Diving equipment
From Free net encyclopedia
(Redirected from SCUBA Equipment)
The fundamental item of diving equipment used by divers is the SCUBA equipment, such as the Aqualung or Rebreather. There are other important pieces of equipment that make diving safer, more convenient or more efficient.
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Personal Diving Equipment
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Scuba life support
- Open-circuit Scuba consisting of diving cylinder(s) and diving regulator(s)
- Rebreather, closed-circuit Scuba
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Alternative life support
- Liquid breathing system - In the real world this is at the early experiment stage. It may allow very deep diving when it is developed.
- Snorkel allows breathing at the surface with the face submerged.
- Standard diving dress - mostly used in professional diving. Merely of historical interest now.
- Surface supplied diving - mostly used in professional diving.
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Thermal, sting and abrasion protection
- In cold water, a diving suit such as a dry suit or a wet suit
- In very warm water, many types of tough, long, everyday clothing provide protection
- Diving gloves, neoprene is often used for thermal insulation
- Diving boots, often made of neoprene and rubber
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In-water stabilisation and movement
- Backplate
- Buoyancy compensator, Buoyancy Control Device, BCD or BC
- Diver Propulsion Vehicle - to increase the range of the diver undwerwater
- Diving weighting system counteracts the buoyancy of the diving suit
- Fins
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Measurement and navigation
- Dive Computer to avoid decompression sickness
- Compass for underwater navigation
- Depth gauge is used with watch for decompression monitoring on decompression tables
- Watch is used with depth gauge for decompression monitoring on decompression tables
- Decompression tables to avoid decompression sickness
- Distance line is used to navigate back to the start point in poor vizibility
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Vision and communication
- Mask allows the diver to see clearly underwater and protects the eyes.
- Full face mask allows talking if no mouthpiece inside. Difficult or impossible to use a snorkel if your air has ran out.
- Diving helmet used with surface supplied diving, it protects the head well.
- Surface Marker Buoy or Decompression buoy (Delayed SMBs)
- Underwater writing slate and pencil to transport pre-dive plans underwater, to record facts whilst underwater and to aid communication with other divers
- Torch/flashlight is essential in low visibility, during night diving or for communication
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Tools
- Airlift - a gas "powered" tube that is used in nautical archaeology, which sucks small objects, sand and mud from the sea bed to move them elsewhere
- Camera and housing - for underwater photography or video shooting
- Decompression trapeze consists of one or more horizontal bars, suspended at the depth of intended decompression stops by buoys
- Diving reel is used to transport a distance line or line for a surface marker buoy
- Diving shot consisting of a weight, line and buoy used to mark the location of a dive site, allowing divers to navigate to and from the surface and to do decompression stops at a safe location. Typically the weight is 20 kg.
- Dry box to keep objects in that the diver needs to keep dry at depth
- Knife to cut ropes and nets
- Lifting bag - a robust airtight bag used to lift heavy object underwater
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Surface detection aids
The purposes of this class of equipment are to:
- allow the boat cover to monitor and find divers on the surface during or after a dive
- prevent the diver being run over by boat traffic on the ascent
- mark the diver's position when drift diving or while at the decompression stop
- help the rescue services in lifeboats and helicopters to locate the diver
Surface detection aids (with cheapest and most effective towards the top) include:
- Red or yellow collapsible flag - high visibility, robust, bungeed to cylinder
- Whistle - cheap, will only be heard by people far from engine noise
- Torch/flashlight - if at sea after night fall
- Strobe light - needs long-lasting batteries
- High pressure whistle - expensive but effective
- Orange water dye - increases diver's visibility from search helicopters
- Mirror such as a used Compact Disc - to reflect sunlight or searchlights
- Red pyrotechnic flares - for helicopters and lifeboats
- Emergency position-indicating rescue beacon
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Surface equipment
- Diving air compressor - a gas compressor, which can fill diving cylinders with high pressure air.
- Boats such as the rigid-hulled inflatable boat
- Echo sounder - a SONAR depth measuring and profiling device used for dive site location
- GPS receiver - for locating dive sites
- Proton magnetometer - for locating ferrous wrecks
- Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle - for locating dive sites
- Marine VHF radio - for communicating with rescue services and other boats
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External links: Equipment manufacturers
- AP Valves
- Aqua Lung
- Body Glove Wetsuits
- Dacor
- Dive Goddess Skins
- Dive Rite
- Halcyon
- Henderson
- Ikelite
- Luxfer
- Nikonos
- OMS
- O'Neill Wetsuits
- OxyCheq
- Poseidon
- The Rapid Diver Lightweight diving equipment
- Riffe International (speargun)
- Sea&Sea
- Sealife Cameras - Underwater digital cameras
- Sherwood
- Scuba Diving equipment, apparel and accessories.
- Torpedo DPV
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External links
- The Equipment of Diving Forum on the Scuba Board THE place by divers and for divers to share your experiences with Scuba Gear. Part of the World's largest, Media, Web Site, Portal and Forum dedicated to Scuba Diving.
- Scuba Gear Reviews at the Scuba Guide. An independent resource for the cautious consumer. Read and submit reviews of scuba gear.
- Scuba Portal - Scuba Diving Equipment Portal.de:Tauchausrüstung