Glossary of Scuba Diving Terms (P)

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 scuba glossary 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 adding new terms to our scuba glossary. 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 scuba glossary.

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P

Professional Association of Diving Instructors. PADI is one of the largest certifying agencies in the world.

The pressure of a single gas in a mixture of gases. It is measured as if that gas alone were present. (The total pressure of a gas mixture is the sum of the partial pressures of the gases within the mixture).

When an over pressurized lung tears at its surface, the expanding air leaks between the lung and the chest wall. This causes the lung to collapse either partially or entirely. The symptoms are the coughing up of frothy blood and severe chest pains.

A small tank of breathing gas with an independent regulator. This is for emergency use in the event a diver's main air supply fails.

Special dive masks for divers who require corrective lens.

The exertion of force by one surface, substance or gas on another.

A common measurement of air pressure.

A valve that allow masks to be cleared without removing the mask from the diver's face. Purge valves also allow snorkels to be cleared easily and regulators to be cleared without removing the regulator from the diver's mouth.