When a person wants to learn how to scuba dive they must have to go through a learning process. They must go through this learning process because of two problems that occur. These two problems are air embolism and the bends. These problems are physiological. They both occur by the increase of pressure as you go deeper into the water. As we know the atmospheric pressure at sea level is known as 1 atmosphere. When in the water every 1 foot of water exerts .445 pounds per square inch . The result of this is at 33 feet the pressure is doubled and at 66 feet the pressure is increased by 1 atmosphere. Divers equalize these pressure changes by, on the way down they clear the ears and on the way up breathing normally never to hold their breath. If a diver were to hold their breath at 33 feet and rise to the surface the air in the lungs would expand and to twice its size. Then the diver would suffer from air embolism. Air embolism is when the lungs fill up with too much air and overexpand forcing air bubbles into the circulatory system. These air bubbles may become trapped in the heart, arteries, or even the brain. The symptoms of air embolism may appear as soon as you reach the surface. There can be dizziness, confusion, weakness, blurred vision, convulsions, and even death. Bends is also known as decompression sickness and caisson disease, is the result of the differences in underwater pressure too. Since the pressure underwater is increased , the nitrogen in the compressed air that one breaths is absorbed by the fluids and tissues in the divers body. If a diver had been in deep water and comes up properly as the pressure lessens the nitrogen is released from the fluids and tissues , passes through the veins, is freed in the lungs and is breathed out. The key in returning to the surface is time. Divers who stay in deep water for an extended period of time must make stops on their way to the surface to allow the nitrogen bubbles to dissolve ...
