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Glossary of underwater diving terminology

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See the Index of recreational dive sites for an alphabetical listing of articles about places which are recreational dive sites See the Index of underwater divers for an alphabetical listing of articles about underwater divers See the Index of underwater diving for an alphabetical listing of underwater diving related articles See the Outline of recreational dive sites for a hierarchical listing of articles about sites used for recreational diving See the Outline of underwater diving for a hierararchical listing of underwater diving related articles grouped by topical relevance
Two divers wearing lightweight demand helmets stand back-to-back on an underwater platform holding on to the railings. The photo also shows the support vessel above the surface in the background.
Surface-supplied divers riding a stage to the underwater workplace
Glossaries
in Misplaced Pages


This is a glossary of technical terms, jargon, diver slang and acronyms used in underwater diving. The definitions listed are in the context of underwater diving. There may be other meanings in other contexts.

Underwater diving can be described as a human activity – intentional, purposive, conscious and subjectively meaningful sequence of actions. Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where the practitioner submerges below the surface of the water or other liquid for a period which may range between seconds to the order of a day at a time, either exposed to the ambient pressure or isolated by a pressure resistant suit, to interact with the underwater environment for pleasure, competitive sport, or as a means to reach a work site for profit, as a public service, or in the pursuit of knowledge, and may use no equipment at all, or a wide range of equipment which may include breathing apparatus, environmental protective clothing, aids to vision, communication, propulsion, maneuverability, buoyancy and safety equipment, and tools for the task at hand.

Many of the terms are in general use by English speaking divers from many parts of the world, both amateur and professional, and using any of the modes of diving. Others are more specialised, variable by location, mode, or professional environment. There are instances where a term may have more than one meaning depending on context, and others where several terms refer to the same concept, or there are variations in spelling. A few are loan-words from other languages.

There are five sub-glossaries, listed here. The tables of content should link between them automatically:

Underwater diving
Diving equipment
Basic equipment
Breathing gas
Buoyancy and
trim equipment
Decompression
equipment
Diving suit
Helmets
and masks
Instrumentation
Mobility
equipment
Safety
equipment
Underwater
breathing
apparatus
Open-circuit
scuba
Diving rebreathers
Surface-supplied
diving equipment
Diving
equipment
manufacturers
Diving support equipment
Access equipment
Breathing gas
handling
Decompression
equipment
Platforms
Underwater
habitat
Remotely operated
underwater vehicles
Safety equipment
General
Freediving
Activities
Competitions
Equipment
Freedivers
Hazards
Historical
Organisations
Professional diving
Occupations
Military
diving
Military
diving
units
Underwater
work
Salvage diving
Diving
contractors
Tools and
equipment
Underwater
weapons
Underwater
firearm
Recreational diving
Specialties
Diver
organisations
Diving tourism
industry
Diving events
and festivals
Diving safety
Diving
hazards
Consequences
Diving
procedures
Risk
management
Diving team
Equipment
safety
Occupational
safety and
health
Diving medicine
Diving
disorders
Pressure
related
Oxygen
Inert gases
Carbon dioxide
Breathing gas
contaminants
Immersion
related
Treatment
Personnel
Screening
Research
Researchers in
diving physiology
and medicine
Diving medical
research
organisations
Law
History of underwater diving
Archeological
sites
Underwater art
and artists
Engineers
and inventors
Historical
equipment
Diver
propulsion
vehicles
Military and
covert operations
Scientific projects
Awards and events
Incidents
Dive boat incidents
Diver rescues
Early diving
Freediving fatalities
Offshore
diving
incidents
Professional
diving
fatalities
Scuba diving
fatalities
Publications
Manuals
Standards and
Codes of Practice
General non-fiction
Research
Dive guides
Training and registration
Diver
training
Skills
Recreational
scuba
certification
levels
Core diving skills
Leadership skills
Specialist skills
Diver training
certification
and registration
organisations
Commercial diver
certification
authorities
Commercial diving
schools
Free-diving
certification
agencies
Recreational
scuba
certification
agencies
Scientific diver
certification
authorities
Technical diver
certification
agencies
Cave
diving
Military diver
training centres
Military diver
training courses
Underwater sports
Surface snorkeling
Snorkeling/breath-hold
Breath-hold
Open Circuit Scuba
Rebreather
Sports governing
organisations
and federations
Competitions
Underwater divers
Pioneers
of diving
Underwater
scientists
archaeologists and
environmentalists
Scuba record
holders
Underwater
filmmakers
and presenters
Underwater
photographers
Underwater
explorers
Aquanauts
Writers and journalists
Rescuers
Frogmen
Commercial salvors
Science of underwater diving
Diving
physics
Diving
physiology
Decompression
theory
Diving
environments
Classification
Impact
Other
Deep-submergence
vehicle
Submarine rescue
Deep-submergence
rescue vehicle
Submarine escape
Escape set
Special
interest
groups
Neutral buoyancy
facilities for
Astronaut training
Other
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