The Ocean – Our Most Unexplored Frontier
Many people think that space is our final frontier – and that is not entirely true.
While it is more difficult to get to outer space, we probably know more about the
various planets and environments in space than we do about what lies beneath
the surface of our oceans.
Just as in outer space, there is a whole environment, or ecosystem, under the
waters that cover 75% of our planet, with 70% of our planet being ocean waters.
Beneath those waters there really is an entirely new world -a world full of beauty
and mystery that few humans have the opportunity to experience.
But the lucky few who do have the opportunity to experience this vast under
water world are able to do so because they are scuba divers. Obviously, human
beings cannot breathe underwater, so instead, they rely on a portable respiratory
system that is self-contained.
In fact, that is what the word Scuba means: Self Contained Underwater Breathing
Apparatus. This apparatus allows human beings to dive to depths that were once
unthinkable, and to stay under the water for long periods of time, depending on
how full the air tank is. Different mixtures of gasses are used in the air tank,
depending on the length and depth of the planned dive.