Scuba Diving Article

Scuba Diving Myths Exposed

Scuba Diving allows you to enter and explore a mysterious world, so by its very nature there is something almost magical or mythological about scuba diving. Certainly to the layperson there are still many misconceptions or misunderstandings about Scuba and what lies below the waves, here then are some of the most popular misconceptions, and the actual realities - about Scuba Diving.

One of the most common "myths" or misconceptions about Scuba diving is that you have to be a very strong swimmer or in a great physical shape to scuba dive. Not true, while being comfortable in the water is important, people that do not even know how to swim at all have been trained to scuba dive, and while there are certain medical conditions that may prevent a person from diving (check with your doctor) anybody who is in average physical condition can become Scuba Certified. Another myth is that Diving is a sport or hobby only for men, in the early days perhaps that was true, as it was true with many sports, but today almost as many woman dive as men, last year 42% of new Diving Certifications were issued to women. Contrary to popular belief Scuba tanks do not contain "pure oxygen" and that is what helps scuba divers breathe differently or better underwater - scuba tanks contain compressed AIR - just like air on the surface - cleaner yes and purified, but air with its combination of Oxygen, Nitrogen and other elements. It is no more possible for a diver to live on and breathe "pure oxygen" underwater as it would be on the surface.

Other myths have to do with the water and the undersea environment itself. Some people think it is always cold under the water. Not true - some of the best dive sites in the world are in tropical environments where the mean water temperature is 80 degrees. In places where it is colder, that is why a diver wears a wetsuit, and much like a skiers ski-suit it keeps the scuba diver nice and warm and toasty. There is also a misconception that the ocean is dark and murky and you can't see anything, or that you have to dive very deep to see anything interesting. Again not true, the most popular dive sites like in the Florida Keys for example, have crystal clear visibility to 100 feet or more, and yet in the same area you can dive on a coral reef that abounds with sea-life only 15-20 feet below the surface. And speaking of sea life, despite what you may see in the movies, Sharks are not lurking everywhere beneath the surface - sharks are actually extremely scarce, and shark attacks on divers very rare. Of course sharks themselves are legendary creatures and if you do want to dive among them and learn more about them, there are many such "Shark Dives" available.

And probably the greatest myth is that Scuba diving is difficult or expensive to learn, and that is just not true at all. Scuba is rapidly becoming one of the most popular recreational sports for the whole family. Improvements in dive technology and teaching techniques make Scuba Diving easy and fun to learn and opens the once legendary world below the surface to just about anyone.
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