BCDs Keep You Diving at a Constant Depth
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BCDs Keep You Diving at a Constant Depth
Your objective when scuba diving is to achieve neutral buoyancy, so you can explore the underwater environment without sinking or rising to the surface.
With neutral or diving buoyancy, you travel through the water with the ease of a fish. That is why it is essential to invest in a buoyancy compensator that fits and functions well.
It's also a good idea to know the basic science of neutral buoyancy. You don't need to have a PhD in physics to grasp how a diver's weight and volume affect scuba buoyancy underwater.
Just remember that neutral buoyancy occurs when the overall volume of the diver equals the diver's overall weight. The gas inside your body and equipment compresses on descent and expands as you rise toward the surface.
To stay neutrally buoyant, gas moves into the BC or scuba BCD, when the diver is too heavy. It is vented when the diver is too buoyant. Achieving neutral buoyancy will keep you diving at a constant depth.
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