Scuba Weird: 9 Amazing (Quirky) Scuba Diving Facts You Never Knew

There’s something enticing about the unknown world of the deep open ocean. 70% of our planet is covered by oceans, but we still have so much left to learn about what exists below the surface.

It’s no surprise that there are millions of people around the world who have gotten scuba-certified. We’ve put together a few scuba diving facts that will “wet” your appetite for diving!

Weird Scuba Diving Facts

From scuba history to global diving records, these facts will have you diving deeper into one of the most popular sports in the world.

Why Is It Called Scuba Diving?

The name scuba comes from the acronym SCUBA. It stands for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. Scuba diving got its name when it was used by the U.S. Army during the Second World War for underwater tactics.

Who Created the First Scuba Technology?

Modern scuba divers owe their favorite sport to Jacques Cousteau. He made history in 1943 by creating the first successful scuba mechanism, which he called an aqualung. He continued diving until he was in his mid-80’s.

Shouldn’t Divers Be Afraid of Sharks?

Actually, sharks should be scared of humans! Every year, less than 15 people in the whole world are killed by sharks. Meanwhile, tens of millions of sharks are killed by humans every year.

You should actually be more scared of getting hit in the head by a falling coconut since that kills over 100 people per year.

So What Are the Dangers of Scuba Diving?

The changes in pressure that your body goes through when you dive can take a toll. Decompression sickness happens when you come up from a dive too quickly and can cause dizziness or pain in various parts of the body.

If untreated, a diver can die or suffer from a permanent disability. It’s important to take safety precautions, like having scuba tags with emergency contact and medical information in case of a diving accident.

What’s the Most Common Scuba Diving Injury?

The answer might surprise you: a broken toe. Blame it on the heavy oxygen tanks and the slippery surfaces people dive from.

Do Things Look Different down There?

The deeper you dive, the less light reaches. This means fewer colors on the color spectrum are visible.

If you had a cut below 30 feet, you wouldn’t see your blood in its usual red color. It would look either dark green or blue, depending on how deep you are. Eventually, if you got deep enough, the water would absorb so much light that your blood would look black.

How Well Can You Hear During a Dive?

Sound travels extremely fast underwater compared to in the air. When we’re on land, it’s fairly easy to figure out which direction sounds are coming from. But underwater, it’s nearly impossible for divers to pinpoint where sounds come from.

What’s the Deepest Dive in History?

The Mariana Trench is the deepest spot any humans have ever visited under water. In small submarines, only three men have ever gotten there, nearly 7 miles deep.

What’s a Famous Shipwreck?

When researching the famous shipwreck of the Titanic, movie director James Cameron made 33 visits to the wreckage. He spent over 400 hours in total on his dives to the Titanic.

Dive Deeper

With these cool scuba diving facts in mind, it’s no wonder the sport is so popular. As long as you do it safely, scuba diving is one of the best ways to get a glimpse into the magical fathoms below.

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