What Exactly is SCUBA Diving?

SCUBA is a word known as an acronym, which means that each of the letters of the word stand for another separate word. SCUBA stands for "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus," although the word has passed into common usage and the average person just assumes it means diving with compressed air tanks.

To participate in SCUBA diving you must be in good physical condition with no serious physical ailments, such as insulin-dependent diabetes or medication dependent asthma. SCUBA diving can be more strenuous than snorkeling or skin diving, because you must carry heavy SCUBA tanks and weights. Swimming with scuba gear takes more energy because the equipment is bulky and creates drag, slowing your movements in the water.

Instruction is essential to participate in SCUBA diving. Without instruction, you can injure or even kill yourself in a swimming pool using SCUBA equipment. It is not that SCUBA diving is particularly dangerous, but without knowledge and understanding of how the equipment works and the effects of breathing compressed air, you can injure yourself by an act as simple as holding your breath and surfacing in water depths as shallow as 4 feet.

The big advantage of SCUBA diving over skin diving is that with scuba equipment most people can dive deeper than they can while holding their breath. Obviously, you can also stay underwater much longer when you're carrying your air supply with you. This makes it easier to perform activities such as taking pictures underwater.

However, even SCUBA diving has its limitations and each individual diver is limited by his or her training, skill level, and experience. More experienced divers with the proper training can dive under more demanding conditions than less experienced divers.

Participating in SCUBA diving is more expensive than snorkeling or skin diving. To engage in SCUBA diving, at a minimum, you will need a wetsuit, weight belt, tank of compressed air, buoyancy compensator, regulator, submersible pressure gauge, and dive computer. Of course, this equipment can be rented, but rental costs add up over time and there is no substitute for the comfort and security of your own equipment.

It takes more time to clean up scuba diving equipment after a day of diving than it does snorkeling or skin diving gear, simply because there is more equipment and it is more complex. The equipment must also be inspected and serviced by an authorized repair facility on an annual basis.

No matter what form of diving you enjoy, whether it's snorkeling, skin diving, or scuba, it should be your decision alone whether or not you choose to participate in the sport. You should dive only because you want to do it, not because your spouse, parents, or children enjoy it.

You can experience the magic of snorkeling and diving almost anywhere there is water. With the simple skills that can be learned, there is no boundary.