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Scuba Diving Dictionary

Scuba Diving Dictionary Landing Page Description

Whether you’re a new diver or one who’s returning to the sport, or even if you’re a frequent diver with the occasional question that needs answering, you’ll discover that our dive dictionary is a very useful scuba diving resource. Here, you’ll see a comprehensive list of scuba diving terms, along with acronyms and so much more.  Using our scuba dictionary to locate diving terms is quick and easy; just choose a letter or number and click on it, or simply enter a keyword to find its definition. Be sure to contact us if you’re looking for diving terms, acronyms, or any other type of scuba-related jargon you cannot uncover here. We’ll do our best to keep updating our diving dictionary so you can find the answers you need, when you need them.

A

AN

The abbreviation for ammonium nitrate

ANDI

American Nitrox Divers Incorporated

AOW

Advanced Open Water qualification

Archipelago

A grouping of islands

ASLO

Acronym for American Society of Limnology and Oceanography

Atrium

Each of the two upper chambers of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into the ventricle(s)

Audiometry

Testing the range and sensitivity of an individual’s ability to hear various sound frequencies and amplitudes

AUF

Australian Underwater Federation

Aural

Also known as auditory; pertaining to the ear or the sense of hearing

Aural Barotrauma

Damage to the ear as a result of a change in atmospheric pressure

Auricle

Also known as a pinna or auricular appendage, the outer projecting portion of the ear

AUS

American Academy of Underwater Sciences

Auscultation

Using a stethoscope, the act of listening to sounds made by the internal organs of the body such as the heart and lungs, to aid in diagnosing certain medical conditions

Autonomic

Relating to the autonomic nervous system

Autonomic Nervous System

The part of the nervous system responsible for controlling the involuntary functions of the body such as breathing, heart muscle activity, and digestive processes

Autotrophic

Any organism that is capable of manufacturing its own food from simple inorganic substances by photosynthesis

Axial

Situated in, on, or around an axis

B

Back Pressure

The pressure resulting from restricting the full natural flow of an oil or gas substance

Back Roll

A diver in the sitting position at the edge of the boat leans backward over the vessel, entering the water head first

Back Splice

A rope binding method used to prevent fraying or unraveling at the end of a rope

Backscatter

Occurs when particles become illuminated in the water as a result of a camera’s flash or strobe light

Backwash

The backflow of water that piles onto the shore as a result of breaking waves

Bacteriology

A branch of microbiology that deals with the identification, study, and cultivation of bacteria and their relationship to medicine, agriculture, and industry

Bail

The removal of water from a vessel by means of a pump or bail bucket

Bailout Bottle

Also known as a pony bottle and often used as a piece of emergency diving equipment; a cylinder of gas used to get to the surface if a diver should encounter an out of air experience or a breathing apparatus malfunction

Baralyme

A special mixture of calcium and barium compounds used to absorb exhaled carbon dioxide in a SCUBA diving rebreather system

Barbiturate

Any of a group of sedative, hypnotic, or sleep-inducing drugs that are derived from barbituric acid and act on the central nervous system

Barge

A long, flat-bottomed boat which is used to transport freight on inland waterways using its own power or by being towed by another vessel

Barodontalgia

Also known as a tooth squeeze, acute tooth pain that occurs in response to changes in ambient pressure

Barometer

Used in meteorology, a device used to measure atmospheric pressure

Barometric Pressure

The pressure of the atmosphere as specified by a barometer

Barotrauma

Physiological injury or damage to body tissues due to an unequal pressure between a gas space inside the body and its surrounding fluid

Barracuda

A large predatory marine fish, belonging to the genus Sphyraena, with a slender body and knife-like canine teeth which grows to approximately six feet and is found in tropical waters

Barrier Island

A long, narrow sandy island created by the action of waves, currents, and winds that runs parallel to the shore, protecting it from the effects of the ocean

Barrier Reef

A coral reef that runs parallel to the shore but that is separated from it by deep channel of water or lagoon

Beach

The shore of a body of water that is covered by sand, gravel, or fragments of large rock

Bed

Also known as seabed, the ground a body of water rests upon

Bends, The

Acute decompression sickness (DCS), also known as divers’ disease or caisson disease

Benthic

Also called as bottom dwellers, a collection of organisms which are found living on the bottom of lake or sea 

Berth

A place for securing a vessel at a dock or wharf

Bioluminescence

The production and emission of visible light by marine organisms, occurring mainly in vertebrates and invertebrates

BOD

Biological Oxygen Demand

Booties

Boots that are worn with dive fins that have adjustable straps

Bow

The front end of the vessel

C

CAGE

Cerebral Arterial Gas Embolism which occurs when gas bubbles get lodged in the arteries that supply the brain with  the necessary oxygen and blood

Calcareous Algae

Marine plants that form a hard external covering that consist of calcium compounds

Calorimeter

An instrument used to measure the amount of heat generated by a chemical reaction or physical change

Canal

An artificial waterway constructed through a land area to allow for navigation or irrigation

Canoe Diving

The use of a canoe to transport divers and their equipment to offshore diving locations that are beyond practical or safe swimming distances from the shoreline

Capillary Depth Gauge

A small tube that uses Boyle’s Law to determine depth

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