To enjoy diving where you live, you will need to learn how to use the scuba equipment commonly used in your area. The equipment might appear intimidating at first, but it is very simple to use. Just like driving a car, you don’t need to understand every aspect of the equipment to be able to use it. Just remember that if you dive in other areas or pursue certain specialized types of diving, you will need additional training and equipment. WHAT IS SCUBA DIVING? You might already know that the word scuba stands for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. You scuba dive with a compressed air cylinder or tank that you wear on your back (figure 1-4). The air is supplied to your mouth through a regulator that reduces the high pressure inside the tank to the same pressure as the water surrounding you. You will hear divers referring to scuba diving as recreational diving or sport diving. These terms are used interchangeably to refer to scuba diving for fun, as opposed to commercial diving work, which professionals perform for pay. You might also hear the term technical diving. This term refers to highly specialized diving that Chapter 1- Introduction requires additional equipment and training to explore the more demanding areas of the underwater world. You will also hear the term skin diving. Skin diving involves diving without any underwater breathing apparatus. In skin diving, you hold your breath and dive below the surface. Skin diving is also known as free diving or breath-hold diving (figure 1-5). Your NAUI Scuba Diver certification course will teach you to become a beginning scuba diver. Your instructor will also teach you the fundamentals of skin diving. Mastering the skills of skin diving will make you a much better scuba diver. WHAT IS SCUBA CERTIFICATION? Because there are no laws governing recreational scuba diving in most countries, the professional instructors who work in the scuba industry have agreed on certain minimum standards of training for sport divers. You must meet these standards to receive a certification card. Your NAUI instructor will also add special training specific to the area in which you are learning to dive. Your certification card will enable you to receive scuba diving services, such as renting a cylinder or enjoying a day of diving on a charter dive boat. Introduction 5 FIGURE 1-4. YOU WEAR A COMPRESSED AIR CYLINDER ON YOUR BACK WHEN YOU SCUBA DIVE. FIGURE 1-5. SKIN DIVING IS DONE WITHOUT ANY UNDERWATER BREATHING APPARATUS.
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