Diver - what kind of profession. Diving clothes and equipment

Not so long ago, the new-fangled word "diving" appeared in our lexicon - scuba diving. If earlier scuba diving was associated among the population with diving at the bottom of reservoirs - a profession that was not very well paid and not very pleasant, now diving is one of the most popular entertainment, prestigious and well-paid professions.

Diving: profession or entertainment

A diver is not only a vocation, but also no less interesting, but at the same time, a very difficult profession. Scuba Diving

the bottom of the sea has become commonplace for tourists visiting tropical and subtropical countries - Egypt, India, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and others. But diving is not only an excellent opportunity to see with your own eyes the amazing underwater world, but also a good way to make money on your hobby. As for the tourism sector of popular destinations, here the dive instructor is just a gold mine, especially if you speak 2-3 foreign languages. The income of a diving instructor directly depends on the country, the skills, the "untwisted" company, knowledge of languages ​​and other factors. So, in Egypt, a dive instructor on average earns 1-2 thousand dollars. But it should be borne in mind that the instructor may have irregular working hours and a rather large load.

Industrial diving

In addition to the entertainment industry, there is also industrial diving. This is not at all true.

fun and exciting how to dive in the tropical seas for bright fish and swim among corals with pretty tourists. The work of an industrial diver is associated with a number of difficulties, but it is quite well paid. It consists in raising sunken ships, repair of underwater equipment, cleaning work at the bottom of reservoirs and other nuances.

Types of Industrial Diving

Divers, whose photos can often be found on the Internet or billboards, are usually instructors engaged in the field of entertainment. But resort diving clubs for everyone, of course, is not enough. Therefore, it will be useful to know in what other areas submariners may be engaged. So,

• scientific diving (underwater archeology and marine biology are incredibly interesting and exciting sciences, but their financing leaves much to be desired);
• military diving (ship repair, underwater engineering in the military-industrial complex, etc.);
• police diving (search for evidence, investigation, recovery of victims);
• technical diving (civil engineering and repair work in the construction of bridges, oil platforms, cleaning the bottom of reservoirs, etc.).

Diving suit

As in any profession, divers have their own dress code. The diver’s clothing is called a wetsuit. The choice of a wetsuit should be approached very responsibly, as this is your second skin. Your comfort, safety, and sometimes even life depend on how correctly you choose a wetsuit. Modern wetsuit

should protect you from cold water, dangerous inhabitants of the seas, sharp corals, contact with harsh chemicals, etc.

Diver equipment

In addition to high-quality wetsuits, you will need a considerable amount of special equipment. First of all, these are flippers - best of all, not too long so that they do not interfere with you, with a closed boot. Then select the mask. The mask should fit as tightly as possible to the face, not press on the nose and do not let air through. It is best to test it in water. When choosing a tube, it is better to give preference to the so-called "dry" tubes having a valve that prevents the reverse flow of water. The mouthpiece is also a necessary attribute for diving. It protects the cheekbones from overvoltage. It is best to choose an anatomical mouthpiece. It is also important to choose the right regulator - a part that regulates air pressure. Ideally, it should be two-stage. Another necessary element of equipment is the buoyancy compensator. It exists in two versions - a wing (for professionals) and a vest (for fans). In general, a full diver suit will cost you from 50 thousand rubles, depending on your needs and the quality of the equipment.

Diver Insurance

It's no secret that a diver is, first and foremost, a risk. A huge number of divers around the world are injured daily due to decompression or attack by the most dangerous marine predators. Less often, the cause of injury can be the failure of poor-quality equipment or the diver's unprofessionalism. In any case, it is advisable to take out insurance, especially since abroad insurance of divers is an obligatory procedure. Optimally, the insurance policy should provide a guarantee of a full range of services: the presence of medical specialists, contracts with hyperbaric centers, life insurance, possible disability, and even damage and loss of equipment. Note that upon the occurrence of an insured event, the cost of the service justifies itself with interest!

How to become a professional diver

As we have already said, diving is an interesting, fascinating and well-paid profession. However, where to learn this skill? Where do the divers come from

the best of the best, if there is not a single university issuing a submariner's diploma? The answer is obvious! You need to enroll in diving courses. And then there are several ways. Firstly, you can choose courses in your hometown, and secondly, at a resort (the same Crimea or Sochi), or you can go to distant lands like Egypt and get training here. Each decision has its positive and negative sides. So, training at home is most often classes in the pool as part of a large group and one instructor who physically cannot give you enough time. In addition, the pool can never be compared with an open pond. The cost of such classes will be an order of magnitude lower than the "resort", but in the end you will receive a "defective" certificate, which will have to be confirmed in an open reservoir.

As for foreign resorts - it is quite expensive, but in the end you get a full certificate of international level. However, in this case, there are drawbacks - the courses most often take place in broken English, and you may simply not understand many of the nuances. In addition, keep in mind that diving training is not just 2-3 times diving and viewing charming fish in the Red Sea, it is also studying theoretical information. You will be given a textbook in poor English with 200-300 pages of obscure, but very important text. Another drawback is the lack of suitable dive sites - no matter how strange it may sound. In the Red Sea there is a lot of shallow water, where the corals at the bottom will interfere with you, and in suitable places there is again a ban on damage to the local underwater flora (and a huge fine!), Plus there is always the danger of attack by marine predators.

But training in domestic resorts, perhaps, is the very golden mean. The cost of the courses is quite reasonable, the Black Sea is well suited for practicing all the necessary skills, there are no dangerous marine animals, the instructor conducts classes in your native language, and as a result you will receive a certificate that does not differ from the Egyptian counterpart. By the way, one of the best places for diving training is Cape Tarkhankut of the Crimean peninsula.

Advantages of the diver profession:

• If you are lucky enough to be an instructor in a diving center in Egypt - you will adore your work!
• Decent salary.
• Prestige and originality of the profession.
• Good physical form.

Disadvantages of the profession:

• The need to work in all weather conditions.
• Injury hazard (high pressure at great depths, marine predators, the risk of hypothermia, equipment failure, sometimes - the need to work with toxic waste - industrial diving).
• High cost of equipment.

The nuances of the profession

Traditionally, diving is considered a male profession, because it requires physical strength, endurance, a high concentration of attention and courage. However, female divers have been more and more common in recent years. This is most likely due to the change of gender roles in modern society.

Diving should be approached as responsibly as parachuting, since decompression sickness claimed no less human lives than accidents in other, at first glance, more traumatic sports.

A diver is, first of all, an athlete. But this sport requires considerable physical effort, perseverance and zeal. You have not only a fascinating dive into the deep sea, but also a long study of the theoretical foundations of diving.

Depending on the specialization, the diver should have a number of additional skills: foreign languages ​​for the diving instructor in the field of tourism, technical skills for gas welding (underwater construction, ship repair, etc.), deep scientific knowledge (during research), basic knowledge medical care (during rescue operations), etc.

The diver is, perhaps, one of the professions, covered with a fleur of romance, which is absolutely

does not fit with reality. Regardless of whether you will dive into the tropical seas with a lovely underwater world or repair oil platforms in the Far North, for all divers there is a certain set of personal qualities that determine professional suitability. This is a calm temperament, poise, the ability to quickly make adequate decisions in an unexpected situation, a high concentration of attention, scrupulous observance of safety rules, responsibility. Do not forget that diving has its own age restrictions - the retirement age comes, on average, at 45-50 years. And the divers whose photos you see on numerous advertisements are just a beautiful picture …