If you are new to scuba diving, welcome to a sport enjoyed by more than 8.5 million certified American divers. No longer is scuba diving a recreational pastime dominated by 20-something men. Women, teens, seniors and entire families are learning to scuba dive and heading off for underwater adventures at some of the world's most spectacular ocean retreats -- the Cayman Islands, Florida Keys and the Bahamas.

Scuba adventures include recreational diving, night diving, shark diving, cave diving, spear fishing, even arctic diving under ice floes.

There is an upfront investment in equipment. Recreational divers should expect to outfit themselves with standard scuba gear that includes:

Buoyancy compensator: The inflatable vest enables the diver to stay "neutrally" buoyant and float to the surface. It also holds gear in place.Regulator: Divers breathe through regulators, which are connected to air cylinders.Weight belt: Keeps divers from floating to the surface.Mask, fins and snorkel: The basic equipment that lets divers move through the water with ease.Air cylinder: Steel or aluminum cylinder holds compressed air.

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