Diving equipment: Difference between revisions

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The fundamental piece of diving equipment used by divers is the SCUBA breathing equipment.

Aqualung consisting of the diving cylinder and diving regulator
Buoyancy Compensator, Buoyancy Control Device, BCD or BC
Compass for underwater navigation
Decompression tables to avoid decompression sickness
Depth gauge is used with Watch for decompression monitoring on decompression tables
Distance line is used to navigate back to a safe start point
Dive Computer to avoid decompression sickness
Fins
Knife to cut ropes and nets
Mask allows the diver to see clearly underwater.
Rebreather an alternative to an Aqualung
Regulator including first stage, demand valve and contents gauge
Snorkel
Suit such as a dry suit, a wet suit or a skin
Torch/flashlight is essential in low visibility or when night diving
Watch is used with depth gauge for decompression monitoring on decompression tables
Diving weighting system conteracts the buoyancy of the diving suit

The purposes of this class of equipment are to:

Surface Detection Aids (with cheapest and most effective towards the top) include:

Surface Marker Buoy or Decompression buoy (Delayed SMBs)
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 - needs long lasting batteries
High pressure whistle - expensive but they are effective
Orange water dye - increases diver's visibility from search helicopters
Compact Disc - makes a good, safe mirror of sunlight or searchlights. AOL is a good source for them.
Red pyrotechnic flares - for helicopters and lifeboats
EPIRB (Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon)

Airlift - a gas "powered" tube that sucks small objects, sand and mud from the sea bed that is used in nautical archaeology
Decompression trapeze consists of one or more horizontal bars, suspended at the depth of intended decompression stops by buoys
Diver Propulsion Vehicle - to increase the range of the diver undwerwater
Lifting bag - a robust airtight bag used to lift heavy object underwater
Underwater camera housing - for still or video cameras

Boats such as the rigid-hulled inflatable boat
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.
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
VHF radio - for communicating with rescue services and other boats

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 * High pressure whistle - expensive but they are effective
 * Orange water [[dye]] - increases diver's visibility from search [[helicopter]]s
-* [[Compact Disc]] - makes a good, safe mirror of sunlight or searchlights
+* [[Compact Disc]] - makes a good, safe mirror of sunlight or searchlights. [[AOL]] is a good source for them.
 * Red pyrotechnic [[flare]]s - for helicopters and lifeboats
 * [[EPIRB]] (Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon)