Scuba diving is a type of underwater swimming done with the help of self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba), hence the name, scuba diving. The apparatus used underwater does not have any access to air; therefore, divers must carry a tank containing compressed oxygen.
Most incidents of drowning during scuba diving involve equipment malfunctions and running out of air underwater. Every year around three million divers engage in recreational scuba diving in the US and 10% of the 1,000 diver-related injuries are fatal due to reasons including equipment failure, accidental drowning, pre-existing health conditions, and change in water pressure undersea.
Here are some safety tips for a safe scuba diving experience.
Keep Breathing
It’s crucial to continue breathing when you dive in and there are good reasons for that. If you hold your breath underwater, you can get into severe trouble. To start with, you can experience lung expansion, which will cause shortness of breath, pain, and immediate loss of consciousness.
Avoid Deep Scuba Diving
It’s easy to make an impulsive choice when you’re high on the adrenaline rush. But making such decisions underwater can kill you. As you go deeper into the sea, the water pressure rises and you use up your air quicker. The deeper you go, the more pressure there is on your ears as well. Without proper equalization, you risk damaging your eardrum which can lead to a multitude of problems. And inexperienced divers may ascend from the deep too quickly which can cause decompression illness or worse yet, air gas embolism, which can be fatal if not treated quickly and properly.
Keep an Eye on Your Gear
The simple and fundamental rule of scuba diving is to keep checking your air levels, depth, and dive computer. Most recreational divers can miss out on that. Due to this reason, scuba divers drown underwater because they run out of air and cannot swim their way out to the surface on time. It’s important to keep a strict check on these parameters and plan the dive accordingly.
Get A PADI Course
Begin diving in Aqaba and get trained by enrolling in a PADI Open Water Course. You’ll be trained by an instructor in calm waters and with strict adherence to PADI standards. Many PADI scuba diving centers offer PADI beginner courses in Aqaba, including us. At Deep Blue Dive Center, we also offer advanced and PADI Professional courses to scuba diving enthusiasts.
Get in touch with us for more information.
