Glossary of Scuba Diving Terms (C)

Understanding That Strange Scuba Language

Welcome to our glossary of scuba diving terms. Diving, like many sports, has its own language. Our scuba glossary is for anyone interested in understanding the scuba diving definitions, scuba diving terms or scuba slang found in this strange scuba communication that divers use.

Our glossary of scuba diving terms is easy to use. Just click on the letter that corresponds to the first letter of the word that you are looking for. All the words that begin with that letter will be displayed.

We will be constantly updating our glossary of scuba diving terms. If you think we have missed a term or you can not find the scuba diving information you are looking for, please let us know. We will add it and the best definition we can find to our glossary of scuba diving terms.

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C

Cerebral arterial gas embolism. See Arterial Gas Embolism.

A small tube inside the depth gauge that uses Boyle's law to determine depth

Carbon Dioxide

CO2; an odorless, tasteless gas that is a byproduct of our metabolism. It makes up about 4 percent of the exhaled air excreted by the lungs. The level of CO2 in the blood regulates the respiration process.

Problems resulting from buildup of CO2 in the blood. Symptoms may range from headache and shortness of breath, to sudden blackout.

CO is an odorless, tasteless and highly poisonous gas brought about by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon fuels.

CO bonds with hemoglobin and prevents blood cells from carrying oxygen. This causes oxygen deprivation in the tissues and can even cause death.

Illness from inhaling excess CO. Symptoms may range from headache to unconsciousness and death.

This type of diving requires much specialized training and equipment. It involves diving into overhead environments like caves, abandoned mines or quarries and natural springs or sinkholes where the exit is not always visible. "Overhead environment" means a structure exists which prevents the diver from making a direct vertical ascent to the surface.

Metric unit for temperature. C=(F-32) x .556

A card that shows a diver has achieved a certain level of dive training with a recognized training agency

Cubic foot. A measurement of volume. Scuba cylinders are manufactured in standard sizes, such as 30, 50, 72 and 80 cf.

A given volume of gas is directly proportional to absolute temperature, if the pressure is constant.

A Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) is designed to allow divers to re-use exhaled air by removing the CO2 and adding a supplemental of 02. In contrast to "Open Circuit", closed circuit scuba is noiseless and produces no bubbles.

The Confederation Mondiale des Activites Subaquatiques (CMAS) is the World Underwater Federation. CMAS is the international umbrella organization for diver training organizations. It was founded in Brussels on September 28, 1958. One of the founding members was the French underwater pioneer Philippe Tailliez. As such, it is one of the world's oldest scuba diving organizations.

A device that monitors nitrogen in the body during a dive though mathematical algorithms. The device allows divers to multilevel dive and extends their bottom time beyond what a dive table allows.

Invertebrates that secrete an internal, hard skeleton structure composed of calcium carbonate, which is absorbed from the surrounding water.

A massive underwater rocklike ridge or out crop created by the gradual accumulation of the skeletons of generations of coral polyps.

A protrusion on a coral reef formed by a colony of living coral polyps feeding and growing.

98.6F is the normal internal temperature of the human body. Deviation from this temperature even a few degrees could be life threatening.

An overlapping waistband with Velcro used to secure a Buoyancy Compensator snugly around the diver's waist.

A horizontal movement of water. Currents can be classified as tidal and non-tidal. Tidal currents are caused by forces of the sun and moon and are manifested in the general rise and fall occurring at regular intervals and accompanied by movement in bodies of water. Non-tidal currents include the permanent currents in the general circulatory systems of the sea as well as temporary currents arising from weather conditions. For general rules: 1 to 2 knot current is Light, 2 to 3 knot current is Mild, 3 to 4 knot is Strong and 5 knot is Very Strong for the average diver!