For safe and enjoyable diving, a Scuba diver needs to have the right equipment. This consists of items the diver wears on his body - the mask, fins and perhaps a wetsuit, and the mechanical device that provides the air he needs to breath - the aqualung. Let's look at each of them in turn.
A mask is essential for the diver to see clearly underwater. A quality mask has scratchproof and shatterproof glass and is made of silicone to create a seal against the diver's face. To avoid pressure damage, the mask needs to cover the nose, too.
Next comes the means of propulsion - diving fins (or flippers as they are also known). Diving fins are needed for the diver to move through the water with his hands free. Fins comprise the shoe itself that the diver wears, and the blade, the broad area that provides the surface for propulsion. The shoe needs to be soft for comfort while the blade must be stiff enough to propel the water. A snorkel is also useful to allow the diver to swim on the surface with his face submerged.
You may also choose to wear a wetsuit which preserve body heat through trapping a layer of water against the skin. Modern warm water wetsuits are usually made from neoprene. This offers limited thermal protection in cold water as well as protecting the diver from sun exposure. Wearing a wetsuit will increase buoyancy so a weight belt may be needed.
Finally, there's the aqualung. This is made up of the air cylinder, the regulator, and the harness. The cylinder is made of steel or aluminium. The regulator makes the air pressure equal to that of the surrounding water, and the harness attached the kit to the diver's back.
A mask is essential for the diver to see clearly underwater. A quality mask has scratchproof and shatterproof glass and is made of silicone to create a seal against the diver's face. To avoid pressure damage, the mask needs to cover the nose, too.
Next comes the means of propulsion - diving fins (or flippers as they are also known). Diving fins are needed for the diver to move through the water with his hands free. Fins comprise the shoe itself that the diver wears, and the blade, the broad area that provides the surface for propulsion. The shoe needs to be soft for comfort while the blade must be stiff enough to propel the water. A snorkel is also useful to allow the diver to swim on the surface with his face submerged.
You may also choose to wear a wetsuit which preserve body heat through trapping a layer of water against the skin. Modern warm water wetsuits are usually made from neoprene. This offers limited thermal protection in cold water as well as protecting the diver from sun exposure. Wearing a wetsuit will increase buoyancy so a weight belt may be needed.
Finally, there's the aqualung. This is made up of the air cylinder, the regulator, and the harness. The cylinder is made of steel or aluminium. The regulator makes the air pressure equal to that of the surrounding water, and the harness attached the kit to the diver's back.