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Scuba diving is a popular water sport, enjoyed by people in many areas. It allows divers to enter a different world, one filled with coral reefs, colorful fish, and vibrant sea plants. It is also has the potential to be very dangerous, and those diving for the first time should attend classes and be accompanied by a professional for their first few dives. There are dive centers located in many cities where people can learn to dive. Diver training includes safety lessons on decompression (letting your body adjust to the water pressure as you rise back to the surface), equipment (air tanks, breathing regulators, face masks, etc.), and watching out for harmful creatures.
Of course, being able to observe sea life up close is one of the main reasons people learn to scuba dive. It is a popular tourist attraction in places like Hawaii and the islands in the Caribbean Sea, where the water is warm and clear. Divers can see schools of tropical fish of all sizes, as well as rays and even sharks. It is dangerous creatures like these last two that scuba divers have to be careful of. Even jellyfish, which appear relatively harmless, can seriously injure a person with their venom. But with a few precautions, these are not serious obstacles to scuba diving.
Many popular dive areas are free of dangerous animals, and there are systems in place to detect and warn people of sharks. Besides, most species prefer open water, and some of the best spots to dive are in shallower water. This is where you find the most impressive coral reefs and the sea life they support. Coral reefs themselves are alive, made up of living coral and the skeletons of dead coral. They create an ideal environment for many types of sea plants, with many growing out of the coral. They are also therefore a good feeding ground for many types of fish, which swim in schools around reefs.
Scuba diving allows people to enter this world and observe without disturbing the inhabitants. Especially in popular areas, the fish get so used to divers that you can sometimes swim in their schools. Certified diving trainers will often take new divers to shallow reefs at first, so they can get used to being in the water and become comfortable with their equipment. Once divers are more comfortable, they might be taken on deeper water dives or to more exotic locations. Some travel agencies offer scuba diving packages that include airfare, accommodations, and of course dives.
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