Open Water Diver Flashcards

What is the recommended maximum depth limit for PADI Open Water Divers?

Answer: 40 meters (130 feet)

PADI Open Water Divers are certified to dive to a maximum depth of 40 meters (130 feet), though recreational diving recommendations suggest staying shallower.

When ascending from a dive, what is the maximum recommended ascent rate according to PADI?

Answer: 9 meters (30 feet) per minute

PADI recommends ascending no faster than 9 meters (30 feet) per minute to reduce the risk of decompression sickness.

Which condition requires a diver to make a safety stop at 5 meters (15 feet) for 3 minutes?

Answer: Dives to 18 meters (60 feet) or deeper, or when NDL is close to being exceeded

Safety stops are recommended after dives to 18 meters or deeper, or when the no-decompression limit has been closely approached.

What does the term 'no-decompression limit' (NDL) mean?

Answer: The maximum time you can spend at a given depth and still ascend directly to the surface

The NDL is the maximum bottom time at a given depth that allows a direct ascent to the surface without required decompression stops.

What is the primary purpose of a dive flag (diver-down flag)?

Answer: To warn surface vessels that divers are below and to keep clear

A dive flag alerts boat operators that divers are in the water below and that they should stay well clear of the area.

If you are caught in a current while diving, what is the recommended technique to return to your entry point?

Answer: Swim perpendicular to the current to escape it, then return

Swimming perpendicular to a current allows you to exit its flow, conserving energy rather than fighting it directly.

Which piece of equipment is used to control buoyancy and keep a diver neutrally buoyant at depth?

Answer: BCD (Buoyancy Control Device)

The BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) is inflated or deflated to achieve neutral buoyancy at any depth.