Recreational vs. Technical Diving

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After two years of recreational diving I have learned some of the ins and outs of the dive community. Diving has become such an enjoyable experience for me that I have decided to make a career change and work towards my dream of being a commercial diver. Before making such a life altering decision, it is important to understand the differences between the two in order to further understand the depth of my decision. In this essay, I will compare portions of recreational diving to its equivalent in technical diving. I will discuss equipment, locations and careers associated with each to assist in better understanding their differences.

In recreational scuba diving there is a laundry list of available equipment to fit nearly every underwater need. One of the most important pieces of equipment a recreational diver uses is the BCD or buoyancy control device. The BCD is an adjustable inflation vest worn by a diver to increase or decrease their buoyancy during a dive. The BCD is hooked to the regulator or “Octopus” which serves as a junction point for air accessories. The BCD usually comes complete with safety features like an emergency dump valve. Safety features like these help to prevent BCD malfunctions, such as runaway accents, by allowing the diver to release the air out of the vest. Attached to the regulator along with the BCD are air pressure gauges and two breathing apparatuses. One breathing apparatus is used for normal breathing function and the other is set in a known location in the case of an emergency or disorientation. Recreational divers also have a choice between wearing a neoprene wet suit, which keeps a diver warm by retaining a layer of water next to the body, or dry suits that use a layer of air for buoy...

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... setting up their own dive contract shop or by doing odd jobs much like a recreational diver does.

Throughout this essay we have had a chance to look at the two major types of underwater diving. We have a better understanding of the differences in the equipment used, the locations that each may be performed, and the career opportunities available to a person with the proper credentials.

Works Cited

NOAA, Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Technical Diving. 24 Feb 2006. Web 12 Jul 2010. http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/diving/technical/technical.html

E.R. Cross. Skin diver online. Commercial Diving; And How Deep is Deep. Web. 12 Jul 2010. http://www.skin-diver.com/departments/crosstalk/commdiving.asp?theID=150

PADI web services, The Way The World Learns To dive. 2008. Web. 12 Jul 2010 http://www.padi.com/scuba/privacy-policy/default.aspx

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