Taking scuba to the next level, beyond recreational diving and into professional dive training, takes commitment and hard work. However, once you have completed your entry-level scuba course and become certified, you can begin exploring the underwater world and seeing things like whale sharks with new eyes. This is not only an amazing experience, but a meditative one as well. For a few hours, you can leave the texts and to-do lists behind and dive into the underwater world.

A scuba diver carries his or her own source of breathing gas, usually compressed air from a tank. This independence allows the diver to explore deeper and longer than a diver dependent on surface air supplies. A scuba tank is usually attached to a regulator which provides breathable oxygen when you need it by means of a demand valve. This conserves oxygen and avoids nitrogen absorption when you’re at depth for extended periods of time. Nitrogen accumulation can lead to decompression sickness when you return to the surface.

Diving requires specialized equipment that includes a diving suit, which is made from either a wetsuit or a drysuit, and a buoyancy compensator. The equipment also includes a scuba tank and air supply, and a dive computer.

To stay warm while diving, divers wear gloves and a hood or mask. They may also use a snorkel or breathing tube to breathe. A scuba diver will need to bring a mask strap, fins, and weights to suit their environment and the amount of diving they plan on doing.