Here are some terms used in scuba diving:

_Air: a gas mixture containing 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, and 1% other gases (mainly argon); compressed air is used for recreational scuba diving.

_Buoyancy compensator: An inflatable vest worn by the diver that can be automatically or orally inflated to help control the diver’s ability to float or sink; usually referred to as a BC.

_C-Card: A diver’s certification card for a specific level of achievement.

_Dry suit: A water-tight garment that keeps the diver’s body warm by providing insulation with a layer of gas, such as air; for diving in waters that are too cold for comfortable wetsuit protection, usually below 65F.

_Equalization: The act of forcing air into an open space to offset increasing water pressure.

_Mask squeeze: Occurs in rapid descents where the diver neglects to equalize his/her mask. The increasing pressure causes tissues around the eyes to swell.

_Nitrox: Any mixture of nitrogen and oxygen that contains less than the 79% nitrogen found in ordinary air.

_Recreational scuba diving: Diving to prescribed limits, including a depth no greater than 130 feet, using only compressed air, and never requiring a decompression stop.

_Residual nitrogen time: The time it would take to vent any extra nitrogen remaining after a dive. Residual nitrogen time is always taken into consideration when determining the safe duration for any repetitive dive.

_SCUBA: An acronym meaning Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

_Thermocline: Intersection between two layers of water that are distinctly different temperatures, usually the colder layer is deeper.

_Wet suit: Any suit that provides thermal protection underwater by trapping a layer of water between the diver’s skin and the suit.

Source

Scuba Diving MagazIne - The magazine divers trust! Featuring in-depth scuba equipment comparative reviews, dive travel destination reports and feature articles on diving environment, aquatic life, diver nutrition and health.

The magazine serves as a ‘Consumer Reports’ for divers. Their gear recommendations are top notch; but more importantly they stress good technique and training. Their “Lessons for Life” column, where they detail the anatomy of a diving accident, is very useful in keeping divers focused on the fact that although diving is a heck of a lot of fun, it also carries with it some substantial, but mostly preventable, risks.

If you dive at all, you need to be reading this magazine. … However, like EVERY dive publication, I wonder if they can’t keep from raving about any dive destination enough. It makes me wonder if the dive destination (especially the Cayman Islands!!!) isn’t paying the reporters’ way. Trust them for gear, technique, and lifesaving tips. Verify the vacations.

Is PADI an organization that looks out for it’s members - or is it just another business out for a quick buck, at the expense of their member safety?

When I went through my PADI Open Water dive certification course - I had a wonderful instructor. She was very thorough and extremely cautions - very, very scrupulous about the safety rules. However, she was also very negative towards PADI, telling me that PADI stands for “Put Another Dollar In”. For the final exam - she told me I didn’t have to read the last few pages in the chapter, or answer the last few questions on the test because those pages and questions were nothing more than PADI’s marketing team trying to coerce the new diver into taking more and more classes that were, what she called, unnecessary.

The night dive course, for example. My instructor informed me that all I needed to do was grab a dive light and take a long stride off the pier at dusk. I didn’t need a course. I didn’t need to hire a divemaster to do it - - just do it.

I did it. She was right, I was fine.

A controversy that I’ve heard some buzzing about is PADI’s Scuba Diver certification course. It’s the level below the 4-day Open Water certification and only takes 2 days. It was developed by PADI for those folks on vacation who didn’t have the time to take the 4 day Open Water course. A recent CDNN editorial calls this grossly irresponsible - the article quotes:

No PADI program has ignited more controversy and criticism than the PADI “Scuba Diver” course. In that case, at least, the critics are right. While the course will certainly help PADI to maintain market share based on overall number of certifications, it will put certified divers in the water who are inadequately trained and further increase the burden on dive professionals who must supervise divers uncomfortable with even the most basic diving skills.

The points of controversy:

• PADI has ‘dumbed down’ the entry level requirements - sacrificing safety for efficiency, getting new divers out there quickly so they can enjoy the rest of their vacations
• The notion that divers should be certified who are unwilling to make even that minimal commitment to learning to safely use underwater life support equipment is grossly irresponsible.
• Unlike Discover Scuba which involves supervision of divers who ARE, in fact, pre-entry level, there is NO required or recommended diver to divemaster ratio for supervision of divers who have a PADI “Scuba Diver” certification

70% of certified divers don’t go on for further certification - so should the accepted standard for entry level divers be more stringent? Does the burden lie with PADI - or with the diver, to seek out further training and education?