Outline of underwater diving

Hierarchical outline list of articles related to underwater diving

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to underwater diving:

Two divers wearing lightweight demand helmets stand back-to-back on an underwater platform holding on to the railings. The photo also shows the support vessel above the surface in the background.
Surface-supplied divers riding a stage to the underwater workplace

Underwater diving – as a human activity, is the practice of descending below the water's surface to interact with the environment.

What type of activity is underwater diving?

Underwater diving can be described as all of the following:

  • A human activity – intentional, purposive, conscious and subjectively meaningful sequence of actions. Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where the practitioner submerges below the surface of the water or other liquid for a period which may range between seconds to the order of a day at a time, either exposed to the ambient pressure or isolated by a pressure resistant suit, to interact with the underwater environment for pleasure, competitive sport, or as a means to reach a work site for profit or in the pursuit of knowledge, and may use no equipment at all, or a wide range of equipment which may include breathing apparatus, environmental protective clothing, aids to vision, communication, propulsion, maneuverability, buoyancy and safety equipment, and tools for the task at hand.

Diving activity, by type

Modes of underwater diving

Surface-supplied diver with helmet, bailout set and umbilcal cable

There are several modes of diving distinguished by the equipment and procedures used:

  • Ambient pressure diving – Underwater diving where the diver is exposed to the ambient pressure
    • Freediving – Underwater diving without breathing apparatus
    • Scuba diving – Swimming underwater breathing gas carried by the diver
      • Open-circuit scuba diving – Self contained diving where gas is exhaled directly to the surroundings
      • Rebreather diving – Underwater diving using self contained breathing gas recycling apparatus
    • Surface-supplied diving – Underwater diving breathing gas supplied from the surface
      • Surface oriented diving – Underwater diving in which the diver starts and finishes at surface pressure
        • Air-line diving – Basic mode of surface-supplied underwater diving
        • Hookah diving – Underwater diving using a basic air hose from the surface
        • Bell bounce diving, also known as transfer under pressure diving – Surface oriented diving using a closed bell
        • Compressor diving – Crude surface-supplied diving using unregulated air from an industrial low-pressure air compressor
      • Saturation diving – Diving for periods long enough to bring all tissues into equilibrium with the partial pressures of the inert components of the breathing gas
  • Atmospheric pressure diving – Diving where the diver is isolated from the ambient pressure by an articulated pressure resistant diving suit or in a crewed submersible
  • Unmanned diving – Diving by mechanisms under the direct or indirect control of remote human operators for observation, data collection or manipulation of the environment using on-board actuator devices

Diving skills and procedures

Technical divers at a midwater decompression stop
Divers decompressing in the water at the end of a dive
Divers doing a buddy check
Sidemount diver pushing a cylinder in front
Solo diver surveying dive site. The bailout cylinder can be seen slung at the diver's left side.

Diving procedures – Standardised methods of doing things that are known to work effectively and acceptably safely

  • Ascending and descending (diving) – Procedures for safe ascent and descent in underwater diving
  • Bell bounce diving – Surface oriented diving using a closed bell
  • Boat diving – Procedures specific to diving from boats
  • Buoyancy control in scuba diving – Essential safety skill
  • Decompression (diving) – Pressure reduction and its effects during ascent from depth
  • Dive log – Record of diving history of an underwater diver
  • Dive planning – The process of planning an underwater diving operation
  • Diver communications – Methods used by underwater divers to communicate
  • Diver navigation – Underwater navigation by scuba divers
  • Diver rescue – Rescue of a distressed or incapacitated diver
  • Diver trim – Balance and orientation skills of an underwater diver
  • Diving heavy – Underwater diving while intentionally negatively buoyant
  • Drift diving – Scuba diving where the diver is intentionally transported by the water flow
  • Finning techniques – Techniques used by divers and surface swimmers using swimfins
    • Back kick (finning) – Finning technique to move backwards
    • Combat sidestroke – Variation of side-stroke swimming used by United States Navy SEALs
    • Dolphin kick – Swimming style
    • Flutter kick – Kicking movement used in both swimming and calisthenics
    • Frog kick – Finning propulsion kick used particularly by cave and wreck divers
    • Helicopter turn – Rotation about a vertical axis by an underwater diver using only fins
    • Scissor kick (finning) – Techniques used by divers and surface swimmers using swimfinsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Repetitive dives – Diving again before the dissolved nitrogen has fully equilibrated
  • Scuba skills – The skills required to dive safely using a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.
    • Buddy breathing – Technique for sharing breathing gas from a single mouthpiece
    • Buddy diving – Practice of mutual monitoring and assistance between two divers
      • Buddy check – Pre-dive safety checks carried out by two-diver dive teams
    • Low impact diving – Scuba diving that has minimal environmental effect
    • Penetration diving – Diving under a physical barrier to a direct vertical ascent to the surface
    • Rebreather diving – Underwater diving using self contained breathing gas recycling apparatus
    • Scuba gas management – Logistical aspects of scuba breathing gas.
      • Gas blending for scuba diving – Mixing and filling cylinders with breathing gases for use when scuba diving
      • Rule of thirds (diving) – Rule of thumb for scuba gas management
      • Scuba gas planning – Estimation of breathing gas mixtures and quantities required for a planned dive profile
    • Sidemount diving – Diving using an equipment configuration where the scuba sets are clipped to the sides of the harness
    • Solo diving – Recreational diving without a dive buddy
  • Saturation diving – Diving decompression technique
  • Surface-supplied diving skills – Skills and procedures required for the safe operation and use of surface-supplied diving equipment
  • Underwater searches – Techniques for finding underwater targets

Diving support skills and procedures

Underwater diving, by environment

Ice Diving – View from the top

Underwater diving environment – The underwater environment to which a diver may be exposed

Occupational diving

Diver wearing a diving helmet is welding a repair patch on a submarine
Underwater welding.
NAUI Nitrox diver certification card
Pearl diver in Japan
Nesconset fire department scuba rescue team on training exercise
Salvaging a ship's propeller
Diver wearing a diving helmet is sanding a repair patch on a submarine
A diver at work on hull maintenance
Sponge diver putting on his diving suit in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

Professional diving, also known as Occupational diving – Underwater diving where divers are paid for their work, or dive as part of their occupation

Recreational diving

Diver returning from a 600 ft (183 m) technical dive
Two underwater hockey players competing for the puck
Underwater photographer
Divers on the wreck of the Zenobia

Recreational diving – Diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment

  • Technical diving – Extended scope recreational diving
    • Cave diving – Underwater diving in water-filled caves
    • Doing It Right – Technical diving safety philosophy
  • Shark tourism – Tourism industry based on viewing sharks in their natural habitat
    • Shark cage diving – Diving inside a protective cage to observe sharks in the wild
      • Shark-proof cage – A metal structure to protect divers and snorkellers from potentially dangerous sharks
      • Shark baiting – Attracting sharks by chumming the water
  • Underwater photography – Genre of photography
  • Underwater sports – Competitive underwater recreational activities
    • Aquathlon – Competitive underwater wrestling
    • Competitive apnea – Competitive breathhold diving
      • Constant weight apnea – Freediving discipline in which the diver descends and ascends only by swimming with the use of fins
      • Constant weight without fins – Freediving discipline
      • Dynamic apnea – Freediving disciplines where the breath-hold diver swims horizontally under water with or without fins
      • Free immersion apnea – Freediving discipline in which no propulsion equipment is used, but pulling on the rope during descent and ascent is permitted
      • No-limits apnea – Freediving discipline in which the diver descends and ascends using their method of choice
      • Variable weight apnea – Deep freediving using a weighted sled for descent, pulling along the depth rope for ascent
      • Static apnea – Discipline in which the diver holds their breath underwater for as long as possible, and does not need to swim any distance
      • Skandalopetra diving – Freediving using a stone weight at the end of a rope to the surface
    • Finswimming – Competitive watersport using swimfins for propulsion
    • Spearfishing – Hunting for fish using a spear
    • Sport diving – Underwater sport using recreational open circuit scuba equipment in a swimming pool
    • Underwater football – Underwater team sport using snorkeling equipment and an American football
    • Underwater hockey – Underwater sport of pushing a puck into the opposing goal
    • Underwater ice hockey – Variant of ice hockey played upside-down underneath frozen pools or ponds on breath-hold
    • Underwater orienteering – Underwater compass navigation and speed competition on scuba.
    • Underwater photography – Competitive underwater digital photography on scuba
    • Underwater rugby – Game where two teams try to score a negatively buoyant ball into the opponents’ goal at the bottom of a swimming pool on breath-hold
    • Underwater target shooting – Breathhold underwater sport of target shooting with a speargun in a swimming pool.
  • Wreck diving – Recreational diving on wrecks

Diving and support equipment, tools and weapons

Small high-pressure breathing air compressor
A small scuba filling and blending station supplied by a compressor and storage bank
Hydrospace Explorer Trimix and rebreather dive computer. Suunto Mosquito with aftermarket strap and iDive DAN recreational dive computers
Three representative wrist-mount dive computers
International code flag Alpha indicates that a diver is underwater nearby
A closed bell used for saturation diving
Lifting bag used to move a heavy object underwater
The Newtsuit atmospheric diving suit
US Navy Diver using Kirby Morgan 37 diving helmet
Helmeted diver entering the water. He has a back mounted Draeger DM40 rebreather system in addition to the surface supply air hose
Scuba diver with bifocal lenses in half mask
A diver wearing an Ocean Reef full face mask
U.S. Navy divers in dry suits prepare to dive
Two men operating a rotary diver's air pump

Diving equipment

Diving equipment – Equipment used to facilitate underwater diving

  • Autonomous underwater vehicle – Uncrewed underwater vehicle with autonomous guidance system
  • Breathing gas – Gas used for human respiration
  • Buoyancy control device – Equipment for controlling the buoyancy of a diver
  • Decompression equipment – Equipment used by divers to facilitate decompression
  • Dive light – Light used underwater by a diver
  • Diver propulsion vehicle – Powered device for diver mobility and range extension
  • Diving bell – Chamber for transporting divers vertically through the water
    • Dry bell, also known as closed bell – Hyperbaric chamber for transporting diversvertically through the water
    • Wet bell, also known as open bell – Chamber for transporting divers vertically through the waterPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Diving mask – Watertight air-filled face cover with view-ports for improving underwater vision
    • Anti-fog – Chemicals that prevent the condensation of water as small droplets on a surface
    • Full face diving mask – Diving mask that covers the mouth as well as the eyes and nosePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
    • Integrated Diver Display Mask – Diving half-mask with integrated head-up instrument display
  • Diving safety equipment – Equipment used to facilitate underwater diving safety
  • Diving suit – Garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment
    • Atmospheric diving suit – Articulated pressure resistant anthropomorphic housing for an underwater diver
    • Dry suit – Watertight clothing that seals the wearer from cold and hazardous liquids
    • Hot water suit – A wetsuit with a supply of heated water to keep a diver warm
    • Rash guard, also known as rash vest – Stretch garment for protection from abrasion, UV and stings
    • Wetsuit – Garment for thermal insulation from water
    • Standard diving dress – Copper helmet with rubberised canvas diving suit and weighted boots
  • Diving weighting system – Ballast carried to counteract buoyancy
    • Ankle weights (diving) – Diver trim weights worn at the ankles
    • Clip-on weight – Small weights used to make fine adjustments to a diver's ballast
    • Clump weight – A heavy weight suspended on cable used to guide a diving bell
    • Helmet weight – Ballast added to a diving helmet to prevent it from floating
    • Integrated weights, also known as BCD integrated weights, or pocket weights – Diving weights carried in pockets on the buoyancy compensator
    • Keel weight (diving) – Weight added to a diver's backplate
    • Tank weight, also known as cylinder weight – Ballast weight attached to a scuba cylinder
    • Trim weights (diving) – Diving weights distributed primarily to improve trim
    • Weight belt – A ballasted waist belt worn by a diver
    • Weight pocket – Container on diving equipment to hold ballast
    • Weighted shoes (diving), also known as Weighted boots (diving) – Shoes with heavy metal soles used as part of a diver's weights
    • Weight harness – Webbing system to support diver ballast weights
    • Diving weight – Ballast carried by a diver to counteract buoyancy or adjust trim
  • Remotely operated underwater vehicle – A tethered underwater mobile device operated by a remote crew
  • Snorkel – Tube for breathing face down at the surface of the water
  • Swimfin – Finlike accessories worn on the feet, used for swimming, snorkeling and diving propulsion
    • Monofin – Single blade swimfin attached to both feet
  • Towboard – Underwater survey equipment used to tow a diver
  • Underwater breathing apparatus – Equipment which provides breathing gas to an underwater diver
    • Scuba set – Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
      • Diving cylinder – Cylinder to supply breathing gas for divers
      • Diving regulator – Mechanism that controls the pressure of a breathing gas supply for diving
      • Rebreather – Portable apparatus to recycle breathing gas
    • Surface-supplied diving equipment – Equipment used specifically for surface supplied diving
      • Diving helmet – Rigid head enclosure with breathing gas supply worn for underwater diving
      • Diver's umbilical – A hose and cable bundle which supplies breathing gas, communications and other services to a diver
  • Atmospheric diving suit (ADS) – Articulated pressure resistant anthropomorphic housing for an underwater diver
  • Crewed submersible – Small watercraft able to navigate under water

Autonomous underwater vehicles

Autonomous underwater vehicle – Uncrewed underwater vehicle with autonomous guidance system

  • Autonomous Robotics Ltd – UK company developing an autonomous underwater vehicle
  • AUV-150 – Unmanned underwater vehicle in development in by Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute
  • AUV Abyss – Autonomous underwater vehicle for mapping of the seabed and water column data collection
  • Boaty McBoatface – British autonomous underwater vehicle
  • DeepC – Autonomous underwater vehicle powered by a fuel cell
  • DEPTHX – Autonomous underwater vehicle for exploring sinkholes in Mexico
  • Echo Ranger – Marine autonomous underwater vehicle built by Boeing
  • Eelume – Autonomous underwater vehicle being developed by Eelume AS
  • Explorer AUV – Autonomous underwater vehicle from People's Republic of China
  • Intelligent Water class AUV – Autonomous underwater vehicle for the People's Liberation Army Navy
  • Intervention AUV – Type of autonomous underwater vehicle capable of autonomous interventions
  • iRobot Seaglider – Deep diving autonomous underwater vehicle for long term missionsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Maya AUV India – Autonomous underwater vehicle from National Institute of Oceanography, India
  • Nereus (underwater vehicle) – Hybrid remotely operated or autonomous underwater vehicle
  • REMUS (AUV) – Autonomous underwater vehicle seriesPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Sentry (AUV) – Autonomous underwater vehicle made by Woods Hole Oceanographic institution
  • Spindle (vehicle) – Ice penetrating two-stage autonomous underwater vehicle
  • SPURV – Self propelled underwater research vehicle built in 1957 for the US Navy
  • SPURV II – Special purpose underwater research vessel built to srudy submarine wakes
  • Theseus (AUV) – Large autonomous underwater vehicle for laying fibre-optic cable

Breathing gas

Breathing gas – Gas used for human respiration

  • Breathing gases by composition:
    • Argox – Gas mixture occasionally used by scuba divers for dry-suit inflation
    • Breathing air – Air quality suitable for safe breathing
    • Heliox – A breathing gas mixed from helium and oxygen
    • Hydreliox – Breathing gas mixture of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen
    • Hydrox (breathing gas) – Breathing gas mixture experimentally used for very deep diving
    • Nitrox – Breathing gas, mixture of nitrogen and oxygen
    • Oxygen – Chemical element with symbol O and atomic number 8
    • Trimix (breathing gas) – Breathing gas consisting of oxygen, helium and nitrogen
  • Breathing gases by use:
    • Bailout gas – Emergency breathing gas supply carried by the diver
    • Bottom gas – Gas breathed during the deep part of a dive
    • Decompression gas – Oxygen-rich gas used for accelerated decompression
    • Emergency gas supply – Alternative independent breathing gas supply carried by a diver
    • Travel gas – Gas breathed during the descent part of a dive

Decompression equipment

Decompression equipment – Equipment used by divers to facilitate decompression

Diver propulsion vehicles

Diver propulsion vehicle – Powered device for diver mobility and range extension

Diving safety equipment

Diving safety equipment – Equipment used to facilitate underwater diving safety

  • Adjustable buoyancy life jacket (ABLJ) – Equipment for controlling the buoyancy of a diverPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Alternative air source – Emergency supply of breathing gas for an underwater diver
  • AR vest, also known as Arvest and R vest – Type of jacket harness for surface-supplied diving
  • Bailout cylinder, also known as bailout bottle – Emergency gas supply cylinder carried by a diver
  • Buddy line – A tether between two scuba divers to prevent separation in low visibility
  • Buoyancy compensator (diving) (BC, BCD), also known as buoyancy control device – Equipment for controlling the buoyancy of a diver
  • Decompression equipment – Equipment used by divers to facilitate decompression. See #Decompression equipment
  • Distance line, also known as dive reel or guide line – Line deployed by scuba divers for navigation
  • Diver surface detection aids – Equipment to make a surfaced diver easier to find
  • Diver's cutting tool – A tool to assist in extricating the diver from entrapment by lines or nets
  • Diver's knife – A tool to assist in extricating the diver from entrapment by lines or nets
  • Diving safety harness, also known as bell harness – A harness by which the diver can safely be lifted
  • Jonline – A short line used by scuba divers to clip themselves to something
  • Jacket harness – Type of surface-supplied diving safety harness
  • Jump jacket – Surface-supplied diving safety harness with buoyancy compensation
  • Lifeline, also known as tether – A rope connecting the diver to an attendant, usually at the surface
  • Line marker – Marker used on cave guide lines to provide safety information to divers
  • Rescue tether – Short rope with a clip at the end attached to diver's harness to support a casualty in a rescue
  • Shotline – Substantial weighted near-vertical line with buoy
  • Safety sausage – Inflatable buoy used by a diver at the surface to indicate position to the dive boat
  • Surface marker buoy – Buoy towed by a scuba diver to indicate the diver's position

Historical diving equipment

Rebreather types and components

Diving rebreather – Closed or semi-closed circuit scuba

Rebreather makes and models

  • Carleton CDBA – Military rebreather by Cobham plc
  • Clearance Divers Life Support Equipment – British military electronically controlled closed circuit rebreather
  • Cis-Lunar – Manufacturer of electronically controlled closed-circuit rebreathers for scuba diving
  • CUMA – Canadian military diving rebreather
  • Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus – Early submarine escape oxygen rebreather also used for shallow water diving.
  • Dräger Dolphin – Semi-closed circuit recreational diving rebreather
  • Dräger Ray – Semi-closed circuit diving rebreather
  • FROGS – Closed circuit oxygen diving rebreather
  • Halcyon RB80 – Non-depth-compensated passive addition semi-closed circuit rebreather
  • Halcyon PVR-BASC – Semi-closed circuit depth compensated passive addition diving rebreather
  • IDA71 – Russian military rebreather for underwater and high altitude use
  • Interspiro DCSC – Military semi-closed circuit passive addition diving rebreather
  • KISS – Manual closed circuit mixed gas rebreather
  • LAR-5, LAR-6, and LAR-V represented by Drägerwerk – German manufacturer of breathing equipmentPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit – Early closed circuit oxygen diving rebreather
  • Porpoise – Australian scuba manufacturer
  • Siebe Gorman CDBA – Type of diving rebreather used by the Royal Navy
  • Siva – Range of military rebreathers
  • Viper – Electronically-controlled closed circuit mixed gas military rebreather

Gas extenders:

Remotely operated underwater vehicles

Remotely operated underwater vehicle – A tethered underwater mobile device operated by a remote crew

  • 8A4-class ROUV – Chinese work class remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • ABISMO – Japanese remotely operated underwater vehicle for deep sea exploration
  • Atlantis ROV Team – High-school underwater robotics team from Whidbey Island, Washington, United States
  • CURV – Early remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Épaulard – French remotely operated underwater vehicle of the Ifremer
  • Global Explorer ROV – Deep water science and survey remotely operated vehicle
  • Goldfish-class ROUV – Light class of Chinese remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Kaikō ROV – Japanese remotely operated underwater vehicle for deep sea exploration
  • Long-Term Mine Reconnaissance System – American torpedo tube-launched underwater search and survey unmanned undersea vehicle
  • Mini Rover ROV – Small, low cost observation class remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • OpenROV – Open-source remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • ROV KIEL 6000 – Remotely operated vehicle built by Schilling Robotics, Davis, California for scientific tasks
  • ROV PHOCA – Remotely operated underwater vehicle of the COMANCHE type
  • Scorpio ROV – Work class remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Sea Dragon-class ROV – Chinese deep diving work class remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Seabed tractor – Special purpose class of remotely operated underwater vehicle
  • Seafox drone – Remotely operated anti-mine marine drone
  • SeaPerch – Remotely operated underwater vehicle educational program
  • SJT-class ROUV – Series of Chinese remotely operated underwater vehicles
  • T1200 Trenching Unit – Remotely operated seabed trenching unit
  • VideoRay UROVs – Series of inspection class remotely operated underwater vehicles

Underwater breathing apparatus

Underwater breathing apparatus – Equipment which provides breathing gas to an underwater diver

Diving support equipment

Diving support equipment – Equipment used in the support of an underwater diving operation

  • Booster pump – Machine to increase pressure of a fluid
  • Cascade filling system – Filling pressurized gas from a series of storage cylinders
  • Communications panel, also known as Diver's telephone – Surface control panel for underwater diving voice communications system
  • Diver down flag – Flag signal indicating divers are in the water nearby
  • Diver's pump – Manually powered surface air supply for divers
  • Diving air compressor, also known as Diving compressor – Machine used to compress breathing air for use by underwater divers
  • Diving chamber – Hyperbaric pressure vessel for human occupation used in diving operations
  • Diving spread – The topside base for commercial diving operations
  • Diving support vessel – Ship used as a floating base for professional diving projects
    • HMS Challenger – Royal Navy saturation diving support vessel
    • Liveaboard – Way of using a boat
    • Dive boat – Boat used for the support of scuba diving operations
    • Diving ladder – Ladder to facilitate egress from the water by divers
    • Diving platform (scuba) – Low freeboard platform on a dive boat to give divers easy access to the water
    • Moon pool – Opening in the base of a hull, platform, or chamber giving access to the water below
  • Echo sounder, also known as fish finder – Measuring the depth of water by transmitting sound waves into water and timing the return
  • Gas panel, also known as Diving gas distribution manifold – Breathing gas distribution panel for surface-supplied diving
  • Helium analyzer – Instrument to measure the concentration of helium in a gas mixture
  • Helium reclaim system – System for recovering exhaled breathing gas
  • Launch and recovery system (LARS) – Equipment used to deploy and recover a diving bell, stage, or ROV
  • Marine VHF radio – Radios operating in the very high frequency maritime mobile band
  • Nitrox production – Methods of producing nitrox mixtures
  • Proton magnetometer, also known as metal detector – Instrument which measures very small variations in the Earth's magnetic field
  • Recreational Dive Planner (RDP) – PADI no-decompression dive table also available as a circular slide rule and electronic calculator
  • Remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) – A tethered underwater mobile device operated by a remote crew
  • Satellite navigation – Use of satellite signals for geo-spatial positioning
  • Subsurface (software) – Creator and lead developer of the Linux kernel (born 1969)Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Trongle – Device used on submarines to help swimmers to locate a submerged submarine

Underwater work tools and equipment

Soviet SPP-1 underwater pistol
Airlift dredging
ROV at work in an underwater oil and gas field. The ROV is operating a subsea torque tool (wrench) on a valve on the subsea structure.

Underwater work tools and equipment – Tools and equipment used for underwater work

  • Airlift (dredging device) – Dredging device using injected air to move water and entrained load up a pipe
  • High-pressure water jetting – The use of very high pressure water for removing contamination and coatings from hard surfaces
  • Lifting bag – Airtight bag used for underwater buoyant lifting when filled with air
  • Remotely operated underwater vehicle – A tethered underwater mobile device operated by a remote crew
  • Snoopy loop – Rubber band made from inner tube
  • Tremie – Equipment for underwater concrete placement

Underwater weapons

Underwater weapons – Weapons that are intended for use underwater

Diving support personnel

There are also diver support activities which require assessed competence and registration for which formal training may be required.

Science of underwater diving

The diving environment

Plunging breaker
Lago Licancabur, site of world's highest ever altitude dive.
Entrance to Peacock Springs Cave System

Underwater diving environment – The underwater environment to which a diver may be exposed


Physics of underwater diving

Views through a flat mask, above and below water

Physics of underwater diving – Aspects of physics which affect the underwater diver

  • Buoyancy – Upward force that opposes the weight of an object immersed in fluid
  • Diffusion – Transport of dissolved species from the highest to the lowest concentration region
    • Molecular diffusion – Thermal motion of liquid or gas particles at temperatures above absolute zero
    • Permeation – Penetration of a liquid, gas, or vapor through a solid
  • Force – Influence that can change motion of an object
    • Weight – Force on a mass due to gravity
  • Ideal gas law – Equation of the state of a hypothetical ideal gas
    • Combined gas law – Combination of Charles', Boyle's and Gay-Lussac's gas laws
    • Amontons' law – Relationship between pressure and temperature of a gas at constant volume
    • Boyle's law – Relation between gas pressure and volume
    • Charles's law – Relationship between volume and temperature of a gas at constant pressure
    • Gay-Lussac's law – Relationship between pressure and temperature of a gas at constant volume
  • Pressure – Force distributed over an area
  • Psychrometric constant – Relation of the partial pressure of water in air to temperature
  • Solubility – Capacity of a substance to dissolve in a solvent in a homogeneous way
    • Henry's law – Gas law regarding proportionality of dissolved gas
    • Solution – Homogeneous mixture of a solute and a solvent
    • Supersaturation – State of a solution that contains more solute than can be dissolved at equilibrium
  • Surface tension – Tendency of a liquid surface to shrink to reduce surface area
    • Hydrophobe – Molecule or surface that has no attraction to water
    • Surfactant – Substance that lowers the surface tension between a liquid and another material
  • Underwater vision – The ability to see objects underwater
    • Snell's law, also known as Law of refraction – Formula for refraction angles
  • Work of breathing (WoB) – Energy expended to inhale and exhale a breathing gas

Physiology of underwater diving

Diagram of the human circulatory system
Decompression profiles based on the Thermodynamic model compared with the US Navy table for the same depth and bottom time
Diagram of the human respiratory system

Human physiology of underwater diving – Influences of the underwater environment on the physiology of human divers

  • Circulatory system – Organ system for circulating blood in animals
    • Patent foramen ovale – A heart defect present at birth
    • Blood–air barrier – Membrane separating alveolar air from blood in lung capillaries
    • Blood shift – Blood flow to the extremities redistributed to the head and torso during a breathhold dive
    • Perfusion – Passage of fluid through the circulatory or lymphatic system to an organ or tissue
    • Pulmonary circulation – Part of the circulatory system which carries blood from heart to lungs and back to the heart
    • Systemic circulation – Portion of the cardiovascular system which transports oxygenated blood away from the heart
  • Cold shock response – Physiological response to sudden exposure to cold
  • Dead space (physiology) – Inhaled air not part of gas exchange
  • Diving reflex – The physiological responses to immersion of air-breathing vertebrates
  • Metabolism – Set of chemical reactions in organisms
  • Physiology of decompression – The physiological basis for decompression theory and practice
  • Respiration (physiology) – Exchange of gases between environment and tissues
    • Artificial gills (human) – Hypothetical devices to extract oxygen from water
    • Breathing – Process of moving air in and out of the lungs
    • Carbon dioxide retention – A tendency to retain abnormally high tissue carbon dioxide levels
    • Gas exchange – Process by which gases diffuse through a biological membrane
    • Hypocapnia – State of reduced carbon dioxide in the blood
    • Normocapnia – Normal arterial carbon dioxide levels
    • Respiratory exchange ratio – Ratio between the metabolic production of carbon dioxide and the uptake of oxygen
    • Respiratory quotient – Ratio of carbon dioxide produced by the body to oxygen consumed by the body
    • Respiratory system – Biological system in animals and plants for gas exchange
    • Tissue (biology) – Group of similar cells performing a specific function
  • Underwater vision – The ability to see objects underwater

Diving medicine, disorders and treatment

Oxygen therapy in a multiplace hyperbaric chamber is often delivered via built in breathing systems.
Monoplace chambers can be used for hyperbaric oxygen therapy if the patient is stable

Diving medicine

Diving medicine – Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders caused by underwater diving

Diving disorders and treatment

Mask squeeze - a mild form of barotrauma
Staged image showing how victims may black out quietly underwater, often going unnoticed.

Diving disorders – Physiological disorders resulting from underwater diving

Diving safety

A dive team listens to a safety brief from their dive supervisor
Early testing for oxygen toxicity in divers
Tags in place in a powerplant after it was shut down
Folding lockout hasp, allowing six padlocks to lock out one device.
Checklists reduce the risk of omitting a step in a procedure

Diving safety – Risk management of underwater diving activities

  • Checklist – Aide-memoire to ensure consistency and completeness in carrying out a task
  • Code of practice (CoP) – Set of written rules which specifies how people working in a particular occupation should behave
  • Dive team – A group of people working together to enhance dive safety and achieve a task
    • Professional diving – Underwater diving where divers are paid for their work
    • Diving supervisor – Professional diving team leader responsible for safety
    • Stand-by diver – A member of a dive team who is ready to assist or rescue the working diver
    • Bellman (diving) – The member of a dive team who acts as stand-by diver and tender from the diving bell
    • Diver's attendant – Assistant for a diver
    • Life support technician – A member of a saturation diving team who operates the surface habitat
    • Chamber operator – A person who operates a diving chamber
    • Diving systems technician – A competent person who maintains and repairs diving life-support equipment
  • Divemaster – Recreational dive leader certification and role
  • Diving hazards – Agents and situations that pose a threat to the underwater diver
    • Silt out – Reduction of underwater visibility by disturbing silt deposits
    • Task loading – Relationship between operator capacity and the accumulated activities that must be done
  • Diver rescue – Rescue of a distressed or incapacitated diver
    • Rescue Diver – Recreational scuba certification emphasising emergency response and diver rescue
  • Doing It Right (scuba diving) (DIR) – Technical diving safety philosophy
  • Hazardous Materials Identification System – Numerical hazard rating using colour coded labels
  • Human factors in diving equipment design – Influence of the interaction between the user and the equipment on design
  • Human factors in diving safety – The influence of physical, cognitive and behavioral characteristics of divers on safety
  • Occupational safety and health, also known as Occupational health and safety – Field concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people at work
    • Safety culture – Attitude, beliefs, perceptions and values that employees share in relation to risks in the workplace
  • Operations manual – Authoritative document of how things should be done in an organisation
  • Risk management – Identification, evaluation and control of risks
    • Hazard analysis (HAZID) – The identification of present hazards as the first step in a process to assess risk
    • Hazard identification – The identification of present hazards as the first step in a process to assess riskPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
    • Job safety analysis (JSA) – Procedure to integrate safety practices into a particular task
    • Risk assessment – Estimation of risk associated with exposure to a given set of hazards
    • Risk control – Process in which identified risks are reduced or mitigated
    • Incident pit – Conceptual model for explaining incident development and recovery
    • Lockout–tagout (LOTO) – Safe isolation of dangerous equipment during maintenance or testing
    • Permit To Work – Work safety management systemPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
    • Redundancy – Duplication of critical components to increase reliability of a system
    • Safety data sheet, also known as Material safety data sheet – Sheet listing work-related hazards
  • Scuba diving fatalities – Deaths occurring while scuba diving or as a consequence of scuba diving
  • Single point of failure – A part whose failure will disrupt the entire system
  • Water safety – Human safety in the vicinity of bodies of water

Diving incidents, rescues, and fatalities

The decompression chamber at the moment the Byford Dolphin accident occurred. D1–D4 are divers; T1 and T2 are dive tenders.

Incidents and people involved in a notable incident while diving or during a diving operation.

Legal aspects of diving

Legal aspects of diving – How underwater diving and divers are affected by law

Geography of diving

Recreational diver over a coral reef in the Red Sea

Recreational dive sites are specific places that recreational scuba divers go to enjoy the underwater environment or for training purposes. They include technical diving sites beyond the range generally accepted for recreational diving. In this context all diving done for recreational purposes is included. Professional diving tends to be done where the job is, and with the exception of diver training and leading groups of recreational divers, does not generally occur at specific sites chosen for their easy access, pleasant conditions or interesting features.

Recreational dive sites may be found in a wide range of bodies of water, and may be popular for various reasons, including accessibility, biodiversity, spectacular topography, historical or cultural interest and artifacts (such as shipwrecks), and water clarity. Tropical waters of high biodiversity and colourful sea life are popular recreational diving vacation destinations. South-east Asia, the Caribbean islands, the Red Sea and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia are regions where the clear, warm, waters, reasonably predictable conditions and colourful and diverse sea life have made recreational diving an economically important tourist industry.

Recreational divers may accept a relatively high level of risk to dive at a site perceived to be of special interest. Wreck diving and cave diving have their adherents, and enthusiasts will endure considerable hardship, risk and expense to visit caves and wrecks where few have been before. Some sites are popular almost exclusively for their convenience for training and practice of skills, such as flooded quarries. They are generally found where more interesting and pleasant diving is not locally available, or may only be accessible when weather or water conditions permit.

While divers may choose to get into the water at any arbitrary place that seems like a good idea at the time, a popular recreational dive site will usually be named, and a geographical position identified and recorded, describing the site with enough accuracy to recognise it, and hopefully, find it again. (Full article...)

History of underwater diving

Siebe's improved design in 1873.

History of underwater diving – Developments over time in the human activity

Military and covert operations

Italian Maiale manned torpedo "Siluro San Bartolomeo" displayed at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport, UK.

Underwater salvage operations

Salvage of Royal George
  • Salvage operations on HMS Royal George – Early salvage operations using bells and surface supplied divers
  • Salvage of the SS Egypt's gold – Recovery of bullion from wreck using an atmospheric pressure observation bell
  • Kursk submarine disaster#Salvage operation – Raising the wreck of a Russian nuclear submarine
  • USS Squalus represented by USS Sailfish (SS-192)#Sinking of Squalus and recommissioning as Sailfish – The successful rescue of the crew and later raising of the sunken vessel.

Training, certification, registration and standards

Commercial diver training at Blue Rock Quarry

Diver training

  • Diver training – Processes to develop the skills and knowledge to dive safely underwater
  • Diver certification – Certification as competent to dive to a specified standard

Diver training can be distinguished between recreational and occupational diver training. Recreational diver training tends to be split into small skill sets for customer convenience and provider profitability. Recreational diver training systems include training and registration of instructors and dive leaders for recreational diving

Professional diver training is usually for registration based on mode of diving and requires a wider range of competence for a range of equipment skills and environments. Titles of certificates vary, but the basic competences are similar and may be internationally recognised by agreement.

Scientific diving is occupational diving in the pursuit of scientific knowledge, and there may be different conditions that apply regionally regarding regulation and registration.

Diver certification organisations

List of diver certification organizations – Agencies which issue certification for competence in diving skills

Organisations setting international standards and codes of practice for diving and diver training

Commercial diving schools

Underwater diving organisations

Diver membership organisations

Diver membership organisations

Diver nature conservation organisations

Diving industry trade associations

Underwater environmental research organisations

Diving medical research organisations

Underwater diving publications

Books and manuals

  • The Darkness Beckons – History of UK cave diving by Martyn Farr
  • Goldfinder – Autobiography of British diver and treasure hunter Keith Jessop
  • The Last Dive – Non-fiction book by Bernie Chowdhury about a double wreck diving fatality
  • Shadow Divers – Book by Robert Kurson recounting the discovery of a World War II German U-boat wreck
  • The Silent World: A Story of Undersea Discovery and Adventure – Book by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Frédéric Dumas
  • Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for Survival – Book on cave diving safety by Sheck Exley
  • Exploration and Mixed Gas Diving Encyclopedia – Tom Mount, Joseph Dituri, Eds
  • Deep diving: an advanced guide to physiology, procedures and systems
  • Diving manual A document providing extensive general information on the equipment, procedures and theoretical basis of underwater diving.
    • NOAA Diving Manual – Training and operations manual for scientific diving Scientific diving manual published by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
    • Professional Diver's Handbook John Bevan Ed. A manual of offshore diving
    • U.S. Navy Diving Manual – Training and operations handbook
  • Diving Medicine for Scuba Divers – Carl Edmonds, Bart McKenzie, Robert Thomas
  • Bennett and Elliott's physiology and medicine of diving Alf O. Brubakk, Tom S. Neuman, Eds
  • The Underwater Handbook: A Guide to Physiology and Performance for the Engineer – Charles Shilling, Ed.

Legislation

Codes of practice

(National or international codes of practice for diving)

  • Code of practice – Set of written rules which specifies how people working in a particular occupation should behave
  • IMCA Code of Practice for Offshore Diving – Guidance document for member organisations A voluntary code of industry best practice followed by members of the International Marine Contractors Association.
  • Code of Practice for Scientific Diving: Principles for the Safe Practice of Scientific Diving in Different Environments – Document published by UNESCO

Standards

(National or international standards relating to diving equipment or practices)

Buoyancy compensators

  • EN 1809:1998 Diving accessories. Buoyancy compensators. Functional and safety requirements, test methods.
  • EN 1809:2014+A1:2016 Diving equipment. Buoyancy compensators. Functional and safety requirements, test methods.

Depth gauges

  • EN 13319:2000 Diving accessories. Depth gauges and combined depth and time measuring devices. Functional and safety requirements, test methods.

Diver training

  • ISO 24801 Recreational diving services – Requirements for the training of recreational scuba divers
  • ISO 21417 Recreational diving services – Requirements for training on environmental awareness for recreational divers

Diving masks

GOST 20568:1975 compliant Russian and Ukrainian diving masks
  • ANSI Z87.11:1985 Underwater Safety. Recreational Skin and Scuba Diving. Lenses for Masks.
  • BN-82/8444-17.01 Gumowy sprzęt pływacki - Maski pływackie (Rubber swimming equipment - Swimming masks).
  • BS 4532:1969 Specification for snorkels and face masks. Amended 1977.
  • CNS 12497:1989 潛水鏡. Diving mask.
  • CNS 12498:1989 潛水鏡檢驗法. Method of test for diving mask.
  • DIN 7877:1980 Tauch-Zubehör. Tauchbrillen. Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und Prüfung. Diving accessories for skin divers. Diver's masks. Requirements and testing.
  • EN 16805:2015 Diving equipment. Diving mask. Requirements and test methods.
  • GOST 20568:1975 Маски резиновые для плавания под водой. Общие технические условие. Rubber masks for submarine swimming. General specifications.
  • ÖNORM S 4225 Tauch-Zubehör; Tauchmasken (Tauchbrillen); Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen, Prüfung, Normkennzeichnung. Diving accessories; divers’ masks; safety requirements, testing, marking of conformity.

Dry suits

  • EN 14225-2:2002 Diving suits. Dry suits. Requirements and test methods.
  • EN 14225-2:2017 Diving suits. Dry suits. Requirements and test methods.

Recreational diving services

  • ISO 21416 Recreational diving services – Requirements and guidance on environmentally sustainable practices in recreational diving

Snorkels

A range of 1970s snorkels made to British Standard BS 4532:1969
  • BS 4532:1969 Specification for snorkels and face masks. Amended 1977.
  • DIN 7878:1980 Tauch-Zubehör; Schnorchel; Maße, Anforderungen, Prüfung. Diving accessories for skin divers. Snorkel. Technical requirements of safety, testing.
  • DIN 7878:1991 Tauch-Zubehör; Schnorchel; Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und Prüfung. Diving accessories for skin divers. Snorkel. Safety requirements and testing.
  • EN 1972:1997 – European standard design and manufacture of snorkels Diving accessories. Snorkels. Safety requirements.
  • EN 1972:2015 Diving equipment. Snorkels. Requirements and test methods.
  • ÖNORM S 4223:1988 Tauch-Zubehör; Schnorchel; Abmessungen, sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen, Prüfung, Normkennzeichnung. Diving accessories; snorkels; dimensions, safety requirements, testing, marking of conformity.

Swimfins

Swim fin sole showing compliance with German standard DIN 7876:1980
  • BN-82/8444-17.02 Gumowy sprzęt pływacki - Płetwy pływackie (Rubber swimming equipment - Swimming fins).
  • DIN 7876:1980 Tauchzubehör. Schwimmflossen. Maße, Anforderungen und Prüfung. Diving accessories for skin divers. Flippers. Dimensions, requirements and testing.
  • EN 16804:2015 Diving equipment. Diving open heel fins. Requirements and test methods.
  • GOST 22469:1977 Ласты резиновые для плавания. Общие технические условия. Swimming rubber flippers. General specifications.
  • MIL-S-82258:1965 Military specification. Swim fins, rubber.
  • MS 974:1985 Specification for rubber swimming fins.
  • MS 974:2002 Specification for rubber swimming fins. First revision.
  • ÖNORM S 4224:1988 Tauch-Zubehör; Schwimmflossen; Abmessungen, sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen, Prüfung, Normkennzeichnung. Diving accessories; fins; dimensions, safety requirements, testing, marking of conformity.

Underwater breathing apparatus

  • BS EN 1802:2002 Transportable gas cylinders. Periodic inspection and testing of seamless aluminium alloy gas cylinders
  • BS EN 1968:2002 Transportable gas cylinders. Periodic inspection and testing of seamless steel gas cylinders
  • EN 14143-2003 Respiratory equipment - Self-contained re-breathing diving apparatus

Wetsuits

  • CNS 11251:1985 濕式潛水衣. Diving Wet Suit.
  • EN 14225-1:2005 Diving suits. Wet suits. Requirements and test methods.
  • EN 14225-1:2017 Diving suits. Wet suits. Requirements and test methods.

Journals and magazines

  • AquaCorps Magazine on technical diving, founded and edited by Michael Menduno
  • Alert Diver – Quarterly magazine published by DAN Quarterly magazine of DAN on diving safety and recreational diving matters
  • South Pacific Underwater Medical Society Journal – Journal covering underwater and hyperbaric medicine and physiology
  • Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine – US based organisation for research and education in hyperbaric physiology and medicine.Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

Repositories

Recreational dive site guides

Notable dive site guides with Wikipedia article.

Authors of publications about diving

Bob Halstead

Authors of general non-fiction works on diving topics who are the subjects of Wikipedia articles.

  • Michael C. Barnette – American underwater diver, author and founder of the Association of Underwater Explorers
  • Victor Berge – Swedish diving pioneer and author
  • Philippe Diolé – French author and undersea explorer
  • Gary Gentile – American author and pioneering technical diver
  • Bob Halstead – Underwater photographer, author, journalist and commentator on the recreational diving industry.
  • Jarrod Jablonski – Pioneer American cave diver, author and previous cave diving record holder
  • Trevor Jackson (diver) – Australian technical diver and author
  • Richie Kohler – American technical diver and shipwreck historian
  • Steve Lewis (diver) – Technical scuba diver and author
  • John Mattera – American wreck diver and author
  • Tom Mount – Pioneering technical and cave diver (1939–2022)

Documentaries

Documentary movies focused on underwater diving.

  • Ama Girls – 1958 film
  • Ben's Vortex – Documentary film on the disappearsnce of Ben McDaniel
  • Dave Not Coming Back – 2020 film by Jonah Malak
  • Diving into the Unknown – 2016 Finnish film directed by Juan Reina.
  • Dolphin Man – 2017 French film directed by Lefteris Charitos
  • Encounters at the End of the World – 2007 American documentary film by Werner Herzog
  • Last Breath (2019 film) – 2019 British documentary film about a diving accident
  • The Rescue (2021 film) – 2021 documentary film by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
  • Sharkwater – 2006 Canadian documentary film on overexploitation of sharks
  • Sharkwater Extinction – 2018 Canadian documentary film directed by Rob Stewart
  • The Silent World – 1956 French documentary film co-directed by Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle
  • The Trapped 13: How We Survived The Thai Cave – 2022 Thai documentary film
  • Voyage to the Edge of the World – 1976 French nature documentary
  • Wonders of the Sea 3D – 2019 film directed by Jean-Michel Cousteau and Jean-Jacques Mantello
  • World Without Sun – 1964 film by Jacques Cousteau

Underwater diving in popular culture

Movies, novels, TV series and shows, comics, graphic art, sculpture, games, myths, legends, and misconceptions. Fiction in general relating to all forms of diving, including hypothetical and imaginary methods, and other aspects of underwater diving which have become part of popular culture.

Researchers in diving medicine and physiology

John Scott Haldane c. 1910
Paul Bert
  • Arthur J. Bachrach – American psychologist and administrator (1923–2011)
  • Albert R. Behnke – US Navy physician and diving medicine researcher
  • Paul Bert – French zoologist, physiologist and politician (1833–1886)
  • George F. Bond – US Navy physician and diving medicine and saturation diving researcher
  • Robert Boyle – Anglo-Irish scientist (1627–1691)
  • Alf O. Brubakk – Norwegian decompression researcher (1941–2022)
  • Albert A. Bühlmann – Swiss physician and decompression researcher (1923–1994)
  • John R. Clarke (scientist) – American scientist and underwater breathing apparatus authority
  • William Paul Fife – US Air Force officer and hyperbaric medicine researcher
  • John Scott Haldane – British physiologist and decompression researcher (1860–1936)
  • Robert William Hamilton Jr. – American physiologist and researcher in hyperbaric physiology.
  • Leonard Erskine Hill – British physiologist and diving physiology researcher
  • Brian Andrew Hills – Physiologist who worked on decompression theory
  • Felix Hoppe-Seyler – German physiologist and chemist (1825–1895)
  • Christian J. Lambertsen – American environmental and diving medicine specialist
  • Simon Mitchell – New Zealand physician and author on diving medicine
  • Charles Momsen – US Navy admiral, submarine rescue (1896–1967)
  • John Rawlins R.N. – Royal Navy officer and pioneer in the field of diving medicine
  • Charles Wesley Shilling – U.S. Navy physician, researcher, and educator
  • Edward D. Thalmann – American hyperbaric medicine specialist and decompression researcher
  • Jacques Triger – French geologist who invented the pressurised caisson (1801–1867)

Underwater divers

This is a list of underwater divers whose exploits have made them notable. Underwater divers are people who take part in underwater diving activities – Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where the practitioner submerges below the surface of the water or other liquid for a period which may range between seconds to order of a day at a time, either exposed to the ambient pressure or isolated by a pressure resistant suit, to interact with the underwater environment for pleasure, competitive sport, or as a means to reach a work site for profit or in the pursuit of knowledge, and may use no equipment at all, or a wide range of equipment which may include breathing apparatus, environmental protective clothing, aids to vision, communication, propulsion, maneuverability, buoyancy and safety equipment, and tools for the task at hand. (Full article...)

Pioneers of diving

Jacques Cousteau
  • James F. Cahill – American scuba diving pioneer
  • Alphonse and Théodore Carmagnolle – French inventors of the first anthropomorphic armoured diving suit
  • Charles Condert – Inventor of an unsuccessful early scuba system
  • Jacques Cousteau – Inventor of scuba-diving apparatus and film-maker
  • Charles Anthony Deane – Pioneering diving engineer and inventor of a surface supplied diving helmet
  • John Deane – Joint inventor of the diving helmet
  • Louis de Corlieu – French naval officer and inventor of the swimfin
  • Guglielmo de Lorena – Italian inventor of a diving bell used for archaeological work on the Roman ships of lake Nemi
  • Auguste Denayrouze – French inventor of a demand air supply regulator for underwater diving
  • Frédéric Dumas – French pioneer of scuba diving
  • Ted Eldred – Australian inventor of the single hose diving regulator
  • Maurice Fernez – French inventor and pioneer in underwater breathing apparatus
  • Émile Gagnan – French engineer and co-inventor of the open circuit demand scuba regulator
  • Bret Gilliam – Pioneering technical diver and author.
  • Edmond Halley – English astronomer, geophysicist, mathematician, meteorologist, and physicist
  • Hans Hass – Austrian biologist, film-maker, and underwater diving pioneer
  • Stig Insulán – Inventor of an adjustable automatic exhaust valve for variable volume dry suits
  • Jim Jarret – Diver who test dived the first successful atmospheric diving suits
  • Yves Le Prieur – French naval officer and inventor of a free-flow scuba system
  • John Lethbridge – English wool merchant who invented a diving machine in 1715
  • William Hogarth Main – Cave diver and scuba configuration experimentalist
  • Phil Nuytten – Canadian deep-ocean explorer, scientist, and inventor of the Newtsuit
  • Joseph Salim Peress – pioneering British diving engineer
  • Benoît Rouquayrol – French inventor of an early diving demand regulator
  • Dick Rutkowski – American pioneer in hyperbaric and diving medicine and use of mixed breathing gases for diving
  • Joe Savoie – Inventor of the neck dam for lightweight helmets
  • Augustus Siebe – German-born British engineer mostly known for his contributions to diving equipment
  • Charles Spalding – Scottish confectioner and amateur diving bell designer
  • Robert Sténuit – Belgian journalist, writer, underwater archeologist and the first aquanaut.
  • Arne Zetterström – Diver involved in experimental work with Hydrox breathing gas

Underwater art and artists

Christ of the Abyss at San Fruttuoso, Liguria

Miscellaneous

Awards and events

See also

  • Underwater diving portal

References

External links

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