Diving is a kind of sport that requires studying and a precise and specific training. There are different levels of courses and specialties during which divers learn varied skills and get useful knowledge. During the courses students learn the principal rules to dive in full safety, to use and maintain diving equipment correctly, to manage all the problematic situations which could occur. Here are the first basic rules that a beginner should know:


1. The most important rule in diving is never to hold yout breath. It is always necessary to breathe, continuously, slowly and deeply. We breathe by the mouth since the air is provided by our regulator. The fact of breathing gently calms the mind and that makes you feel relaxed. The fact of uninterrupted breathing avoids many possible injuries to the lungs. That equalizes the lungs constantly by decreasing the internal pressure because when we exhale, we expel the expanding air. Even in the unlikely case that you wouldn’t have your regulator in the mouth, it is necessary to exhale constantly a little amount of air. During the courses we do many exercises to practice breathing continuously.

2. It is necessary to equalize the air spaces of our body when we dive. At the surface the atmospheric pressure does not have any effect on our bodies since it is our natural environment. But when we descend into the water, the deeper we go, the more we feel the pressure on us, more particularly on our air spaces: our ears, sinuses and lungs. We equalize our lungs when we exhale. For the ears and the sinuses, it is possible to use the Valsalva maneuvre. To do it you have to close your nose and exhale by it. This movement should be made gently, few times throughout the descent. It is necessary to pay great attention with this maneuvre and not to do it too strongly and before you start feeling any discomfort in your ears. During the ascent the air escapes by itself and we should not do anything special about it.

3. Another very important rule of scuba diving is not ascending too quickly, whatever our depth is. It gives time for the partial pressure of the gases absorbed by our body to be equilized to the outside pressure. And also the air escapes from our lungs and ears on time before it expands too much. That makes it possible to avoid decompression illnesses. We should not ascend quicker than 18 meters per minute or according to what our computer recommends us. When doing a deep dive, it is advised to make a safety stop of 3 minutes at 5 meters.

4. Finally, to dive safely, it is essential to dive with a buddy. Being in a group of several people you plan the dive, prepare and check the equipment in a much safer way than doing it all alone. With many little problems your buddy can easily help you while you couldn´t deal with it being alone. Your buddy can also call for additional help and alert emergency services if needed. Moreover, diving together with other people makes scuba diving much more fun, underwater we live special moments. Sharing your passion with your buddies makes you meet new true friends.

Follow these 4 essential rules and enjoy this fascinating kind of sport in full safety.