Scuba diving: The adventure sport that was once used as a war tactic 

Unravelling the mysteries of the deep ocean can be quite fascinating! Who wouldn't want to go scuba diving in the ocean, explore the hidden depths and meet interesting creatures? Scuba diving is one such sport that anyone from the age of 8 to 60 years can enjoy. It is also one of the safest adventure sports with health benefits! Yes, scuba diving is good for blood circulation and reducing blood pressure! 

But it wasn't always a sport or activity for pleasure. In fact, it has very humble origins dating back to ancient times. People in ancient Greece and Rome used to swim or dive while holding their breath or using makeshift breathing apparatuses such as hollow plant stems. This was frequently done during combat or while gathering food and materials from the sea. Let us learn more such lesser-known facts about this undersea sport. 

Scuba diving over the years 
Would you believe if we said that the art of breathing underwater dates back to 500 BC? The first ever form of scuba diving was when a Greek soldier dived off a ship. He breathed underwater for hours using a hollowed-out reed. Don't you think it's amazing how far we've come since then? Thanks to great minds over centuries, underwater diving has evolved tremendously. 

Over the years, many people have contributed their ideas for diving equipment. One name that you might be familiar with is Harry Houdini. Surprised? Yes, in 1921, the famous magician Harry Houdini invented a diving suit called the Houdini suit. It was inspired by his fascination with escape manoeuvres. One of his famous tricks was to get out of chained suits underwater, which gave birth to the design of a new diving suit. The modern equipment that we now use for scuba diving is based on a 1942 design by a French engineer and a Navy officer. This suit included a diving regulator that provided on-demand fresh air. It was known as the Aqua Lung. Today, the essential scuba diving gear consists of a dry suit, masks, flippers or fins, gloves, scuba tank, regulator, depth and pressure gauges, dive computer and buoyancy compensator. 

Colours change underwater during scuba diving 
Scuba diving can be truly fun once you learn the basics. As you go deeper underwater, you may notice that the colours are changing or disappearing. Yes! What causes this to happen? This mystery can be solved with a little science. Colours, you see, are simply different wavelengths of light reflected off an object. Light waves travel differently underwater, and some wavelengths are reflected out by water faster than others. Because lower energy wavelengths are absorbed first, red fades first at about 20 feet. At around 50 feet, orange vanishes! Then yellow disappears around 100 feet. Green lasts the longest and blue the shortest, making things appear bluer as you go deeper! Due to this phenomenon, water and other objects can appear in a variety of colours underwater. Water is certainly unique, isn't it? And that’s why when you are diving, everything changes!  

The world record of the deepest scuba dive  
Ahmed Gabr, an ex-army officer from Egypt, set the world record for the deepest dive (332m) in 2014. To put it another way, the depth is roughly equivalent to 10 NBA basketball courts stacked vertically! Ahmed was able to pull off this incredible feat with the assistance of a team of 24 trainers and divers. He also had medical and communication support. He put in four years of mental and physical training to make this incredible record! However, there was another reason behind his drive to dive. Ahmed Gabr is also a scientist. He researched decompression issues that arise when diving to extreme depths. He used his own body to test his theories which he performed successfully. At the depth he reached, most people's lungs would have been crushed! Talk about practise what you preach!