Scuba is a water sport that allows humans to explore the underwater world. Most scuba divers enjoy this activity for recreational purposes and explore the pristine ocean waters. However, scuba is also used for commercial and scientific reasons. Some scuba divers use their equipment to aid construction projects such as bridges, oil drilling and ocean excavation. Others scuba dive for their job as public safety divers, marine biologists and even military divers.

While some scuba divers will only use their equipment to explore lakes or rivers, most scuba divers are avid underwater adventurers and have the opportunity to visit many beautiful tropical locations around the world. Scuba diving can be a very rewarding experience and requires special training in order to minimize the risks involved. This training includes learning how to safely and effectively use the equipment and understanding and avoiding the dangers that can occur.

Diving has been around for thousands of years, and the first scuba equipment was made in the 16th century in England and France. In the early 1800s full diving suits were developed to allow deep dives. In the 1900s Emile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau developed modern day scuba equipment including a rebreather system that used recirculation to reduce the amount of air needed, and the BCD (buoyancy control device) which is inflated or deflated to help maintain a safe buoyancy while underwater.

The most common use of scuba today is recreational diving. People learn how to scuba dive through a scuba program and get trained to safely dive in a variety of environments such as lakes, rivers, kelp forests, coral reefs and in some cases even swimming pools and fish tanks.