Diving

Diving

      Today diving is considered a popular kind of sport and hobby. Diving competitions take place all over the world, a lot of diving schools welcome people to try diving, and thousands of shops sell all equipment necessary for diving. Nonetheless, years ago the situation was completely different. Not so many people know even the meaning of the word diving and it has changed over years. Initially, a dive started right at the moment when the water was touched. Today, the same word is associated with leaping and springing into the water.

          The beginning of the history of modern diving can be traced to one European country. This country was Germany, and it had a traditional specialty to practice particular swimming and diving skills. It was called Halloran, and within a framework of it, sportsmen used to perform diving feats into the River Saale from a bridge. Later, in 1840, the first diving association was formed together with the gymnastics movement in German. At the beginning, most of the members of this association were gymnasts practicing some kind of water gymnastic. As a result, diving became really popular in Germany (Diving Australia, 2013).

 

         

         As a result, the first international diving contests from a tower and a lower board started in 1882. Nine years later, in 1891, the first rules of diving were adopted. During the following years, a lot of useful and significant inventions were made. In 1893, Louis Boutan introduced to the world the first underwater camera. In 1911, an oxygen rebreather was released. In 1923 the world saw the first color photographs taken underwater. In 1933, the first popular diving club called The Bottom Scratchers of San Diego appeared, and soon it became a trend. The next turning point in the history of diving happened in 1943, when the first aqua-lung was designed and tested by Emile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau  (Northwest Diving History Association, 2013).

           In less than 10 years, some shops in the United States started to sell aqua-lungs. Later many stores specified in selling goods necessary for diving. In 1956, the first formal certification program for instructors was created in Los Angeles. Since that moment, a lot of famous divers have got an opportunity to become certified teachers. As for the last fifty years, a lot of new associations of divers and underwater sports have been formed, and a lot of improvements of diving equipment have been done  (Northwest Diving History Association, 2013).

 

         

When in the beginning of the twentieth century, diving started to gain more and more popularity, it has been decided to add platform diving to the Olympic program. For the first time, it happened in St. Louis in 1904. A little bit later, in 1908, springboard diving for men had become a part of one Olympic Games in London. Platform diving for women was added later, in 1912. At the very beginning of the twenty first century, synchronized diving made its debut within a framework of Olympic Games held in Sydney, Australia. Apart from it, a lot of small diving competitions take place permanently all around the world.

 

          Modern equipment for scuba diving usually involves wet suit, regulator, submersible pressure gauge, buoyancy compensator, fins, tank, mask and snorkel. This is a basic set of equipment, and other special details may be necessary for a particular type of diving. As for the rules of diving, they are unique for each type of diving.

         

Now, when the history of this kind of sport is already discussed, it makes sense to pay more attention to what kinds of diving there are today. Naturally, modern diving is not like it used to be in the past. Today, those who want to try themselves in this kind of sport are free to choose from a variety of different diving types.

 

 

 

          The first type of diving I would like to talk about is called technical diving. This type of diving can be defined in different ways and encompasses a lot of different elements. Nonetheless, the most general technical diving usually involves going deeper than it would be possible using techniques of recreational scuba diving. While recreational divers cannot descend deeper than 40 meters, and are usually advised not to descend below 30, technical driving allows divers going deeper than 200 meters on scuba. In order to pursue this type of diving, it is necessary to take a range of courses focusing on the different gas mixes use because oxygen can become toxic if breathed too deep and nitrogen can turn to be a narcotic. This type of scuba diving requires hard training and expense. Moreover, it involves a higher level of risk in comparison with recreational diving.

          The second type of diving I would like to talk about is cave diving. Apart from basic scuba equipment, cave diving requires an underwater torch or an underwater light, because when the entrance is passed, nothing can be seen without it. The darkness inside the caves is absolute, and the only light existing there is the one diver bring with themselves. So, this type of diving is for experienced divers who want to try something completely new and different. Those who dare to try this type of diving should be ready to turn up in an underwater complex of rooms, moves and outputs. Taking in account that the water in caves is clear, it is possible to forget that everything happens not in air.

          The next type of diving I would like to talk about is drifting diving. This type of diving is one of the most pleasant and relaxing diving experience. Drift diving is one of the most popular forms of diving because it makes people feel like flying and being able to cover big distances underwater. Moreover, this type of diving allows you see a lot of formations and habitats. It is necessary to point out, that although this type of diving is considered the most relaxing one; it still requires training and skills.

          Another form of diving is definitely the most extreme one. It is called ice diving, and as we can understand from the name, it involves diving under ice. This form of diving does not require a lot of technical skills, and the main aim of this form of diving is not to get cold. In order to do so, a dry suit is used. This dry suit prevents the diver from getting wet, and getting cold as a result. Due to a layer of air between the surface and the diver's skin, it becomes possible to keep the body temperature. This type of diving is usually a team activity.

           The next type of diving is night diving. This form of diving involves entering into the dark waters, which feels exciting. Underwater night world is rather different from diving during the day. Scuba diving at night allows people to see animals like molluscs and crustaceans that are impossible to be seen in daylight. Apart from it, there is a chemical reaction that forces some plankton to emit the light while moving. So, this type of diving is definitely one of the most exciting. Nonetheless, it has to be said that this type of diving usually requires an advanced certificate for diving at night.

          One more type of diving I would like to talk about is snorkeling. The biggest advantage of this form of diving is that it is open to people of any age and experience level. Another advantage of snorkeling is that it does not require a lot of equipment necessary for other forms of diving. Taking into account that the best things to observe are often close to the surface, this form of diving looks the best option for those who have no diving experience, but want to discover the underwater world  (Totaling, 2007). 

         Today most of the people consider diving a serious kind of sport, and a great idea for active rest. Various diving types make it possible for everyone interested in diving to find what suits him or her best. Diving is not only a great form of physical training, but also an interesting and unusual way of discovering something new in this world. Modern equipment and a variety of diving schools make it possible for everyone to experience this kind of sport.

Reference

 Tomalim, T. (2007). Different Types of Diving. Campa Bay Times: Outdoors. Retrieved   from:             http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/06/Sports/Different_types_of_di.shtml

N.a. (2013). A Brief History of Diving. British Swimming & The ASA. Retrieved from:             http://www.swimming.org/britishswimming/diving/a-history-of-diving/

N.a. (2012). Timeline of Recreational Diving in North America. Northwest Diving History            Association. Retrieved from: http://www.divinghistory.com/id11.html

N.a.(2013). The History of Diving: The Origin and Evolution of Diving. Diving Australia.             Retrieved from: http://www.diving.asn.au/?Page=1826&MenuID=About_Us           %2F20002%2F1785%2CAbout_Diving%2F20010%2F1809

N.a. (2013). Types of Diving. The Original Diving. Retrieved from:            http://www.originaldiving.com/types-of-diving

Sky Diving

Sky Diving

Group member ( Obaid and Haji ) 

Introduction

Skydiving is one of the most dangerous and intriguing sports or activities. In sky diving, the participants go high in the air, hundreds or even thousands of meters, and then fall back to the earth through gravity. The free fall from several hundred meters is the best part of the exercise and essentially forms the best part of the sky diving experience. After the free fall part, the participants are expected to slow down their fall by using either of two devices: a parachute or a wing suit.

History

Skydiving began in around 1797. Aeronaut Andre- Jacques Garnerin used a canvas canopy- like equipment to replace the modern parachute and a small basket to sit in. These were tethered under a hot air balloon, and some distance into the balloon flight, the aeronaut would open up his chute. Parachuting was later developed for military purposes. However, the original uses for skydiving and parachuting did not have anything to do with battles. The main reason was to find a way to reach people in an airborne emergency. In this respect, people who developed problems in a hot air balloons and aircraft's would need help delivered to them, and the best method was through parachuting. The use of parachuting as means to deliver soldiers into a battlefield and areas that are unreachable by foot or vehicles started much later. The activity was later developed to be a competition and finally sport.

Ascension

As there are options in choosing the best descending methods, there is also the option of choosing the best ascending method. The most common method, which is not necessarily the best, is using an airplane. For the sake of the cost cutting and the availability of resources, the most common medium for sky divers is usually a propeller driven airplane. However, skydivers have jumped from a myriad of places. For instance, there are major world events that bring hundreds of skydivers together to perform synchronized jumps. In these events, the divers get the opportunity to perform jumps from helicopters, Boeing 727s and even hot air balloons as part of the festivities. In other places, the most daring of skydivers will attempt dangerous endeavors by diving or jumping from very tall buildings, cliffs and even bridges too (Popular Science, 1929, p.29).

The Dive

When the jumpers dive and leave the vehicle of ascension, the sky divers experience a forward throw. This is the continued ‘flight’ forwards while also experiencing the effect of gravity for a few seconds. The gravity will assist in a downward movement while the plane’s momentum will offer forward momentum. This is not the case in other stationery means or medium of height. For instance, a tall building or a hot air balloon will not have the forwards movement since they are stationary (or very slow, for hot air balloon). In free fall part, skydivers generally lack the falling experience. This is because their bodies will resist the air at very high speeds. The speeds could at times reach above about 80 km/h (50 mph), and thus it provides some feeling of weight and direction (Dropzone, 2013). The divers at some point can manipulate the shape of their bodies in free fall. As such a diver can turn, generate a forwards motion and even a backwards motion and sometimes lift upwards. However, these directional alterations will be in relation to the other jumpers and not the ground. All this time, the diver will be getting closer to the ground (Popular Science, 1929). These activities make the most interesting aspect of skydiving.

The Descent

Of the choices between a wing suit and a parachute, the wing suit is probably more dangerous and harder to use. A wing suit is basically a suit that has its arms and legs joined using a flap of clothing. The space between the legs too is also joined so that the when the wearer spreads his arms and legs, he can easily resist gravity and either glide in the air of float. However, very few people know how to handle a wing suit and the wing suit is not available in many regions of the world (Red bull, 2012). Similarly, sky diving is not as expensive as it should be in the world. For the descent, most people use and recommend the use of a parachute. This has resulted to sky diving earning the alternative name, or the synonym parachuting. However, in other countries, there is no option of which equipment to use, because of poor or scarce training and trainers on the variety. There countries strictly train participants on the use of parachutes only.

The Dangers of Skydiving

There are many avenues and opportunities for danger in skydiving. It is essentially a dangerous activity in itself. First, the ascension is an individual risk. The plane could crash, or the person could fall from the cliff or building top at any time resulting to instant death. Secondly, the descent and/ or the fall have many instances where it could go wrong. For instance, the parachute could get stuck and refuse to open (Centurion, 2013). This could result in a free fall all the way to the ground. As such, the person could suffer from shock before he hits the ground and even death from the impact on the ground. Sometimes, the parachute may launch and open successfully. However, the person could have difficulty to control it due to poor skill or other faulty features of the parachute. This could have several devastating eventualities. Among these, there is a collision with an object on the ground such as buildings or trees resulting to injuries and even fatalities (Webmaster 2010).

Other dangers could have natural causes such as poor weather conditions. Poor weather conditions essentially cause poor visibility and the divers end up colliding with objects, and do not realize who close the ground is, they end up launching the chute too late. However, it is possible to completely avoid these conditions altogether.

Diving at Night

Skydiving or parachuting is not always done during the day. Professional and divers with experience sometimes jump at night. However, the rules and regulations around the weather requirements remain the same. There other regulations that should be followed with regards to safety at night. For instance, more equipment is used than the daytime jumps. Additionally, the law (at least in the United States of America) requires the skydiver to have at least a B-License which is an advanced skydiving license. Prior to the jumps, the jumping teams will hold a meeting with the local safety officials. This meeting should cover directions as to who will be responsible for what roles during the jumps. A lighted altimeter (preferably one enabled- audio altimeter) is necessary. Skydivers are also required to take lights such as flashlights up with them. This is to ensure that they can check their canopies to ensure that they have properly deployed. Secondly, they need to ensure that they are visible to other skydivers, and even aircraft. According to FAA regulations, jumpers and skydivers jumping at night should wear a light that is visible for at least three miles (or 5 km) in every direction (United States Parachute Association, 2013).

Conclusion

Apart from the fact that people jump for sporting and adventure purposes, there are events skydiving events that are held for the sake of raising funds for specific causes. For instance, in Arizona, more than one hundred and fifty women jumped from a plane in order to raise money for their organization, in support of women empowerment and cancer treatment (The Arizona Republic, 2009). The event attracted women from more than thirty countries. Other than this, people form skydiving groups to break records and some for the sense of adventure. Skydiving, as a sport (an international sport), began in 1952. However, it is generally a recreational activity in many parts of the world, and a competitive sport specifically in the first world countries. The other positive uses include the use as a deployment mechanism of military personnel and occasionally, airborne rescue operations. For recreational purposes, a skydiving centre is opened up as a commercial operation spot or a club. For ease of access to ascension vehicles, it will be usually located at an airport and allows for individual and groups of skydivers up for a fee.

Reference

Centurion, B. (2013). Is Skydiving Dangerous? Retrieved November 21, 2013, from Elsbee: http://eslbee.com/zone/benjamin_centurion/inquiry.htm

Dropzone. (2013). Skydiving. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from Dropzone.com: http://www.dropzone.com/

Popular Science. (1929, November). Made 500 Parachute Jumps. Popular Science Monthly , p. 65.

Popular Science. (1929, September). Parachute Jumper Leaps 135 Feet from Bridge. Popular Science Monthly , p. 59.

Redbull. (2012, May 24). 'Wingman' completes world's first sky dive without a parachute. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from Redbull.com: http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Article/Wingman-completes-worlds-first-skydive-without-a-parachute-021243213346445

The Arizona Republic. (2009, September 30). 181 women break skydiving record. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from The Arizona Republic.

United States Parachute Association. (2013). Skydiving Safety. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from USPA: http://www.uspa.org/AboutSkydiving/SkydivingSafety/tabid/526/Default.aspx

Webmaster. (2010, December 30). Parachutist Online. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from http://parachutistonline.com/feature/safest-year%E2%80%94-2009-fatality-summary