathing gases by use:

Rebreather makes and models

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • LAR-5, LAR-6, and LAR-V represented by

Gas extenders:

Underwater breathing apparatus

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Cylinder valve alias Pillar valve represented by Diving cylinder#The cylinder valve – A valve to control gas flow to and from a cylinder and to connect with the regulator or filling hose

Diving support equipment

Underwater work tools and equipment

Underwater work tools and equipment – Tools and equipment used for underwater work

Underwater weapons

Underwater weapons – Weapons that are intended for use underwater

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Underwater pistols
              • Underwater revolvers
        • Underwater rifles

Diving support personnel

There are also diver support activities which require assessed competence and registration for which formal training may be required.

Science of underwater diving

The diving environment

• • • • • • • • • • • • Physical and biological aspects of the diving environment
                        • • Hazards of the aquatic environment represented by List of diving hazards and precautions#The aquatic environment –
  • Hazards of the specific diving environment represented by List of diving hazards and precautions#The specific diving environment –
    • • • • – A turbulent area of water caused by a strong current over an underwater ridge, or by currents meeting.
          • Surge (wave action) currently represented by Waves and shallow water – the component of wave motion in the direction of wave front propagation particularly close to and parallel with the bottom

Physics of underwater diving

Physiology of underwater diving

Diving medicine, disorders and treatment

Diving disorders and treatment

Diving safety

Diving incidents, rescues, and fatalities

Incidents and people involved in a notable incident while diving or during a diving operation.

• Early diving incidents
  • • • • • Ebenezer Watson – nephew of Charles Spalding and died in the same accident
• Freediving incidents
  • • • • • • • • Professional diving incidents
      • Offshore diving incidents
        • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Rescues involving diving
              • Professional diving fatalities
    • Roger Baldwin (diver) represented by
      • • • Victor F. Guiel Jr. represented by
    • Craig M. Hoffman represented by
    • Peter Henry Michael Holmes represented by
    • Edwin Clayton Link represented by
    • Gerard Anthony Prangley represented by
    • Per Skipnes represented by
    • Robert John Smyth represented by
    • Albert D. Stover represented by
    • Richard A. Walker represented by
    • Lothar Michael Ward represented by
      • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Chris and Chrissy Rouse, represented by

Legal aspects of diving

• • – Legislation regulating diving activity, usually a branch of occupational health and safety.

History of underwater diving

Military and covert operations

Underwater salvage operations

• • • Kursk submarine disaster#Salvage operation – Raising the wreck of a Russian nuclear submarine
• represented by USS Sailfish (SS-192)#Sinking of Squalus and recommissioning as Sailfish – The successful rescue of the crew and later raising of the sunken vessel.

Training, certification, registration and standards

Diver training

Diver training can be distinguished between recreational and occupational diver training. Recreational diver training tends to be split into small skill sets for customer convenience and provider profitability. Recreational diver training systems include training and registration of instructors and dive leaders for recreational diving

Professional diver training is usually for registration based on mode of diving and requires a wider range of competence for a range of equipment skills and environments. Titles of certificates vary, but the basic competences are similar and may be internationally recognised by agreement.

Scientific diving is occupational diving in the pursuit of scientific knowledge, and there may be different conditions that apply regionally regarding regulation and registration.

Diver certification organisations

• Occupational diver certification authorities

• • • • • Recreational diver certification agencies
  • Freediver certification agencies
    • • • • • • • • • • • • Recreational scuba certification agencies
          • CEDIP members
            • • • • • • • • • • • • – the branch of the world underwater federation representing European affiliates

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • European Underwater Federation certification
                                                                • – a recreational diver training and certification agency
    • WRSTC and RSTC members
      • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Technical diver certification agencies
    • Cave diving certification agencies
      • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • – A recreational and technical diver training and certification agency

• Scientific diver certification authorities

Organisations setting international standards and codes of practice for diving and diver training

• • • • • • • • • Scientific diving standards organizations

Commercial diving schools

Underwater diving organisations

Diver membership organisations

Diver membership organisations

• Freediver federations

• Recreational and technical scuba clubs and associations
  • • • • • • • • • • • • • Military services recreational diving organisations

• Scientific, archaeological and historical diving organisations

• National underwater-sports federations

• International underwater-sports federations

Diving medical research organisations

Underwater diving publications

Books and manuals

• • • • • • • – Tom Mount, Joseph Dituri, Eds
  • A document providing extensive general information on the equipment, procedures and theoretical basis of underwater diving.
  • Scientific diving manual published by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
  • John Bevan Ed. A manual of offshore diving
    • – Carl Edmonds, Bart McKenzie, Robert Thomas
• Alf O. Brubakk, Tom S. Neuman, Eds
• – Charles Shilling, Ed.

Codes of practice

(National or international codes of practice for diving)

• • A voluntary code of industry best practice followed by members of the International Marine Contractors Association.

Standards

(National or international standards relating to diving equipment or practices)

Buoyancy compensators

• Diving accessories. Buoyancy compensators. Functional and safety requirements, test methods.
• Diving equipment. Buoyancy compensators. Functional and safety requirements, test methods.

Depth gauges

• Diving accessories. Depth gauges and combined depth and time measuring devices. Functional and safety requirements, test methods.

Diver training

• Recreational diving services – Requirements for the training of recreational scuba divers
• Recreational diving services – Requirements for training on environmental awareness for recreational divers

Diving masks

• Underwater Safety. Recreational Skin and Scuba Diving. Lenses for Masks.
• Gumowy sprzęt pływacki - Maski pływackie (Rubber swimming equipment - Swimming masks).
• Specification for snorkels and face masks. Amended 1977.
• 潛水鏡. Diving mask.
• 潛水鏡檢驗法. Method of test for diving mask.
• Tauch-Zubehör. Tauchbrillen. Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und Prüfung. Diving accessories for skin divers. Diver's masks. Requirements and testing.
• Diving equipment. Diving mask. Requirements and test methods.
• Маски резиновые для плавания под водой. Общие технические условие. Rubber masks for submarine swimming. General specifications.
• Tauch-Zubehör; Tauchmasken (Tauchbrillen); Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen, Prüfung, Normkennzeichnung. Diving accessories; divers’ masks; safety requirements, testing, marking of conformity.

Dry suits

• Diving suits. Dry suits. Requirements and test methods.
• Diving suits. Dry suits. Requirements and test methods.

Recreational diving services

• Recreational diving services – Requirements and guidance on environmentally sustainable practices in recreational diving

Snorkels

• Specification for snorkels and face masks. Amended 1977.
• Tauch-Zubehör; Schnorchel; Maße, Anforderungen, Prüfung. Diving accessories for skin divers. Snorkel. Technical requirements of safety, testing.
• Tauch-Zubehör; Schnorchel; Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und Prüfung. Diving accessories for skin divers. Snorkel. Safety requirements and testing.
• Diving accessories. Snorkels. Safety requirements.
• Diving equipment. Snorkels. Requirements and test methods.
• Tauch-Zubehör; Schnorchel; Abmessungen, sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen, Prüfung, Normkennzeichnung. Diving accessories; snorkels; dimensions, safety requirements, testing, marking of conformity.

Swimfins

• BN-82/8444-17.02 Gumowy sprzęt pływacki - Płetwy pływackie (Rubber swimming equipment - Swimming fins).
• DIN 7876:1980 Tauchzubehör. Schwimmflossen. Maße, Anforderungen und Prüfung. Diving accessories for skin divers. Flippers. Dimensions, requirements and testing.
• Diving equipment. Diving open heel fins. Requirements and test methods.
• Ласты резиновые для плавания. Общие технические условия. Swimming rubber flippers. General specifications.
• Military specification. Swim fins, rubber.
• Specification for rubber swimming fins.
• Specification for rubber swimming fins. First revision.
• Tauch-Zubehör; Schwimmflossen; Abmessungen, sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen, Prüfung, Normkennzeichnung. Diving accessories; fins; dimensions, safety requirements, testing, marking of conformity.

Underwater breathing apparatus

• Transportable gas cylinders. Periodic inspection and testing of seamless aluminium alloy gas cylinders
• Transportable gas cylinders. Periodic inspection and testing of seamless steel gas cylinders
• Respiratory equipment - Self-contained re-breathing diving apparatus

Wetsuits

• 濕式潛水衣. Diving Wet Suit.
• Diving suits. Wet suits. Requirements and test methods.
• Diving suits. Wet suits. Requirements and test methods.

Journals and magazines

• Magazine on technical diving, founded and edited by Michael Menduno
• Quarterly magazine of DAN on diving safety and recreational diving matters

Recreational dive site guides

Notable dive site guides with Wikipedia article.

Authors of publications about diving

Authors of general non-fiction works on diving topics who are the subjects of Wikipedia articles.

Documentaries

Documentary movies focused on underwater diving.

Underwater diving in popular culture

Movies, novels, TV series and shows, comics, graphic art, sculpture, games, myths, legends, and misconceptions. Fiction in general relating to all forms of diving, including hypothetical and imaginary methods, and other aspects of underwater diving which have become part of popular culture.

Researchers in diving medicine and physiology

Underwater divers

• Outline of underwater divers – Hierarchical outline list of biographical articles about underwater divers
• Index of underwater divers – Alphabetical listing of articles about underwater divers

Pioneers of diving

• James F. Cahill – American scuba diving pioneer
• Alphonse and Théodore Carmagnolle – French inventors of the first anthropomorphic armoured diving suit
• Charles Condert – Inventor of an unsuccessful early scuba system
• Jacques Cousteau – Inventor of scuba-diving apparatus and film-maker
• Charles Anthony Deane – Pioneering diving engineer and inventor of a surface supplied diving helmet
  • • Guglielmo de Lorena – Italian inventor of a diving bell used for archaeological work on the Roman ships of lake Nemi
• Auguste Denayrouze – French inventor of a demand air supply regulator for underwater diving
• Frédéric Dumas – French pioneer of scuba diving
• Ted Eldred – Australian inventor of the single hose diving regulator
• Maurice Fernez – French inventor and pioneer in underwater breathing apparatus
• Émile Gagnan – French engineer and co-inventor of the open circuit demand scuba regulator
• Bret Gilliam – Pioneering technical diver and author.
• Edmond Halley – English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist
• Hans Hass – Austrian biologist, film-maker, and underwater diving pioneer
• Stig Insulán – Inventor of an adjustable automatic exhaust valve for variable volume dry suits
• Jim Jarret – Diver who test dived the first successful atmospheric diving suits
• Yves Le Prieur – French naval officer and inventor of a free-flow scuba system
• John Lethbridge – English wool merchant who invented a diving machine in 1715
• William Hogarth Main – Cave diver and scuba configuration experimentalist
• Phil Nuytten – Canadian deep-ocean explorer, scientist, and inventor of the Newtsuit
• Joseph Salim Peress – pioneering British diving engineer
• Benoît Rouquayrol – French inventor of an early diving demand regulator
• Dick Rutkowski – American pioneer in hyperbaric and diving medicine and use of mixed breathing gases for diving
• Joe Savoie – Inventor of the neck dam for lightweight helmets
• Augustus Siebe – German-born British engineer mostly known for his contributions to diving equipment
• Charles Spalding – Scottish confectioner and amateur diving bell designer
• Robert Sténuit – Belgian journalist, writer, underwater archeologist and the first aquanaut.
• Arne Zetterström – Diver involved in experimental work with Hydrox breathing gas

Underwater art and artists

• Jason deCaires Taylor – British sculptor and creator of the world's first underwater sculpture park
• Christ of the Abyss – Submerged statue of Jesus Christ

See also