For many years divers were forced to wear bulky gear in order to work underwater. In modern times, bulk is out. Now diving gear tends to be thin and light. Thank God!
Scuba diving gear is fairly simple, but it is also very essential. There is little margin for error in diving and safety considerations require that the gear used is equal to the task. The first piece of gear is the basic mask. The mask has the purpose of forming a small space for the air to be held for breathing. It also serves to provide vision and keep the water from the eyes and nose. A good mask must fit tightly to form a seal capable of keeping the air in and the water out. It should also be made of scratch proof glass or plastic in order to provide clear vision.
The fins are an essential part of the scuba divers gear as well. Fins make it possible to move easily through the water. There are several types of fins available. Some are designed for the more serious technical divers while others are more for recreational divers and even snorklers.
A weight belt is fairly standard scuba gear. The wetsuit worn by most scuba divers has a tendency to increase buoyancy and the weight belt can be used to allow the diver to go down into the water with more ease. Some advanced scuba divers use a device called a buoyancy jacket that displaces water inside the wetsuit with air to increase buoyancy in an emergency. The air is supplied either by the tanks or an emergency air supply intended for the jacket. The weight belt also can help the diver return more quickly to the surface in an emergency. The diver merely removes the belt, so it must be easily detached and on the outside of any other gear.
The main piece of scuba gear is the Aqualung. The Aqualung consists of three parts. The air cylinder is made of steel or aluminum and carries about 200 Bars of compressed air. The regulator is the most critical piece of gear. It adjusts the pressure of the air to match the pressure of the outside water allowing the air to be fed into the mask area on demand. The third part of the gear is the harness which fastens the air tank to the diver.
A scuba diver must pay close attention to the operation and the maintenance of his gear. He should understand its use and operation completely before diving. The diver is also responsible for insuring that his gear is in perfect working condition. The scuba diver is entering what can be a hostile environment. It is the gear that tames it, but if the gear fails, the diver is a great risk.
