Diving in a Different Environment

More and more are drawn into the beauty of the underwater environment, especially now that humans can go to a hundred feet below the surface with the help of scuba diving gears. If you’re seeking for an ultimate adventure in the depths of the ocean, then scuba diving may be your ticket.

However, before you excitedly dip yourself in, bear in mind that scuba diving poses some hazards to humans. The most common of these are pressure related injuries, such as decompression sickness or air embolism. To avoid these injuries, you must be able to calculate how long you can safely stay underwater. You would also need to know the proper descent and ascent rates, or else, you might find yourself fatally inflicted with these pressure related illnesses.

Animals

Most aquatic animals don’t pose any risks to divers. In fact, a diver may be a threat to them. For example, coral could be killed by just one touch.

However, there are also a few marine life forms that may injure a diver. The most common include jellyfishes, stinging corals, fire corals, and sea urchins. Sharks and poisonous sea animals can also injure divers, but very rarely. Generally, animals attack humans only when they are provoked.

Although, there have been recorded unprovoked shark attacks, the number is still few. Statistics even show that your odds of being attacked by one of these dangerous aquatic animals is 1 in 12 million. You’re more likely to be attacked by a dog or a snake when you’re above water.

Scuba diving, being a visual underwater experience, doesn’t include altering the underwater habitat. Divers shouldn’t touch anything, be it a plant, animal or an object underwater.

Locations

Usually, the best scuba diving locations are where there are plentiful marine life. Of course, it is an added advantage for divers if the water is clear and the temperature are warm. That would make them see the aquatic beauty clearly and better adjust to the underwater temperature.

The most popular diving destination is the Caribbean. The Caribbean seas house color coral reefs that abounds with marine life. Different types of fishes find shelter among these coral reefs. Most parts of the Caribbean region have been designated to be marine sanctuaries or part, thus fishing and other human activities which could damage the marine life are prohibited.

Ship wreck sites are also being sought to be preserved. Aside from providing valuable treasure and clues to our rich history, these sunken ships also provide aquatic animals an ideal nesting or breeding area. So these ships not only add beauty to the ocean floors, they also have some utilitarian purposes for aquatic animals who live in deep places where resources are very scarce. It’s been said that there are about 75,000 sunken ships in the North America area alone. These locations also attracted thousands of divers from around the world. Some hoped to find buried treasures while others seek fame for having discovered some important historical links. Still, several dive for recreation purposes just to enjoy what the underwater environment has to offer.

Other protected areas and are also famous dive destinations are the South Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The government and environment organizations try to conserve the beauty of the habitat of these aquatic animals and plants. Although these destinations are open for viewing and recreational diving, enough marine police are assigned to ensure that the divers abide by the conservation rules and regulations.

It is just appropriate to raise these marine conservation issues, especially now that our technology has advanced so much. Technology advancements could also mean a lesser concern for the environment. Just take a look at what’s above sea level. There are several high rise buildings and large factories that contribute to pollution.

Currently, mankind is slowly able to invade the depths of the ocean, too. In fact, submersibles, such as submarines have been invented to allow humans to go into the deepest parts of the oceans. Marine biologists, geologists, archaeologists and scientists are using such technology to enable them to stay in the ocean for long periods of time so they can learn more in their fields of study. Who knows what the near future has in store for deep water exploration?