Did you know that SCUBA stands for “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus?” If so, you’re pretty much everybody. But there are some weird, rare, obscure, and straight up bizarre things about our favorite underwater activity that not a lot of people know about, and a few people just don’t care to think about. Let’s go through a few fun facts, and maybe a not so pleasant one or two, about diving.
Without Pressure Control, You’d Become Inflated
Okay, maybe not literally, but I sure did get your attention. When diving, the regulator is our best friend, as long as it’s working. It’s what allows us to breathe underwater and visit all of the places we couldn’t without it; however, it consists of two parts. The air in a scuba tank is highly pressurized, so one couldn’t simply breathe directly from the tank. The part of the regulator we put in our mouth is the second stage of the operation, but the first stage is where the magic is. Without that little device hooked to our tank, we’d be human balloons. To see how it works, check out the video above.
You Can Work As A Circus Diver
Have you ever wanted to run away and join the circus? Well, you’re in luck in Vegas, baby! Cirque du Soleil is known for their daring and sometimes deadly acrobatics on the surface, but these days audiences have seen it all, so they’re taking to the water. Due to the fact that many performers were born on land, in fact, we’re assuming all of them were, they need help adjusting to the water. This is where highly-skilled divers come in handy. You can get a job not only helping the grand show adapt to the wet side of things, but you can be in the tank during each performance to assist with the magic.
You Can Also Work as a Contaminated Water Diver
Shit happens, literally, and when it does, there are companies that are ready to pay you the big bucks, we hope, to help them clean it up. This job is no joke, it requires divers to get every vaccination on the books, and then intensive training in not only the dive, but the clean-up. In addition, no amount of training or checking of the specialized gear involved can guarantee that there won’t be a leak. Good luck!
Underwater Art is Booming
Whether scuba diving, snorkeling, or taking a trip on a glass-bottomed boat, underwater museums are becoming a thing. The trend started, or made it big, at least, due to the Museo Subacuatico de Arte in the waters off of Cancun, Mexico; however, there are smaller installations all over the world, we’d highly recommend that you find them over on Planet Deepblu because, hey, that’s us! Over time, these magnificent works of art will turn into coral spectacles and promote underwater rehabilitation in once-deprived habitats.
Love Being Underwater? Now You Can Be Dead There!
Are you a big fan of spending every moment of your free time under the surface? Well, you’re in luck, because the Neptune Memorial Reef wants you! Not far from Miami, these folks have made being dead in style accessible for those of us who are hardcore about the seas. When you become no longer alive, they’ll have you cremated and pressed into a feature for the memorial reef. From there, you’ll be delivered to the bottom and marked with a copper plaque. Family members are allowed to join either via boat or scuba diving, and then a certificate of memorial is presented with your coordinates. That cousin who you could never get to go diving? Maybe they will now!
We Can Actually Do Something
As a community of ocean enthusiasts, we can actually do something. To end on a serious note, there is hope for underwater species, but they’re going to need our help. At the time you read this, there are top scientists all over the world working in coral restoration, but they need us to have their backs. Beach clean-ups, minding what we buy and use, and controlling our habits in general will all contribute to bettering the oceans around us. The straw can actually be a killer, but the bigger picture is the companies that profit from producing plastics. To save the oceans, they need pressure to contribute as well. We’re all small parts of a big ecosystem, and before we end up in Neptune Memorial Reef, we should do our best to effect positive change.
– Todd Allen Williams, Senior Editor
