How does scuba gear work?

Answer 1

Scuba stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. It uses two regulators, one on the bottle which takes the volume of compressed air to a manageable rate, then the second regulator takes the air to a breathable rate so the diver can breath the air comfortable.

The other part of diving is a divers buoyancy. This is controlled by using a hose which comes from the first stage regulator into a vest called a B.C. (Buoyancy Compensator). The goal of this device is to get you, the diver as close as possible to becoming neutrally buoyant (you don't go up or down, you just stay in the middle). However once neutral buoyancy is achieved it can still be affected through your breathing rate.

Gregory L.

Las Vegas, NV (D.I.T.)

Answer 2

Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba) has been developed to enable man to swim and stay underwater for long periods of time.

A scuba diver carries metal tanks (that hold compressed air or a special mixture of breathing gases) on his back and wears a mask and fins.

Breathing compressed air will damage the lungs. How can the compressed air be made safe to breathe?

The diver breathes air from the tanks through a hose. The air is fed to the diver's mouthpiece through a regulator which does two things:

• It automatically reduces the pressure of the air from the tank to a safe level (equalized with outside water pressure) for the diver to inhale.
• It supplies air when the diver inhales.

When the diver exhales, the air from his lungs is released into the water and is seen as a rush of rising bubbles.

Answer 3

While scuba diving you use a piece of equipment called a BCD (Buoyancy Control Device). You inflate this with air either from your tank or manually which allows you to float. When you want to sink you deflate your BCD and, with weights attached to your body, you will sink. You can control this decent by putting air into, or letting air out of, your BCD.

Answer 4

either metal (very rare)

plastic (common)

or rubber (common)

Answer 5

scuba diving...

Answer 6

you