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People everywhere are attracted to the beauty of the underwater environment, especially now that humans can go to a hundred feet below the surface with the help of scuba diving gear. If you're looking for an ultimate adventure then scuba diving may be your ticket.

However, before you excitedly jump in bear in mind that scuba diving poses some hazards.  We have briefly covered these but let’s dig in and explore them further.

The most common of these are pressure related injuries, such as decompression sickness or air embolism. To avoid these injuries, you must be able to calculate how long you can safely stay underwater. You also need to know the proper descent and ascent rates, or else you might find yourself fatally inflicted with these pressure related illnesses.

Most aquatic animals don't pose any risks to divers. In fact, a diver may be a threat to them. For example, coral could be killed by just one touch. However, there are also a few marine life forms that may injure a diver. The most common include jellyfishes, stinging corals, fire corals, and sea urchins. Sharks and poisonous sea animals can also injure divers, but very rarely. Generally, animals attack humans only when they are provoked. Although, there have been recorded unprovoked shark attacks, the number is still few. Statistics show that your odds of being attacked by one of these dangerous aquatic animals are 1 in 12 million. You’re more likely to be attacked by a dog or a snake when you’re above water. Scuba diving, being a visual underwater experience, doesn't include altering the underwater habitat. Divers shouldn't touch anything, be it a plant, animal or an object underwater. Usually, the best scuba diving location is where there's plentiful marine life. Of course, it's an added advantage for divers if the water is clear and the temperature warm. That reveals the aquatic beauty clearly and is a better adjustment to the underwater temperature. We will look at specific diving locations in an upcoming chapter, but briefly the most popular diving destination is the Caribbean. The Caribbean coral reefs are incredibly colorful and abound with marine life. Different types of fish find shelter among these coral reefs. Most parts of the Caribbean region have been designated to be marine sanctuaries thus fishing and other human activities that could damage the marine life are prohibited. Shipwreck sites are usually considered off limits as well. Aside from providing valuable treasure and clues to our rich history, these sunken ships also provide aquatic animals an ideal nesting or breeding area. These ships not only add beauty to the ocean floors, they also have some utilitarian purposes for aquatic animals that live in deep places where resources are very scarce. It's been said that there are about 75,000 sunken ships in the North America area alone. These locations also attract thousands of divers from around the world. Some hoped to find buried treasures while others seek fame for having discovered some important historical links. Still, several dive for recreation purposes just to enjoy what the underwater environment has to offer. Other protected areas that are also famous dive destinations are the South Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The government and environment organizations try to conserve the beauty of the habitat of these aquatic animals and plants. Although these destinations are open for viewing and recreational diving, enough marine police are assigned to ensure that the divers abide by the conservation rules and regulations. It's appropriate to raise these marine conservation issues, especially now with our advanced technology. Technology advancements mean a lesser concern for the environment. Just take a look at what’s above sea level. There are high-rise buildings and large factories that contribute to pollution. Currently, mankind is slowly able to invade the depths of the ocean, as well. In fact, submersibles now allow humans to go into the deepest parts of the oceans. Marine biologists, geologists, archaeologists and scientists are using such technology to enable them to stay in the ocean for long periods of time so they can learn more in their fields of study. Who knows what the near future has in store for deep water exploration?

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