What does a diver's equipment consist of?

For the uninitiated, the sight of a diver entering the water is quite an attraction. The untrained eye looks at the diving equipment as if it were a ufo and knows just as much about its use and purpose. However, when we take a closer look at the functionality of individual elements, we will understand what we need all this gear for.

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Mask, snorkel and finsIt rather does not require too many explanations. The only thing worth pointing out when talking about the diving ABC, as we call these elements, is the difference between a diving mask and swimming goggles. When diving under the water, the pressure acting on us increases, which makes the glasses press more and more firmly to our face. In the mask a silicone gasket covers our nose, which allows us to equalize the pressure as we dive, so that our eyes remain in the same place ???? .

A cylinder is a simple container for breathing mixtures. Made of steel or thick aluminium, it can store gases compressed to pressures exceeding 200 bar.

The automatic breathing apparatus – in its simplest configuration, often commonly referred to as a spider, consists of a first stage which reduces the high pressure present in the cylinder to an intermediate pressure, and a second stage which reduces the intermediate pressure to the pressure prevailing at a given depth. This procedure is necessary so that we can breathe freely using the supply of compressed air from our cylinder. The first stage is located right at the valve of the cylinder, and the second one is the one we hold in our mouth and gives us air. Both stages of reduction are connected by a low pressure hose (LP).

However, this is not the only hose that goes from our regulator. To control the amount of gas left we need a manometer, a simple indicator with a round dial showing the gas pressure in our cylinder.

The last necessary hose screwed to our machine is the one for inflation of our jackets, ended with a quick connector.

Jacket – a waistcoat with two basic functions. The first is a bottle carrier. Jacket is put on like a normal backpack and at the back we attach to it our bottle. Another very important function of the jacket is to maintain buoyancy. In order to be able to freely maintain the desired depth or change it to a different one, we have to regulate the amount of air we let into the tanks, which the jacket is equipped with. Thus, when submerging, we let air in as the ambient pressure increases and, similarly, when surfacing, we release the expanding excess.

The final element is our wetsuit, which simply protects our body from the adverse effects of low temperatures.

source: own
Photo: tusa, scubapro, faber,