Scuba Dive--Pressure?

Question

What are 5 things you can do to protect your body from the effects of the pressure change while scuba diving?

What are some things that can happen because of pressure?

Answer 1

What are 5 things you can do to protect your body from the effects of the pressure change while scuba diving?

1. Equalize

2. Always breath

3. Don't dive with a cold

4. Don't dive congested

5.  Stay within your time and limits

What are some things that can happen because of pressure?

1. Nitrogen narcosis

2. The bends

3. Sinus squeeze

4. Lung damage (ALWAYS BREATH!)

Answer 2

Five protective measures:

1) Stay physically fit.  Fat, and the increased blood volume/capillary density to service fatty tissue, accumulate more nitrogen.

2) Know how to plan a dive so you stay within depth/time limits.

3) Do not dive tired or sick.  Fatigue and stress due to illness increase the risk of problems at depth including a fatally stupid mistake.  Physiological stress from being under pressure tends to degrade one's decision making abilities.

4) Know your limits and dive with a buddy.  Everyone's body behaves a little differently at depth.  Know what yours does, and have someone there to help if something unexpected comes up (like you start seeing mermaids).

5) Practice mechanics until they are second nature: breathing, ascent/descent rates, proper weighting.  All of these control the affects of absorbed nitrogen.

What can happen:

Nitrogen narcosis

Central Nervous System toxicity or 'Oxygen Poisoning' (when diving Enriched Air).  Usually fatal at depth.

Decompression Sickness