What are the dangers of Scuba Diving?

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Diving under water is steadily growing in popularity, and those who enjoy underwater sports already know about scuba diving. Scuba actually means Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Scuba diving is an entertaining activity that can usually be enjoyed safely with proper training. Unfortunately however scuba diving can be dangerous also, so make sure you go for it with proper training, even then sometimes there are quite a few risks that challenge the professionals.

 

What are some of the dangers in scuba  diving?

Some areas of the ocean are very dangerous, sometimes the depth of the location could be a problem but most of  the problems occur by marine life that live in those depths. Some of the most dangerous are sharks, octopus, eels, and jellyfish. If you enter their underwater territory while scuba diving, you could get yourself in a lot of troubles as you could get attacked. So learn and know about each destination before you enter the water. Drowning is one of the well-known dangers of scuba diving. If your scuba gear doesn’t work properly while you're underwater, and you breathe water instead of air there is the rick of drowning. Secondly you may also drown if you fail to use your air supply properly. So it is advisable to go with a partner, as you maybe able to share his air supply when needed.

 

What are bends?

When a diver descends into the water. Every 33 ft the pressure of nitrogen increases by 11.6 lbs/square inch and more nitrogen enters the body tissues at deeper depths and with time. The body doesn't dissolve the nitrogen and so it gets collected in the tissues. When the diver surfaces too quickly the nitrogen tries to come out like in a soda can thats shaken where the gas bubbles gush out. Nitrogen in teh same tries to come out of the tissues very rapidly causing You do not have access to view this node in the arms and legs specially around the joints. Also known as depression sickness or bends is one of the harmful things that can catch scuba divers. If you see these symptoms you have to visit the doctor immediately for recovery because it may cause tissue and nerve damage, sometime leading to death. 

 

How is Hypothermia caused in Scuba Diving?

When you are diving in a cold temperature, usually you have to wear rubber suits to combat the temperature. Even after wearing proper suits it can be possible for you to get hypothermia. This is a condition in which your body temperature goes down considerably. The hyporthermia usually causes disorders in the brain or lung hemorrhages that will lead to death. Sometimes you may get a chance to get injury by hitting yourself when you are getting in or out of the boat. Even under water, it will give you wound or cuts, if you bump up against sharp surfaces such as coral or rock. It's also advisable to check your blood pressure to ensure you won't be at a high risk for an embolism or some other type of injury.

 

What is Martinis Law?

There is also what is called the "Martinis Law", waht it means is that for every 50 ft you go deeper into the water your body experiences about drinking 1 bottle of Martini. So if you go down to even 250 ft in depth the body can get very intoxicated. and experience what is called as nitrogen narcossis. It is not as common as bends but  far more dangerous as a person might not feel any symptoms until the last minute where it hits the diver and he is incapable of doing anything at all.

 

What is the ascend rate and what is the Safety Stop in Scuba Diving?

Usually trying scuba diving is a fun activity, but you should make sure that you are safe when you are diving. Andt being prepared is always better as you can make quick decisions and won't panic. Panicking  can result in you making mistakes that can be avoided when you are calm. Things such as when to ascend and following a natural reef or a line to give you a sense of how long it wil take you to ascend will help you feel less disoriented. The rate of ascent is 50ft/15m per minute upto 16ft/5m  of depth. Divers at 16ft depth always take a 3 minute-Safety stop  to let the nitrogen exit the body a ta safe rate. Learning all the precautions and making use of them when needed will reduce the risks of scuba diving. Scuba diving is a safe sport and can be enjoyed by by all ages.

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