Shark diving is a form of scuba diving in which the divers swim among dangerous breeds of sharks.
In scuba diving, the divers have air tanks and other special equipment, and are trained to stay under water safely for long periods of time.
Scuba divers travel to areas known for having sharks, and often have guides (also scuba divers) who know where and how to find the sharks. The guide will have food to attract the sharks in the water, while the scuba divers watch closely, and may even rub up against the sharks approaching for food. Quick movements from the divers or attempts to reach out and touch the sharks are dangerous because they may scare the sharks or create interest in them to bite the divers.
Regulator – the mouthpiece, connected by an air hose to the oxygen tanks on the diver’s back that provides them with oxygen under water
Mask – a glass face shield that allows the diver to see under water
Full-face diving mask – covers the diver’s entire face and has radio transmitters so divers can actually talk to each other under water
Wet suit – a body suit that keeps the diver warm under water
Fins – worn on the feet, the fins are webbed, like duck feet, to help the diver swim faster under water
Compass – helps the diver know what direction to travel in
Decompression sickness – a diver can injure hi/herself by surfacing too quickly and not giving the body sufficient time to adjust to the changing water pressure during the rise to the water’s surface; also called “the bends”
Nitrogen narcosis – a diver who goes deep into the water can get too much nitrogen in the bloodstream and become disoriented, almost “drunk. This is dangerous because the diver loses the ability to get back to the water’s surface safely