Scuba Diving: Serenity with Risks
One of the most beautiful aspects of the ocean is the view one gets when one looks below the surface. The clear blue crystalline water on the surface does not adequately reflect the beauty of all that lurks beneath it. The oceans are full of some of the most amazing, most colourful and most exotic creatures ever witnessed by humans. The best way to experience the beauty of the oceans is by going scuba diving. Even though scuba diving is becoming very popular amongst tourists and natives alike and it is a relatively safe sport, there are still dangers that lurk and precautions should be taken.
Scuba diving is a great sport and a very peaceful and calming one. Scuba diving has a very long and interesting history. People have been diving and staying underwater for centuries and it is only with the invention of diving equipment that the sport comes into a form that we see today. It all started in 1771, when an engineer from England named John Smeaton invented an air pump. Other inventions came in the years that followed until finally Emile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau came up with the modern diving suit and breathing apparatus which allowed divers to stay underwater for extended periods of time and enjoy the sights of the ocean.
Scuba diving is basically getting into a wet suit, strapping on a tank of air to your back which comes with an air demand regulator and putting on a mask. All that is left is to be lowered into the water and to experience the exciting images of the ocean. Most scuba divers take place near reefs which are beautiful natural structures underwater home to many fish and teeming with plant life and other creatures of the deep. The most beautiful of the world's reefs has to undoubtedly be the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It is a truly breathtaking sight to behold and is made up of over 3000 marine reefs and is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Being longer than the Great Wall of China it is also the only living thing that is viewable from space. This is one of the most popular and exciting destinations for scuba divers from all over the world.
Even though it is a very serene and peaceful sport to do, there are some risks involved with scuba diving. These risks even though they are minimal, should be watched out for by all divers. First of all, all divers are not in their natural environment. Humans are not built to breath underwater and so there is an inherent risk to going into the water. Apart from that risk, there is a risk of the equipment failing, but nowadays with increases in safety technology and enhancements in the technology this risk has been minimised. Besides this the greatest danger to a scuba diver is something called barotraumas, which is a sudden change in pressure. As a diver descends into the water the pressure that is exerted on their bodies starts to increase. Modern diving suits have special built-in pressure regulators but sometimes accidents can happen and if a diver's body is exposed to a sudden increase in pressure they can get seriously injured. A diver's ears and lungs are the main areas of concern where pressure can suddenly build up to lethal levels. Again with modern technology and some training this risk can be minimised to a negligible level.
Many people think that one of the biggest dangers in going scuba diving is the risk of coming face to face with a shark. This danger is largely unfounded because of the fact that there are two different types of sharks; ocean sharks and reef sharks. Ocean sharks are the aggressive type featured in movies and have become the stuff of nightmares. Reef sharks on the other hand are non aggressive creatures that do not attack humans and swim around going about their own business and humans are more likely to disturb them then they are to disturb us. This risk has been determined by experts to not be an issue either and people think that seeing a shark on a dive is a very exciting part of it.
Scuba diving is an excellent activity to be enjoyed by one and all and the beauty that can be witnessed underwater cannot be seen anywhere else on Earth. With the risks being minimised and eradicated by the day, scuba diving has become one of the must do activities in an adventurous person's life.
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