Diving Theory & Safety Flashcards
7 cards from real PADI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Diving Theory & Safety flashcards as text
What is the purpose of an alternate air source (octopus) in recreational diving?
Answer: To supply air to a buddy who has run out of breathing gas
The alternate air source (octopus) allows an out-of-air diver to breathe from their buddy's tank during a controlled ascent.
When equalizing ear pressure during descent, a diver should:
Answer: Equalize early and often before discomfort occurs
Equalizing early and frequently during descent prevents barotrauma by keeping the eustachian tubes open before pressure builds.
A diver at 20 meters depth on air is breathing at what absolute pressure?
Answer: 3 ATA
Absolute pressure = surface pressure + water pressure = 1 ATA + (20m/10m per ATA) = 3 ATA.
What does a BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) primarily help a diver achieve?
Answer: Neutral buoyancy at depth and positive buoyancy at surface
The BCD allows divers to achieve neutral buoyancy underwater for effortless hovering and positive buoyancy at the surface for resting.
If a diver surfaces with a headache, fatigue, and cherry-red skin coloration after filling tanks from a vehicle exhaust source, the cause is likely:
Answer: Carbon monoxide poisoning
Cherry-red skin, headache, and fatigue are classic signs of carbon monoxide poisoning from contaminated breathing gas.
What is the significance of the 'surface interval' between dives?
Answer: It allows residual nitrogen to off-gas and reduces DCS risk on subsequent dives
Surface intervals allow dissolved nitrogen to off-gas, reducing the residual nitrogen load before the next dive and lowering DCS risk.
Which of the following is a contraindication to scuba diving?
Answer: Spontaneous pneumothorax history
A history of spontaneous pneumothorax is a contraindication because the same mechanism can cause pulmonary barotrauma during ascent.