Scuba diving is perhaps the best way to explore the fantastic underwater world, getting up close with the wonders and the secrets of this marine universe, with its breathtakingly colourful and diverse inhabitants. Floating below the azure waters, you are in an ethereal – sometimes hostile – environment, with a limited supply of air on your back and with only your fellow divers as your lifelines. Over the years and the decades, scuba diving has evolved into a non-competitive but a very exciting adventure sport.
SCUBA is the short form of ‘Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus’. It was developed in the mid-1940s by the world famous underwater explorer and conservationist, Jacques-Yves Cousteau (with more than a little help from Émile Gagnan), for the French Navy during the Second World War. After the war, however, diving turned into a recreational sport, which has since been taken up by millions worldwide.

History of Scuba Diving

People living by the coast have been diving for as long as humankind has existed – and for as long as man has been able to swim. In the Arab world, there were pearl divers, men who made a living looking for pearls underwater. Of course, coastal folk around the globe also dived for food, their very lives depending on their diving skills.
The history of modern scuba diving can be traced to warfare, and much of the advancements in diving and diving techniques arose from the needs of navies, who’d constantly have to go on rescue operations. Over the centuries and over the years, diving equipment has become more and more sophisticated and hi-tech, though the peculiar dangers associated with diving still remain.
It was, however, the contributions of the French pair of Cousteau and Gagnan that helped take scuba diving into the modern world, made it accessible and, in turn, hugely popular with the masses, with the invention of the demand regulator (see equipment). As scuba diving’s popularity grew, so did the need for a safety code and regulations, and organizations that specialized in instructing and certifying divers. This led to the formation of the National Association of Underwater Instructors, in 1961, and the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, in 1966.

Equipment

Gear for modern scuba diving is made up of one (or more) gas cylinder secured to the diver’s back. This gas tank is joined to an air hose and the demand (or diving) regulator – this latter device controls the flow of air, so that the air pressure in the diver’s lungs is the same as the pressure of the water. Among other gear/equipment used in diving is the buoyancy control device (BCD), basically an inflatable jacket that controls your buoyancy by adding or releasing air.

Best season in India

From autumn, through the winter months, and into spring, is when you can encounter the best conditions for scuba diving (October/November to April/May). In the Andamans, peak season is between December and February.

Scuba Diving destinations in India

India boasts two main scuba-diving sites in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, off the east coast (closer, incidentally, to the Asian mainland than the Indian Subcontinent) and the Lakshadweep Islands, off the western (Kerala) coast. Both offer stunning coral reefs, top facilities and a fantastic diving experience. Tips1. If you are not sure whether scuba diving is the right adventure activity for you, try a spot of snorkelling first to become familiar with the marine life and the corals. While snorkelling, you are not totally underwater; you stay afloat on the surface but, with the help of a face mask and a simple breathing apparatus, you can enjoy the underwater world.
2. One should be able to swim 200 metres continuously, and tread water for 10 minutes, to receive Open Water Certification (and higher certification).
3. The major certification agencies are PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), BSAC (British Sub-Aqua Club), NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors), SSI (Scuba Schools International) and CMAS (French Diving Federation). PADI is by far the largest international organisation teaching recreational scuba diving; it has, till date, certified over 12 million divers worldwide.
4. Scuba diving is, comparatively, an expensive adventure option. In most countries, it can cost anywhere between US$200 and US$800 per dive.
5. Do not think of diving alone.