Scuba Diving Jargon to Sound Like a Seasoned Diver
Expanding Your Scuba Vocabulary
Diving entails a new world of expressions and terms that are exclusive to the diving community. To better comprehend them, carefully read this guide.
Advanced Open Water
This recreational scuba diving certification level provides an opportunity to enhance your underwater adventures and expand your knowledge. As an Advanced Open Water Diver (AOWD), you can dive deeper, up to 30 meters (100 feet), surpassing the depth limit of the previous level.
Air and Alternative Air Source
When referring to the gas mixture stored in your tanks, use 'air' or 'gas' instead of 'oxygen.' The term 'alternative air source' refers to a secondary regulator, which you may use in specific situations, such as when your primary source fails or if your buddy requires air.
Ascent and Back Roll
The ascent, typically the final part of a dive, is crucial, particularly when decompression stops are necessary. This is the stage when divers return to the surface. A back roll is a type of entry into the water, during which divers drop onto their backs from a dive boat.
BCD and Bootie
The Buoyancy Control Device (BCD), also called the stabilizer or wing, is an inflatable system that maintains positive buoyancy on the surface and neutral buoyancy while diving. A bootie, a neoprene sock, is worn with open fins to keep the foot warm and protected.
Buddy
In scuba diving, each member involved in a diving couple is called a buddy, emphasizing the importance of teamwork.
Cave and Cavern Diving
Cave diving combines diving and speleology. To engage in this technical diving variation, you must possess exceptional buoyancy control and specialized skills. Cavern diving involves exploring caverns while being constantly exposed to sunlight and within reach of the surface, limiting the depth to 70 feet (21 m) and the distance from the surface to 200 linear feet (60 m).
Enriched Air Nitrox (EAN) and Other Terms
EAN (Enriched Air Nitrox) or Nitrox represents a mixture of gases different from the one found in atmospheric mix air tanks. With EAN, you can find the following popular mixes: EAN32 (32% oxygen, 68% nitrogen), EAN36 (36% oxygen, 64% nitrogen), and EAN40 (40% oxygen, 60% nitrogen). For more information on Nitrox, check out the article "5 Reasons to Become a PADI Enriched Air Diver."
Other terms include an 'eddy,' a dangerous whirlpool that forms when the current collides with an obstacle, and 'equalization,' the act of letting air enter the middle ear during descent to match the pressure inside and outside the ears.
Additional Scuba Diving Terms
DAN (Divers Alert Network) and 'dive instructor' are professional certification levels in diving. A dive light is a flashlight used to illuminate dark spaces and is essential for night diving. A dive table, on the other hand, helps plan dives and guarantee safety.
A 'pony bottle' serves as a small cylinder from which the octopus (alternative air source) comes out, and a 'divemaster' is a diving certification level that kickstarts a diving career. 'Drift diving' involves moving forward by yielding to the current.
Fins, Giant Stride, Liveaboard, and More
In diving, use 'fins' instead of 'flippers,' as they are more suitable terms. A 'giant stride' is a technique involving a scuba diving entry from a boat, dock, or other platforms. 'Liveaboard' refers to a diving cruise where divers live onboard and focus solely on diving at exclusive dive sites.
Mask, No-Fly Time, Octopus, and Other Terms
A 'dive mask' provides vision underwater while protecting the eyes and nose from water. 'No-fly time' is the time required to wait before flying after diving, due to nitrogen residues in the body. An 'octopus' is an alternative air source.
Open Water, Profile (Dive Profile), and Pony Bottle
'Open Water' is achieved upon completing the course, making the diver an independent, certified diver who can choose their dive partner and explore underwater safely within the limits of their training. A 'profile' or 'dive profile' is a graph representing the relationship between time and depth during a dive. A 'pony bottle' supplies air from a small cylinder fastened to a harness.
Rebreather, Safety Sausage, Squeeze, and Surface Interval
'Rebreather' recycles oxygen for multiple uses, optimizing oxygen consumption. A 'safety sausage' or 'surface marker buoy' (SMB) marks the diver's position on the surface. A 'squeeze' refers to discomfort experienced due to the buildup of pressure in the mask when not properly equalized. A 'surface interval' refers to the time a diver spends on the surface between dives.
Trimix, Technical Diving, Thermocline, Wall Dive, and Weight Belt
'Trimix' is a diving gas mixture with helium, nitrogen, and oxygen. 'Technical diving' involves breaking the limits of decompression and requires highly skilled divers and specialized gear. The 'thermocline' is a layer of separation between two bodies of water at different temperatures. A 'wall dive' involves exploring an underwater cliff face that drops off suddenly into the depths. A 'weight belt' is used to compensate for positive buoyancy elements and is part of the gear that helps with buoyancy control.
Wetsuit and Wreck Diving
A 'wetsuit' provides thermal insulation and protects divers from friction while diving. 'Wreck diving' is an exciting diving experience that involves exploring shipwrecks and aircraft.
[1] Source: PADI[2] Source: Discover Scuba Diving[3] Source: Scuba Diving Cuba[4] Source: Scuba Diving Magazine[5] Source: Scuba Diving International
- Cavern diving, while not as extreme as cave diving, still requires exceptional buoyancy control and specialized skills, allowing divers to explore caverns that are constantly exposed to sunlight and within reach of the surface.
- Drift diving involves moving forward by yielding to the current, providing a unique underwater adventure where divers can observe marine life with minimal effort.
- Marine life is one of the most exciting aspects of scuba diving, as divers have the opportunity to encounter a variety of aquatic creatures while diving.
- Deep diving, such as at the depths reached during technical diving, offers a sense of exploration and adventure that is unparalleled by shallower dives.
- Diving courses, such as the Advanced Open Water Diver (AOWD) certification, provide divers with the skills and knowledge needed to take their underwater adventures to the next level, whether that means diving deeper, taking night dives, or exploring wrecks.
In addition to these terms, there are many other expressions that are exclusive to the scuba diving community. These can include technical diving, trimix, thermocline, wall diving, wetsuit, wreck diving, and liveaboard. Each of these terms plays a vital role in scuba diving and helps divers to navigate the underwater world safely and effectively. By learning these terms, divers can gain a deeper understanding of the sport and improve their overall diving experience.
