Dangers Of Scuba Diving

Superior Essays
Scuba diving has taken many lives over the years. According to research, in 1975 there were about 213,000 divers in the United States. By 1990, there were about 2.45-3.1 million. This increase in numbers means that the number of recreational divers is increasing quickly, and there is a clear need for awareness of dangers and injuries that may occur. Coral reefs, shipwrecks, caverns, and many other underwater treasures around the world are great for scuba divers wanting to explore the underwater world. Although scuba diving is a worldwide popular sport, there are many dangers that affect humans as they participate in this activity. Pulmonary embolisms and decompression sickness are just two out of many dangers, and they develop because of increased …show more content…
In Thomas Edwin’s article, "What Are the Dangers of Scuba Diving?" as well as in "Diving Injuries and Decompression Sickness" the same injuries are explained; decompression sickness and barotrauma. Decompression sickness occurs when gas bubbles form extra nitrogen absorbed in the body’s tissues and can result in aching joints or a rash, or even paralysis. The bends is another name for decompression sickness, and is a function of Henry’s Law, which states that the amount of gas dissolved in a liquid is proportional to the partial pressure of the gas in contact with the liquid. If a diver doesn’t follow safety precautions and ascends too quickly or bottom time is too long, nitrogen can come out of absorption, meaning that bubbles form in the blood and body tissues, which interferes with normal physiologic function. Teaching divers how to properly ascend underwater can prevent decompression sickness from …show more content…
Although he had taken part in many dives before and paid much attention to safety, his equipment was found not properly maintained. Checking equipment before scuba diving is helpful. Many people like Eugene scuba dive just for fun, but about 65% of people do not know about the dangers before diving in. Articles like this one about Eugene can serve as a warning to others to check equipment and to make sure they know what they are getting themselves into before venturing out. “Scuba is not an inherently safe activity. It is marketed as such by many entities in order to not scare off potential customers. New divers are led to believe that a guide, dive master or instructor will keep them safe. The training they receive has been dumbed down over the years in order to maximize profits.” ("Deaths Illustrate Scuba Diving Dangers”). In the future, diving teachers hope to prevent deaths and injuries by maximizing training to the highest level in order to make sure that the new diver is comfortable and they know what to do before entering the water. Diving instructors also hope to make sure that the people they are teaching are aware of all of the possible injuries, from ascending to the air pressure difference, as well all that the injuries include. Scientists and researchers will continue to

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