The following list of Scuba Diving Questions/Terms and Answers has not been completely reviewed. I found it online and figured it could help divers refresh their knowledge or prepare for an exam.
More Scuba Diving Quizzes can be found on DiveBuddy here:
divebuddy.com/quiz/Questions/Terms:1. Conditions that affect you when diving.
2. What is a thermocline?
3. Waves create surge which you avoid by _____.
4. Long shore currents tend to _____.
5. You can recognize a rip current by _____.
6. If caught in a rip you should _____.
7. An up-welling tends to cause _____ dive conditions.
8. Tides effect dive conditions by _____.
9. Generally the best tidal level for diving is _____.
10. 4 Steps to assist another diver
11. Panicking at surface of water
12. With an unresponsive diver, what is the primary concern?
13. If a diver loses consciousness or becomes unresponsive, what do you do?
14. If a diver shows symptoms of lung over expansion, what do you do?
15. When you make changes to your buoyancy, at what speed should you make changes, and why?
16. What do panicked divers typically do?
17. If you have a problem at the surface, you should..
18. What is the head?
19. What is the bow?
20. What should you do if you find poor conditions at your dive site?
21. What are two types of interactions that you can have with aquatic life?
22. Nearly all injuries from aquatic life result from _____.
23. What do you do if you see an aggressive animal underwater?
24. Why should you follow fish and game laws?
25. To avoid injuring aquatic animals, you should
26. How do you avoid bottom contact?
27. What are the 6 general types of bottom compositions?
28. What causes currents?
29. If there is a current, you should begin your dive _____.
30. What is underwater visibility?
31. What are the three factors that affect underwater visibility?
32. What three things can restricted visibility cause?
33. When you are diving in clear water, you should use a _____ or _____ when ascending and descending.
34. As you descend the water temperature gets _____.
35. If you know there’s a thermocline, in dive planning you should_____.
36. neutrally buoyant
37. positively buoyant
38. negatively buoyant
39. Objects are more likely to float in _____ water.
40. Salt water is _____ dense than fresh water.
41. What is the most important rule in SCUBA diving?
42. What could happen if you hold your breath when SCUBA diving?
43. Why is buoyancy control at the surface and under water important?
44. What two items control a diver’s buoyancy?
45. How does lung volume affect buoyancy?
46. What are your body’s natural air spaces?
47. What are two artificial air spaces?
48. Why do you usually only feel changing pressure in your body’s air spaces?
49. Why are pressure changes while ascending or descending underwater much more substantial than pressure changes when ascending or descending the same distance in air?
50. What is the relationship between increasing and decreasing depth and water pressure?
51. What is the relationship between air volume and density?
52. How can you equalize the air space in your mask?
53. What is equalization?
54. What is the pain you will feel if you don’t equalize called?
55. How can you equalize?
56. What do you do if you cannot equalize?
57. What do you do if you feel a squeeze while you are descending?
58. What are three reasons we use the buddy system?
59. Underwater, what do objects look like?
60. Why does it get darker as you go deeper?
61. When you are underwater, sounds:
62. Water absorbs heat about _____ times faster than air.
63. What should you do if you are shivering continuously?
64. What is hypothermia?
65. What is the best way to move underwater?
66. For maximum efficiency, underwater, how should you breathe?
67. What is airway control?
68. What are the two types of weight systems?
69. What is the most important feature of a weight system?
70. What happens if you are properly weighted?
71. What is an alternate air source?
72. Why does the alternate air source need to be clearly marked?
73. What are dive knives supposed to be used as?
74. What are dive knives NOT supposed to be used as?
75. absolute pressure
76. actual bottom time
77. ambient pressure
78. Archimedes principle
79. arterial gas embolism
80. barotrauma
81. bends
82. bezel
83. blowout plug
84. Bourdon tube
85. Boyle’s law
86. burst disk
87. capillary gauge
88. cavern
89. caves
90. C-card
91. ceiling
92. ciguatera
93. closed-circuit
94. compartments
95. compass course
96. compass heading
97. console
98. contingency plans
99. controlling compartment
100. Dalton’s law
101. decompression illness
102. decompression stops
103. defogging
104. DIN valve
105. dive profiles
106. diver’s push ups
107. down-welling
108. drift
109. eardrum
110. ebb
111. eddies
112. embolism
113. emergency decompression
114. equalization
115. eustachian tube
116. Farmer Johns
117. fetch
118. fetch length
119. flaring
120. flood
121. flutter kick
122. fronds
123. Gay-Lussac’s law
124. gyres
125. half-time
126. heat exhaustion
127. heatstroke
128. Henry’s law
129. hypoventilation
130. ingassing
131. jumpsuit
132. J-valve
133. K-valve
134. lubber line
135. mediastinal emphysema
136. nitrogen narcosis
137. nitrox
138. no-decompression-stop limits
139. octopus
140. open-circuit
141. open-valve-ascent
142. outgassing
143. overturn
144. perfusion
145. pnemothorax
146. pony tank
147. ports
148. pulmonary barotrauma
149. repetitive group
150. residual nitrogen
151. residual nitrogen time
152. rest stop
153. reverse block
154. rip current
155. sawtooth dive profile
156. scissor kick
157. scombroid
158. SCUBA
159. set
160. sink
161. siphon
162. skip breathing
163. slack water
164. spare air unit
165. spike dives
166. spring tides
167. squeeze
168. stages
169. stand
170. stipes
171. subcutaneous emphysema
172. submersible pressure gauge
173. surf
174. surface interval time
175. surge
176. swells
177. tetrodotoxin
178. total bottom time
179. Tonybee maneuver
180. trapdoor effect
181. trough
182. tsunami
183. turbid
184. Valsalva maneuver
185. valve seat
186. vasoconstriction
187. vertigo
188. wave height
189. wave period
190. wavelength
191. An object us neutrally buoyant when it displaces an amount of water less than its own weight.
192. Buoyancy control is one of the most important skills at the surface and under water because _____.
193. The same object would be more buoyant in _____ than it would be in _____.
194. Because water is denser then air the pressure change for a given distance ascent or descent is significantly greater in water than in air.
195. What is a squeeze?
196. How to equalize?
197. How often should you equalize?
198. If you feel discomfort in your ears while descending, continue downward until the discomfort is gone.
199. What is a reverse block?
200. What should you do if your feel discomfort during an ascent due to expansion?
201. Why must your nose be enclosed by your mask?
202. How to prevent water from your scuba cylinder?
203. The most important feature when purchasing a regulator is _____.
204. Underwater objects appear_____ making them seem _____ and _____.
205. Since it travels 4x faster in water than in air you will have difficulty determining the origin of _____ underwater.
206. Water conducts heat away from your body _____ than air does.
207. What should you do if you begin shivering underwater?
208. The procedures for the resistance of water.
209. Proper breathing pattern for diving.
210. How to prevent overexertion.
211. What do you do if you become overexerted under water?
212. What do you do if you become overexerted at the surface?
213. Techniques for airway control.
214. Why is it important to NOT wear a tight fitting hood?
215. The most important feature of any weight system is _____.
216. An alternate air source should be _____.
217. Where should you attach an alternate air source?
218. A diving knife is used as a tool but it is not intended to be used as a weapon.
219. How to check for proper buoyancy?
220. The steps of the pre-dive safety check.
221. What effects visibility under water?
222. To avoid problems associated with diving in clear water you should.
223. What do you do if you are caught in a current?
224. If a current is present you should _____.
225. Nearly all injuries form aquatic life are caused by _____ action on the part of the animal.
226. What should you do if you spot an aggressive animal underwater?
227. For safety and enjoyment when diving in a new area or engaging in a new activity, be sure to obtain a proper orientation.
228. A rip current can be recognized as a ling of turbid foamy water moving _____.
229. What are three ways to prevent diving problems?
230. The first step in assisting another diver with a problem is to talk to him, offering encouragement and persuading him to relax.
231. When should you do a buoyant emergency ascent?
232. When should you do a controlled emergency swimming ascent?
233. When should you do a alternate air source ascent?
234. If you become entangled underwater you should.
235. With an unconscious diver the primary concern is to remove him from the water.
236. Once removed from the water an unconscious breathing diver should be given oxygen.
237. An object is neutrally buoyant when it displaces an amount of water less than its own weight.
238. The same object would be more buoyant in _____ than it would be in _____."
239. Because water is denser than air, the pressure change for a given distance ascent or descent is significantly greater in water than in air. _____.
240. State the most important rule in scuba diving.
241. What are five uses for a surface float?
242. What do you do to avoid entanglement in a line connected to a surface float?
243. Why should you use a dive flag when diving?
244. How close should you stay to a dive flag and how far should boats, skiers and water craft stay away if there are no local laws gov. these distances?
245. You might need to take a diving light during the day for what do reasons?
246. What should you do for a diver suspected of breathing contaminated air?
247. How do you prevent nitrogen narcosis?
248. What condition occurs when a diver exceeds established depth and time limits producing bubbles in the body during and following ascent?
249. What is the primary use of dive tables and dive computers?
250. What are meant be no decompression/no-stop diving and decompression diving?
251. What is a "no decompression limit"?
252. What is bottom time?
253. What is the maximum depth limit for all recreational diving?
254. What is a pressure group?
255. What is a surface interval?
Answers:1. 1) temperature, 2) visibility, 3) water movement, 4) bottom composition, 5) aquatic life, and 6) sunlight
2. An abrupt change to a layer of colder water
3. Going deeper.
4. Push you parallel to the shore.
5. Foamy water, strong flow away from shore, and disruption of waves.
6. Swim parallel to shore.
7. Excellent.
8. Causing currents and affecting visibility.
9. High tide.
10. 1) Establish ample buoyancy, 2) Calm diver, 3) Help diver reestablish breathing control, 4) Assist diver back to short or boat
11. If you are on a boat, throw them something with a rope on it so you can pull them aboard. If they aren’t breathing, perform CPR, and if you don’t know it, yell for help or call someone.
12. checking for breathing, and begin rescue breaths if not breathing.
13. bring the diver to the surface and check for breathing
14. Do the same as if the diver looses consciousness, unless if they don’t loose consciousness, keep them on their side
15. Slowly, if you go too quickly then you may lose control of your buoyancy
16. push off masks and spit out regulators
17. Establish positive buoyancy and ask for help.
18. Bathroom on a boat
19. Front of the boat
20. Try your alternate site, and if it is bad, cancel the dive
21. passive, active
22. diver carelessness
23. Watch it, leave the area calmly
24. To help assure future populations of game animals
25. 1) wear an exposure suit and gloves, 2) what where you put your hands, feet and knees, 3) don’t touch anything you don’t recognize
26. 1) Remain neutrally buoyant, 2) Swim with your feet up off the bottom
27. 1) silt, 2) mud, 3) sand, 4) coral, 5) vegetation, 6) rock
28. waves, wind, tides
29. swimming against the current
30. the approximate distance you can see horizontally
31. 1) water movement, 2) suspended particles, 3) bottom composition
32. 1) buddy separation, 2) disorientation, 3) loss of direction
33. line, other reference
34. cooler
35. Choose your exposure protection based on the temperature at depth
36. an object neither sinks nor floats
37. an object floats
38. an object sinks
39. salt water
40. more
41. Never hold your breath
42. Your lungs could over-expand, which causes paralysis or death
43. It lets you control where you are in the water
44. BCD and lead weights
45. When you exhale and there is less air in your lungs, you become less buoyant.
46. lungs, sinuses, ears
47. mask, wet or dry suit
48. Because the rest of your body is mostly liquid, but air changes volume with pressure changes.
49. Because water weighs more than air.
50. Water pressure increases as you go deeper and decreases when you come back up.
51. When you double the pressure you halve the volume. When you triple the pressure you have one third of the volume.
52. Exhale into it through your nose
53. Keeping the air space pressure equal to the water pressure outside to avoid discomfort.
54. a squeeze
55. pinch your nose and blow gently with your mouth closed, swallow, wiggle your jaw from side to side
56. Discontinue (stop) the dive
57. Ascend until the discomfort goes away, equalize and continue a slow descent.
58. practicality, safety and fun
59. larger and/or closer
60. Because water absorbs light
61. seem to come from directly overhead
62. 20
63. end the dive immediately, dry off and seek warmth
64. When your body cools so much it can’t function normally.
65. slowly and smoothly, relaxed
66. slowly and deeply
67. A way to avoid accidentally getting water into your throat
68. 1) weight belt, 2) integrated weight system
69. quick release
70. You will float at eye level with an empty BCD and holding a normal breath
71. A second stage you may use to ascend while breathing normally
72. So it can be located easily
73. A tool
74. A weapon
75. total pressure exerted on a diver. atmospheric + gauge
76. time when a diver leaves the surface in descent until begins a rest stop or surfaces
77. surrounding pressure
78. the force of buoyancy acting on an object is equal to the weight of water displaced
79. embolism from an air bubble blocking arterial circulation
80. injury from pressure
81. decompression illness
82. indicate time or direction
83. on a submersible pressure gauge, to relieve pressure in the housing in case of a high-pressure leak
84. type of depth gauge that uses a thin metal tube in a spiral. movement of the coil linked to a needle indicates pressure exerted on the gauge
85. for any gas at constant temp, volume varies inversely with absolute pressure, density varies directly
86. thin metal disk, with over pressure the disk will burst, and the tank will went to avoid an explosion
87. type of depth gauge made up of a hollow, air filled, transparent plastic tube sealed at one end and placed around a circular dial, position of air-water interface changes with pressure
88. room like opening in a natural formation where light from the surface can be seen
89. openings with no light
90. certification card
91. minimum depth a diver cannot rise above without the risk of DCS
92. fish poisoning from a fish eating a certain species of algae
93. scuba system that eliminates carbon dioxide from exhaled breath and resupplies oxygen without allowing gases to escape from the system
94. mathematical models used to estimate gas absorption and elimination by various areas of the body
95. series of headings that lead to a destination
96. direction set on a compass
97. display unit that combines several instruments. attaches to the high pressure hose coming from the regulator first stage
98. address possible changes that may occur in a dive
99. area of the body that control how long a diver can stay at a given depth. made from how quickly gas diffuses from that compartment
100. states the total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is the sum of the pressures that would be exerted by each gas if it was present alone and occupied the total volume
101. DCI. neurological symptoms on surfacing. the bends
102. precautionary stops made during an ascent in order to reduce risk of DCI
103. removing film of oil on goggles
104. threaded outlet for a scuba tank valve that has a recessed o-ring seal and withstands higher pressures
105. diagrams to plan a dive by plotting time and depth
106. evaluation to learn buoyancy control. weighted properly, a full inhalation will raise the shoulders while fin tips remain on the bottom. exhaling will drop shoulders
107. compensating downward current when wind blows along a coast with a steep drop off near shore
108. speed of the current
109. thin membrane separates ear canal from middle ear and transmits vibrations to inner ear via small bones
110. flow of water away from an area due to low tide
111. swirling currents from non linear water flow
112. blockage of circulation
113. required delay in ascent if the actual or total bottom time exceeds the no decompression stop limit for a dive
114. process of keeping the pressure inside an air space in or around the body equal to the ambient pressure
115. part of the ear that allows equalization of the middle ear
116. type of wet suit where leg material extends to chest with shoulder straps
117. area where waves are created
118. the distance wind travels unobstructed
119. method of slowing an uncontrolled ascent by arching the back, extending the arms and legs, and positioning the fins so the are parallel to the surface
120. flow due to high tide
121. most common. up and down
122. kelp leaves
123. any gas at a constant volume, pressure varies directly with absolute temperature
124. large circulating currents. clockwise in northern. CC in southern hemisphere.
125. time for a tissue to accumulate half of the gas it can hold at a given pressure
126. high core temperature and dehydration
127. body’s regulating temperature ability shuts down
128. the amount of gas that dissolves in a liquid at a given temp is directly proportional to the partial pressure of that gas
129. rapid and shallow breathing, doesn’t allow you to expel carbon dioxide
130. gas diffusion into a liquid
131. one piece
132. cylinder valve designed to maintain a reserve of air to permit normal ascent.
133. simple on - off. CC to open
134. reference line on a compass that indicates direction
135. lung injury where air is present in the tissues in the middle of the chest
136. detrimental effect caused by increased pressure of nitrogen at a depth of about 100 ft
137. nitrogen and oxygen mixture with higher percentage of oxygen than air. reduces the effects of nitrogen at depth
138. max time a diver can stay at a given depth
139. extra second stage
140. scuba system that permits a diver to breath compressed air from a pressurized cylinder and exhausts the gases into the water. safest and most popular
141. maintain neutral buoyancy by keeping the BC inflator-deflator valve open while holding the valve in a special way
142. gas diffusing out of a liquid. diffusing of nitrogen absorbed under pressure
143. water circulation from wind that moves oxygenated water to about 60 ft - spring diving conditions
144. circulation in a tissue
145. lung injury where air is trapped in the lungs
146. back up tank with its own regulator
147. openings in the first stage of a regulator. one for high pressure air measurement with an SPG. others for low pressure
148. lung injury caused by pressure
149. letter that designates the amount of nitrogen in a divers body
150. nitrogen that remains within the past 12 hours
151. amount of time added to actual bottom time of a repetitive dive to determine the totale bottom time. compensates for residual nitrogen
152. precautionary decompression stop during ascent
153. discomfort that occurs when the pressure in the middle ear is above normal during ascent due to blockage of the eustachian tube
154. narrow strong current that moves away from shore as a result of water flowing back to sea through a narrow opening in an underwater obstruction
155. deep to shallow to deep
156. laying on your side
157. fish poisoning from not chilling
158. self contained underwater breathing apparatus
159. direction assumed by a current
160. underwater cavity from the ground collapsing
161. an opening where water is channeled from a sink back to the system
162. holding breath between breaths
163. between flow and ebb with minimal water movement
164. backup tank with a special regulator integrated directly into the valve. smaller than a pony
165. dive with short actual bottom time
166. highest tides
167. condition that occurs when the pressure on the outside of an airspace is greater than the inside pressure. may cause pain
168. two parts of a scuba regulator for pressure reduction
169. tide neither falls or rises
170. long strand of kelp
171. lung injury in which air is present in the tissues under the skin. swells the tissue around the neck
172. measures scuba cylinder pressure
173. breaking waves that occur when the water withing the eave moves forward and gives up its energy. when the depth is about the same as the wave height
174. the elapsed time from when a divers surfaces to the time the diver begins a repetitive dive
175. back and forth subsurface motion of water within waves when waves enter shallow water
176. rounded, undulating forms that waves take as they move away from the area they were created
177. fish poisoning from exotic fish
178. actual bottom time + residual nitrogen time
179. opening the eustachian tubes by blocking the nostrils, closing the mouth, and swallowing
180. condition when pressure prevents the eustachian tube from opening. overcome by ascending to reduce pressure
181. bottom of a wave. crest is the top
182. gigantic seismic waves caused by underwater earthquake
183. unclear water from stirred up sediment
184. opening the euastchian tubes by blocking the nostrils, closing the mouth, and gently trying to exhale
185. portion of the cylinder valve that closes and stops the flow of air
186. narrowing of blood vessels
187. subjective feeling of movement perceived as a spinning sensation
188. distance from crest to trough
189. time for 2 waves to pass a certain point
190. distance between waves
191. FALSE
192. it lets you control where you are in the water
193. saltwater, freshwater
194. TRUE
195. a condition that causes pain and discomfort when the pressure group inside an air space of your body is less then the pressure group outside an airspace
196. plug your nose and blow out, swallow and wiggle the jaw, and do both
197. every few feet before discomfort
198. FALSE
199. a condition that occurs when expanding air cannot escape from a body air space during ascent, causing pain ad comfort
200. stop or slow descent, and give the trapped air time to work its way out
201. so you can equalize it
202. never let the cylinder empty completely
203. ease of breathing
204. magnified, larger, closer
205. sound
206. faster
207. get out of the water, change clothes, and get warm, and dry off
208. streamline yourself and your equipment, avoid jerky movements, move slowly, pace yourself, and have proper weight
209. consistently slow and deep
210. move slowly and avoid extended strenuous activity, and know your limits
211. stop all activity, breathe deeply, and rest
212. establish buoyancy and stop moving
213. use your tongue as a splash guard, exhale slowly, and inhale cautiously
214. it can constrict blood flow through the head and can cause light headiness
215. a quick release mechanism
216. conspicuously marked
217. to your chest
218. TRUE
219. float at eye level with an empty bdc and holding a normal breath
220. BWRAF: bcd, weights, releases, air, final okay
221. weather, water movement, and suspended particles
222. use an accurat depth gauge, refer to it often, and use a line for ascents and descents
223. fill you bcd, drop your weights, signal for help, and wait for the boat to pick you up
224. begin you dive against the current
225. defensive
226. watch it and leave the area calmly on the bottom if it remains or appears aggressive
227. TRUE
228. seaward
229. establish buoyancy, dive within your limits, and relax while you dive
230. FALSE
231. when your buddy is far away and you are deeper then 30 feet
232. when your buddy is far away and you are no deeper than 30 feet
233. when your buddy is near
234. stop think and work yourself out of it
235. FALSE
236. TRUE
237. FALSE
238. saltwater, freshwater
239. TRUE
240. Never hold your breathe.
241. Resting, Marking a dive site, Assisting another diver, Carrying things, Supporting a dive flag
242. Carry the line on a reel or line caddy to avoid entanglement
243. For safety when boat traffic is around, you need to use a dive flag
244. Boats must stay 30/60 meters away from flag.
245. Dive lights are handy to restore color to what you are looking at, at deep depths.
246. End the dive immediately, save bad air for analysis.
247. Simply avoid deep dives
248. Decompression Sickness
249. To track the theoretical nitrogen you have in your body before, during and after diving.
250. You’ll always plan your dives so that you can always ascend directly to the surface without stopping, yet without significant risk of decompression sickness.
251. This is the absolute deepest you would be allowed to go for a certain amount of time.
252. In repetitive diving the total time actually spent under water from beginning of descent until leaving the bottom for a direct ascent.
253. 40m/130ft.
254. A letter used on the Recreational dive planner to designate the amount of theoretical residual nitrogen in your body.
255. The Amount of time spent on the surface between two dives. It is usually recorded in hours and minutes.