Being Amphibious: Scuba Diving and Freediving
Anne Fitricia
Professor Kaminsky
Writing 301
June 22, 2013.
Writing Project 2 (Final): Being Amphibious For A While
Ever wondered when underwater diving began? Based on the archaeological evidence, people have been freediving since 2,000 years ago (www.aidainternational.org). It first started in Japan, where pearl divers began collecting oysters to obtain pearls by diving into the ocean floor with just a single breath. Then, in 1943, Jacques Cousteau came up with his own invention called SCUBA, Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, which helped divers to remain breathing in the water. It truly revolutionized the world of deep-sea exploration, scuba diving started to be mostly used in technical or military diving. Nonetheless, tourism industries started to recognize the potential benefit from introducing scuba diving as a new leisure activity. For example SSI, Scuba Schools International, who started in 1970, had provided training, scuba diving certification, dive instructors and dive centers around the world (www.divessi.com). It expanded overtime as the demand increases; thus, the company received a very high return of profit. Eventually, diving turned out to be more popular as a recreational underwater excursion as it allows people to explore the beauty of underwater world in a new magical way. Although freediving and scuba diving are under the same category of underwater diving and are also quite similar in terms of the general rule, the equipment and techniques are significantly different. Obviously both sports allow people to dive into the water, but there are more similarities than one might think. They both require the diver to use the same basic exposure suit, snorkeling gear, and weight system. Likewise, taking a course to get certified is mandatory for both sports. Before taking a course, the diver must perform 200 meters continuous swim or 10 minutes of treading water (Scuba Schools International). The purpose is to allow the diving
Professor Kaminsky
Writing 301
June 22, 2013.
Writing Project 2 (Final): Being Amphibious For A While
Ever wondered when underwater diving began? Based on the archaeological evidence, people have been freediving since 2,000 years ago (www.aidainternational.org). It first started in Japan, where pearl divers began collecting oysters to obtain pearls by diving into the ocean floor with just a single breath. Then, in 1943, Jacques Cousteau came up with his own invention called SCUBA, Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, which helped divers to remain breathing in the water. It truly revolutionized the world of deep-sea exploration, scuba diving started to be mostly used in technical or military diving. Nonetheless, tourism industries started to recognize the potential benefit from introducing scuba diving as a new leisure activity. For example SSI, Scuba Schools International, who started in 1970, had provided training, scuba diving certification, dive instructors and dive centers around the world (www.divessi.com). It expanded overtime as the demand increases; thus, the company received a very high return of profit. Eventually, diving turned out to be more popular as a recreational underwater excursion as it allows people to explore the beauty of underwater world in a new magical way. Although freediving and scuba diving are under the same category of underwater diving and are also quite similar in terms of the general rule, the equipment and techniques are significantly different. Obviously both sports allow people to dive into the water, but there are more similarities than one might think. They both require the diver to use the same basic exposure suit, snorkeling gear, and weight system. Likewise, taking a course to get certified is mandatory for both sports. Before taking a course, the diver must perform 200 meters continuous swim or 10 minutes of treading water (Scuba Schools International). The purpose is to allow the diving