What's the word: a primer on dive equipment and terms. (Glossary).

Expanded definitions are given for scuba diving related terms. These are: air tank, booties, buoyancy compensator and buoyancy control device, certification card, decompression sickness, depth gauge, dive computer, exposure suits, pressure gauge, regulator, scuba, snorkel and weight belt.

Full Text :COPYRIGHT 1993 Cahners Business Information
A primer on dive equipment and terms

Jargon can be mystifying and a roadblock to successfully booking dive vacations. The following primer on dive equipment and other basic terminology should help agents understand "dive-speak."

Air tank: An aluminum alloy or steel cylinder, available in a variety of sizes and capacities, that holds compressed air.

Booties: Sock-like footwear made from neoprene that insulates divers' feet and protects them when walking on rough surfaces.

Buoyancy compensator (BC)/buoyancy control device (BCD): Inflatable vests that allow divers to suspend easily at any depth by maintaining neutral buoyancy, a state similar to weightlessness.

Certification card (C-card): A document indicating that the traveler is a certified diver. A C-card must be presented before the traveler can rent gear or go out on a dive boat. For dive travelers, a C-card is as essential as a passport.

Decompression sickness: Also known as the bends, this potentially lethal condition is caused by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood or body tissues, triggered when divers rise to the surface too quickly. Symptoms include tightness in the chest, joint pain and, in severe cases, convulsions and collapse.

Depth gauge: A device that indicates the diver's current depth and the deepest level to which he or she has descended during a dive.

Dive computer: A small electronic device that allows divers to keep track of factors such as the depth of a dive, time in the water and tank pressure, in order to calculate time remaining for a safe dive and the recommended ascent rate.

Exposure suits: The three main types of exposure suits are dry suits, for use in the coldest water and worn over insulating undergarments; wetsuits, closed-cell foam suits that trap a thin layer of warm water between the body and the rubber fabric and are worn in moderately cold water, and skins, thin jumpsuits for use in warm tropical waters or underneath wetsuits.

Fins: Flipper-like footware worn by divers to propel themselves underwater, fins are available in a variety of sizes and shapes, including full-foot fins, which are worn over bare feet, and adjustable fins, worn with booties.

Pressure gauge: An apparatus that monitors the amount of air remaining in a diver's tank.

Regulator: A piece of equipment attached to the air tank that allows divers to breathe easily under water by adjusting the cylinder pressure.

Scuba: An acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.

Snorkel: A J-shaped tube and mouthpiece that allows divers to breathe, without having to use air from a tank, while floating on the water's surface with their faces submerged.

Weight belt: A belt with a quick-release buckle that carries lead weights needed to counteract a diver's buoyancy.

Source Citation
"What's the word: a primer on dive equipment and terms." Travel Weekly 12 Aug. 1993: S13. InfoTrac Small Business eCollection. Web. 17 Dec. 2009. .

Gale Document Number:A14177989