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		Scubadiving Terms you might want to know about! \| A \| B \| C \| D \| E \| F \| G \| H \| I \| J \| K \| L \| M \| N \| O \| \| P \| Q \| R \| S \| T \| U \| V \| W \| X \| Y \| Z \| A AGE Arterial gas embolism; lung over expansion injury caused by holding your breath while ascending allowing air bubbles into the bloodstream that block its flow. (Any foreign object in the bloodstream capable of blocking flow is an embolism.) Alpha flag A blue and white flag recognized as an International Maritime flag. It indicates a vessel with limited movement, as with diver or divers below. AP Absolute Pressure Apnea Cessation of breathing ASL American Sign Language - one of the languages used by deaf people and sometimes by divers for communicating with hand signals ATA Atmospheres Absolute ATS Atmospheres Absolute Over Sea Level (ie gauge pressure) AOW Advanced open water certification; second level of certification for some agencies B Bail out bottle A tank with an emergency supply of breathing gas suitable for one's depth (remember that oxygen is toxic at depth). It bails one out of trouble with air supply, hence the name. Bar Short for barometric pressure? the method of measurement of air pressure used throughout most of the world and by the compressed gas industry. (see psi) BC or BCD Buoyancy Compensator or Buoyancy Compensating/Control Device. Inflatable device worn when scuba diving to assist with adjusting buoyancy. Boyle's Law At a constant temperature, the volume of a given mass of gas is inversely proportional to the absolute pressure; if the pressure goes up the volume goes down and vice versa Bradycardia Slowing of the heart, triggered by cold moisture on the face while breath holding BT Bottom Time a measurement or calculation of the amount of time spent on a dive Buddy Your diving partner while diving Buddy breathing Two divers sharing air from one second stage regulator or one breathing from a safe second stage Bugs Lobsters Burst disk A part of a tank valve that prevents the pressure in a scuba tank from exceeding maximum operating pressure by bursting and venting the tank. C Carotid-sinus reflex Tight hood or wet suit causing pressure on the carotid arteries can give a false high pressure signal and slow the heart unnecessarily: carotid-sinus receptors send impulses to the cardio inhibitory center of the brain CCBA Closed Circuit Breathing Apparatus, a rebreather, a device that reuses air by scrubbing or removing the carbon dioxide from it. There are usually no bubbles emitted. Cattle boat A term used to describe a crowded dive boat, where the divers are like a herd of cattle. C-card Scuba diving certification card Charles' Law Temperature has a direct relationship on pressure and or volume; heat will make the pressure increase, heat will also make a flexible object increase in size Chumming One of many euphemisms for vomiting from seasickness as well as attracting sharks with a mixture of blood and fish parts CNS Central Nervous System Conduction Transmission of heat via direct contact. Divers are most affected by conduction --- water conducts heat 25 times faster away from a person's body than air Convection Transmission of heat via fluids. Water is warmed by a person and rises, replaced by cooler water. CPR Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation D Dalton's Law The total pressure of a gas mixture is equal to the sum of the pressures of each of the different gases making up the mixture DAN Divers Alert Network; non-profit member organization that does diving research and promotes diving safety DCI Decompression illness DCS Decompression sickness, caissons' disease, or the bends; pressure related injury caused by absorbing excess nitrogen under pressure while diving; if coming up to fast or staying down too long the nitrogen will form bubbles after or during ascent that will cause pain or ill feeling or other symptoms; a common symptom is pain in the joints causing atypical bending, hence the term "the bends"; symptoms may not appear until days later Decompression The release of nitrogen from the tissues into the bloodstream and out through the lungs Dive flag, Diver down flag The dive flag used predominantly in the United States. It is not recognized internationally yet is the one most used by American divers. It is required to be used by them in many states and locales when they are diving, and many locales have laws prohibiting boaters and others from approaching within a specified distance. DIN Deutsches Institut fuer Normung - German Institute for Standardization an organization that has set many standards, including in electronics. When used in diving, it usually refers to DIN valves on tanks which are a more secure design Dive tables A set of numbers that indicate the maximum time one may remain at a particular depth without going into stage decompression diving, thereby remaining within the no-decompression limits (NDL) DM Divemaster DO Diving Officer DPV Diver Propulsion Vehicle, an underwater scooter used to pull divers through the water (which conserves their air). Drift dive A dive made at a location (such as Cozumel, Mexico) where the current can carry a diver along without finning being necessary. E EAN Enriched Air Nitrox; air mixture with oxygen content above 21 per cent F FFW Feet of fresh water FSW Feet of salt water First stage Generally refers to the part of the regulator that attaches to the tank valve (see second stage) can also be part of stage decompression diving G Goodie bag Mesh bag with locking wire frame used to carry goodies (see bugs) underwater H Henry's Law The amount of gas that will dissolve into a liquid at a given temperature is almost directly proportional to the partial pressure of that gas HPNS High Pressure Nervous Syndrome - a nervous disorder caused by breathing air under high pressure, as in underwater habitats HP High Pressure Hookah A surface compressor supplying air via hoses to one or more divers Hypercapnia Excess carbon dioxide caused by diver failing to breathe slowly and deeply or by heavy exertion. Headache may occur and may result in loss of consciousness. Hypocapnia Insufficient carbon dioxide caused by voluntary or unintentional hyperventilation. Carbon dioxide is what stimulates the breathing action --- if not stimulated by carbon dioxide build up to breath a diver or skin diver could use up more oxygen than he should and could cause shallow water blackout when ascending. Hypoxemia Not enough oxygen in the bloodstream Hypoxia Not receiving enough oxygen I Immersion diuresis When immersed a person will cool down causing constriction of the blood vessels, the blood flow will be sent to the main organs, away from the legs and the body will sense an increase in fluids and send a signal to get rid of some fluid, causing one to urinate J J valve A valve with a spring loaded mechanism that allows a reserve of air in the tank that can be actuated by pulling a lever secured to the valve. K K valve The standard valve in use today. Both J and K valves took their names from the 1954 U.S. Divers catalog where they were items J and K. Both J and K valves are yoke valves, which refers to their attachment method. L Lift bag Bag used to lift heavy objects underwater by filling the inverted bag with air and using its buoyancy to lift the object Live aboard A diving boat that one stays on (lives aboard) as opposed to staying in a hotel Log book A record of one's dives, including details of the dive. required by some operators as proof of experience LP Low Pressure M Mediastinal Emphysema Aair expansion injury; air accumulates in the chest pressing on the heart and major blood vessels, interfering with circulation and the person may feel short of breath MFW Meters of fresh water MSW Meters of salt water N Narced Nitrogen narcosis; under the influence of nitrogen while diving NDL No Decompression Limit - the maximum time one may stay at a particular depth in order to avoid decompression diving. NEDU Naval Experimental Diving Unit (U.S.) NERC National Environment Research Council (UK) Nitrogen Narcosis A narcotic or intoxicating effect caused by nitrogen at depth as pressure increases NITROX Any gas mixture of nitrogen and oxygen; though most commonly used for oxygen mixtures above the normal 21 per cent NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (U.S.) NRMI Naval Medical Research Institute (U.S.) O Octopus Extra second stage regulator used by your buddy in an out of air emergency Off-gassing See decompression OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration (U.S.) OW Open water certification; first certification level P Pneumothorax Air expansion injury; collapsed lung caused by air in the pleural cavity; symptom would be coughing up blood Pony bottle An auxiliary cylinder with an additional supply of air, an alternate air source with its own regulator PP Partial Pressure PSI Pounds per square inch; pressure measurement (see bar) Purge valve A valve on a snorkel, mask or regulator that allows it to be cleared of water R RDP Recreational Dive Planner - a dive table for sport divers developed by PADI REG egulator ROV Remotely Operated Vehicle, often carrying cameras S Safe second See octopus SCBA Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, such as what firefighters use SCUBA Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus SCUDA Self Contained Underwater Drinking Apparatus. Product attached to the second stage that can be used to drink underwater. Second stage The part of the regulator that one breathes from (see first stage) SI Surface Interval - the time between dives that allows for sufficient off-gassing SIT Surface Interval Time - same as above. Six pack A term used to refer to a small (American) dive boat, where Coast Guard regulations only allow a maximum of six passengers SLAM Scuba Lifesaving Accident Management course by the YMCA SPG Submersible Pressure Gauge - a gauge attached by a hose to a first stage and indicating remaining air pressure in a tank. Stab jacket, stabilizer jacket A jacket style buoyancy compensator. Stage bottle A reserve supply of breathing gas not carried with the diver. an example is a stage bottle at the safety decompression stop at 10-15 feet (approximately 3 to 5 meters) for divers who are low on air at that point. Subcutaneous emphysema Air expansion injury; air in the soft tissues at the base of the neck, person could feel a fullness in the neck and experience a voice change. T Tables See dive tables Thermocline Thermoclines are layers of water of different temperatures felt when a transition to water of a different temperature (usually colder when descending) is made. U USN United States Navy V VIS Visibility underwater W Wall dive Massive coral heads that extend from the depths are referred to as walls, hence diving near them constitutes a wall dive Wet suit warmer A humorous term referring to urinating in a wet suit and the resulting momentary warmth.