---
name: scuba-diving-intro
description: |
  Guide to scuba diving including certification paths, equipment overview, dive physics, dive planning, safety procedures, underwater navigation, marine life identification, and dive logging.
  Use when the user asks about scuba diving intro, related techniques, best practices, or needs guidance in this domain.
  Do NOT use when the request is outside the scope of scuba diving intro or requires a different specialized skill.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  author: foundry-skills
  version: "1.0.0"
  tags: "guide hiking budgeting breathing beginner-friendly advanced testing automation"
  category: "hobbies-crafts"
  subcategory: "outdoor-recreation"
  depends: ""
  disclaimer: "none"
  difficulty: "advanced"
---

# Scuba Diving Introduction


## When to Use

**Use this skill when:**
- User asks about scuba diving intro techniques or best practices
- User needs guidance on scuba diving intro concepts
- User wants to implement or improve their approach to scuba diving intro

**Do NOT use when:**
- The request falls outside the scope of scuba diving intro
- User needs a different specialized skill for their specific situation
- The topic requires professional consultation beyond general guidance

## Questions to Ask First

Before starting your dive journey:

1. Can you swim comfortably in deep water? (Required for certification)
2. Are you comfortable in the water? Any fears about being underwater?
3. Do you have any medical conditions? (Heart, lung, ear, sinus issues may require medical clearance)
4. What sparked your interest? (Tropical vacation, marine life, wrecks, underwater photography)
5. Where do you plan to dive? (Tropical reefs, local lakes/quarries, cold water)
6. What is your budget for certification and gear? ($300-500 certification / $1,000-3,000 personal gear)
7. Do you wear corrective lenses? (Prescription masks available)
8. Are you planning to dive on vacation only, or become a regular diver?
9. Do you have dive shops or training facilities near you?
10. Are you interested in eventually pursuing advanced certifications?

## Certification Path

### Open Water Diver (Entry Level)

**PADI Open Water Diver** or **SSI Open Water Diver**
- Minimum age: 10 (Junior Open Water), 15 (full Open Water)
- Duration: 3-5 days (can be spread over weekends)
- Cost: $300-600 depending on location and what is included

**Three Components**:

1. **Knowledge Development**:
   - Self-study: eLearning modules at your own pace (recommended before pool sessions)
   - Topics: Dive physics, physiology, equipment, dive planning, environment, problem management
   - Quizzes and final exam

2. **Confined Water (Pool) Sessions**:
   - 5 sessions in pool or calm shallow water
   - Skills: Mask clearing, regulator recovery, buoyancy control, buddy breathing, CESA (Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent)
   - Gear assembly and disassembly
   - Entry and exit techniques

3. **Open Water Dives**:
   - 4 open water dives (lake, quarry, or ocean)
   - Demonstrate skills learned in pool in real conditions
   - Practice navigation, buoyancy, and dive planning
   - Maximum depth: 60 feet (18 meters) for certification

**Upon certification**: Licensed to dive to 60 feet (18m) worldwide with a buddy

### Advanced Certifications

**Advanced Open Water Diver**
- 5 adventure dives (required: deep dive and underwater navigation)
- Elective dives: Night, wreck, drift, peak performance buoyancy, photography
- Maximum depth: 100 feet (30m)
- No exam, all practical
- Recommended after 10-20 logged dives

**Rescue Diver**
- Prerequisite: Advanced Open Water + First Aid/CPR certification
- Learn to manage dive emergencies and assist distressed divers
- Challenging but rewarding - builds confidence and competence
- Most divers say this is the most valuable course they take

**Divemaster**
- First professional level
- Lead certified divers, assist instructors
- Extensive training: Stamina, knowledge, leadership skills
- Bridge to becoming an instructor

**Specialty Certifications**
- Deep Diver (to 130 feet / 40m)
- Nitrox (Enriched Air) - longer bottom times, reduced nitrogen loading
- Wreck Diver
- Night Diver
- Underwater Photography
- Dry Suit Diver
- Sidemount Diver
- Cave / Cavern Diver (advanced technical)

## Equipment Overview

### Essential Dive Equipment

**Mask**
- Must seal comfortably on your face (test: press to face without strap, inhale through nose - should stay)
- Low volume masks are easier to clear
- Tempered glass lenses only
- Consider: Prescription lenses, wide field of view, black silicone (less glare)
- Cost: $40-150
- **Personal gear priority: BUY YOUR OWN MASK FIRST** (fit is critical and personal)

**Snorkel**
- Attached to mask strap
- Used on surface to conserve air
- Simple J-tube style is reliable (avoid complex purge valves for beginners)
- Cost: $15-40

**Fins**
- Open heel (with booties): Most versatile, preferred for cold water and boat diving
- Full foot: Lighter, good for warm water shore diving
- Blade vs split fin: Blade (more power), split (less effort, less power)
- Cost: $60-200

**Wetsuit / Exposure Protection**
- 3mm: Tropical water (80F+)
- 5mm: Temperate water (65-80F)
- 7mm: Cold water (50-65F)
- Drysuit: Very cold water (below 50F), keeps you dry, requires training
- Fit: Snug but not restrictive, no gaps at neck, wrists, ankles
- Cost: $100-400 (wetsuit), $800-2,000 (drysuit)

**BCD (Buoyancy Control Device)**
- Inflatable vest/jacket that controls your buoyancy underwater
- Inflated: Float on surface. Deflated: Descend. Partially inflated: Neutral buoyancy
- Integrated weight systems are convenient
- Cost: $300-700
- Rent until you know what you prefer

**Regulator**
- First stage: Connects to tank, reduces pressure
- Second stage (primary): You breathe from this
- Octopus (alternate air source): Backup for buddy emergencies
- Must be serviced annually by certified technician
- Cost: $300-800
- Rent until committed, then invest in quality

**Dive Computer**
- Tracks depth, time, decompression limits in real time
- Essential safety tool - replaces dive tables
- Wrist-mounted or console-mounted
- Cost: $200-800
- Recommended: Shearwater Peregrine ($450), Garmin Descent ($500+), Suunto Zoop ($250)
- **Strongly recommend buying your own** (tracks your personal nitrogen loading across dives)

**Weight System**
- Counteracts wetsuit buoyancy (you float in a wetsuit)
- Integrated into BCD or weight belt
- Amount varies: 4-16 lbs typically depending on exposure suit and body composition
- Start with more weight, reduce as buoyancy control improves

### Gear Buying Priority
1. Mask (fit is personal, buy first)
2. Dive computer (safety, personal nitrogen tracking)
3. Fins and booties
4. Wetsuit/drysuit
5. Regulator
6. BCD
- Rent items 4-6 until you have enough dives to know your preferences

## Dive Physics

### Pressure
- At sea level: 1 atmosphere (atm) of pressure
- Pressure increases by 1 atm for every 33 feet (10m) of seawater depth
- At 33 feet: 2 atm. At 66 feet: 3 atm. At 99 feet: 4 atm.
- This affects: Air volume, buoyancy, gas absorption, equalization needs

### Boyle's Law (Most Important for Divers)
- As pressure increases, gas volume decreases (and vice versa)
- Descending: Air spaces compress (ears, sinuses, mask) - must equalize
- Ascending: Air spaces expand - NEVER hold your breath while ascending
- **The #1 rule of scuba: NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATH**
- Lung over-expansion injury (pulmonary barotrauma) can occur from as shallow as 4 feet

### Henry's Law (Gas Absorption)
- At higher pressure, more gas dissolves in your blood and tissues
- This is why you absorb nitrogen at depth
- Ascending too fast does not allow nitrogen to exit safely
- Result: Decompression sickness (DCS / "the bends")
- Prevention: Ascend slowly (30 feet per minute or slower), safety stops, follow computer

### Dalton's Law (Partial Pressures)
- Each gas in a mixture exerts pressure proportional to its percentage
- At depth, the partial pressure of each gas increases
- Oxygen becomes toxic above certain partial pressures (deep diving concern)
- Nitrogen becomes narcotic at depth (nitrogen narcosis, typically below 100 feet)
- Nitrox (enriched air, higher O2 percentage) extends bottom time but has shallower depth limits

## Dive Planning

### Pre-Dive Planning
1. **Check conditions**: Weather, water temperature, visibility, currents, tides
2. **Plan the dive**: Maximum depth, maximum time, air consumption estimate
3. **Buddy check** (BWRAF):
   - **B**uoyancy: BCD inflator works, weights secure
   - **W**eights: Quick release accessible, enough weight
   - **R**eleases: All clips, buckles, zippers secured
   - **A**ir: Tank valve open, air on, check gauge (3,000 psi full tank)
   - **F**inal check: Mask, fins, snorkel, computer, lights, camera
4. **Agree on signals and communication plan with buddy**
5. **Know the entry and exit points**
6. **Identify emergency contacts and nearest recompression chamber**

### During the Dive
- Stay with your buddy (within arm's reach in low visibility)
- Monitor air regularly (signal buddy at half tank, surface at 500 PSI reserve)
- Monitor depth and time on computer
- Follow no-decompression limits (NDL) on your computer
- Ascend slowly: Maximum 30 feet per minute
- Safety stop: 3 minutes at 15 feet (5m) on every dive

### Air Management
- Full tank: 3,000 PSI (200 bar)
- Turn dive at: 1,500-1,700 PSI (rule of thirds or half tank)
- Begin ascent at: 1,000 PSI
- Surface with: 500 PSI minimum
- Air consumption improves dramatically with experience and relaxation

## Safety Procedures

### The Five Most Important Safety Rules
1. **Never hold your breath** (continuous breathing, even during ascent)
2. **Ascend slowly** (follow your computer's ascent rate)
3. **Never dive alone** (buddy system is fundamental)
4. **Check your air frequently**
5. **Plan your dive and dive your plan**

### Emergency Procedures

**Out of Air**
1. Signal buddy (hand across throat = out of air)
2. Buddy provides alternate air source (octopus)
3. Both ascend together sharing air
4. Practice this skill regularly
5. If no buddy available: CESA (Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent) from shallow depth

**Decompression Sickness (DCS)**
- Symptoms: Joint pain, tingling, numbness, confusion, rash, paralysis, difficulty breathing
- First aid: Administer 100% oxygen, lay horizontal, hydrate, get to emergency medical care
- Definitive treatment: Recompression chamber (hyperbaric chamber)
- Prevention: Ascend slowly, make safety stops, stay within NDL, stay hydrated, avoid flying for 18-24 hours after diving

**Runaway Ascent**
- If ascending too fast: Flare out body (spread arms and legs to increase drag), exhale continuously
- Dump air from BCD
- After surfacing from rapid ascent: Monitor for DCS symptoms for 24 hours

**Buddy Separation**
- Search for one minute (look around, check above and below)
- If not found: Ascend to surface, meet at pre-arranged location
- Plan the reunification procedure before the dive

## Underwater Navigation

### Natural Navigation
- Sun position (creates shadow patterns that indicate direction)
- Current direction (consistent within a dive, use as reference)
- Bottom features: Sand ripples, reef structure, slope direction
- Depth changes: Reef walls, channels, sand patches

### Compass Navigation
- Set a heading at the start of the dive
- Reciprocal heading = heading + 180 degrees (for return trip)
- Square pattern navigation: Turn 90 degrees at each corner, count kick cycles for distance
- Triangular pattern: 120-degree turns, useful for returning to starting point

### Tips for Not Getting Lost
- Identify prominent landmarks at the start (rock formations, coral heads, anchors)
- Check compass periodically throughout the dive
- Turn around before using half your air (you need the same air to return)
- Descend and ascend at the same location when possible (especially boat diving)

## Marine Life Identification

### Reef Identification (Tropical)
- **Coral types**: Brain coral, staghorn, elkhorn, fan coral, mushroom coral
- **Fish families**: Parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, surgeonfish, grouper, wrasses, damselfish
- **Invertebrates**: Sea stars, urchins, octopus, lobster, shrimp, nudibranchs
- **Large marine life**: Sea turtles, rays, reef sharks, moray eels, dolphins

### Interaction Guidelines
- Look but do not touch (coral is fragile and alive; touching kills it)
- Maintain neutral buoyancy (avoid fin kicks that damage coral or stir sediment)
- Do not chase or corner marine life
- Be aware of venomous species: Lionfish, stonefish, cone snails, fire coral, sea urchins
- Respect marine protected areas and no-take zones
- Never collect shells, coral, or marine organisms

### Photography (Brief Intro)
- Start with smartphone in underwater housing ($50-150) or GoPro ($200-400)
- Get within 3 feet of subject (water reduces clarity with distance)
- Shoot upward when possible (silhouettes against blue/green water)
- Buoyancy must be excellent before adding camera (otherwise you damage reef)
- Dedicated underwater cameras: Olympus TG-7 ($450) or mirrorless with housing ($2,000+)

## Dive Log

### Why Keep a Log?
- Tracks experience (many dive operations require logged dives for certain activities)
- Helps monitor air consumption improvement
- Records conditions and marine life observations
- Required for some advanced certifications
- Documents your diving journey

### What to Record
- Date, location, dive site name
- Dive number
- Buddy name
- Conditions: Visibility, water temperature, current, weather
- Equipment: Wetsuit thickness, weight used, tank size
- Dive profile: Max depth, bottom time, safety stop
- Air: Start pressure, end pressure
- Marine life observed
- Notes: Personal impressions, skills practiced, conditions

### Digital vs Physical Logs
- Most dive computers upload data automatically
- **Apps**: SSI app, PADI app, Subsurface (free, open source), MacDive
- Physical logbooks still valued by dive operations for verification
- Many divers use both

## Safety Considerations

- Get medical clearance before diving if you have any health conditions
- Do not fly for 18-24 hours after diving (reduced cabin pressure can trigger DCS)
- Do not dive with a cold or congestion (cannot equalize, risk of barotrauma)
- Stay hydrated (dehydration increases DCS risk)
- No alcohol before or between dives
- Maintain equipment: Annual regulator service, pre-dive checks
- Continue education: Skills deteriorate without practice
- If you have not dived in 6+ months: Take a Scuba Review/ReActivate course before diving
- Never exceed your training level (no cave diving without cave certification, etc.)

## Progression Path

1. **Phase 1**: Discover Scuba (try dive) or Open Water certification, 4-10 dives
2. **Phase 2**: Advanced Open Water, Nitrox certification, 20-50 dives
3. **Phase 3**: Rescue Diver, specialty certifications (wreck, deep, night), 50-100 dives
4. **Phase 4**: Divemaster or technical diving introduction, 100-200 dives
5. **Phase 5**: Instructor certification, technical diving, exploration diving, 200+ dives
6. **Phase 6**: Dive leadership, conservation involvement, mentoring, international dive travel

## Resources

- **PADI** (padi.com): Largest certification agency, find local shops and courses
- **SSI** (divessi.com): Second largest, free online learning materials
- **NAUI, SDI/TDI**: Alternative certification agencies
- **Books**: "Open Water Diver Manual" (PADI or SSI, provided with course)
- **ScubaBoard** (scubaboard.com): Active online community and forums
- **DAN (Divers Alert Network)**: Dive safety organization, dive insurance, emergency hotline
- **Reef Check** and **REEF**: Marine conservation citizen science programs
- **Apps**: SSI app, PADI app, Subsurface dive log


## Process

1. **Gather information.** Ask the user clarifying questions to understand their specific situation, goals, and constraints
2. **Analyze context.** Review the information provided and identify key factors relevant to scuba diving intro
3. **Develop recommendations.** Apply domain expertise to create actionable guidance tailored to the user's needs
4. **Present structured output.** Deliver findings in the output format below with clear next steps
5. **Address follow-ups.** Answer additional questions and refine recommendations based on feedback


## Output Format

```template
## Scuba Diving Intro Analysis

### Assessment
[Key findings and observations]

### Recommendations
1. [Primary recommendation]
2. [Secondary recommendation]
3. [Additional suggestions]

### Action Items
- [ ] [First action step]
- [ ] [Second action step]
- [ ] [Follow-up task]
```


## Edge Cases

- **Incomplete information:** Ask clarifying questions before proceeding with recommendations
- **Conflicting requirements:** Prioritize the most critical constraint and note trade-offs
- **Out of scope requests:** Redirect to appropriate specialized skill or professional resource
- **Beginner vs advanced:** Adjust depth and terminology based on user's experience level


## Example

**Input:** "Help me with scuba diving intro for my current situation"

**Output:**

Based on your situation, here is a structured approach to scuba diving intro:

1. **Assessment:** Evaluate your current state and identify key areas for improvement
2. **Strategy:** Develop a targeted plan based on best practices
3. **Implementation:** Execute the plan with specific, measurable steps
4. **Review:** Monitor progress and adjust as needed
