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DictionaryscubaUnderwater diving
noun / adjective

scuba

SKOO-buh/skˈubʌ/

Underwater breathing equipment carried by the diver.

Scuba lets divers breathe underwater without returning to the surface.

An underwater side view of a swimmer using a clearly visible back-mounted air cylinder, hose and mouth regulator, with exhaled bubbles emphasizing the breathing equipment.
Etymology
scEnglishindependent of external supply
+uEnglishbeneath the water
+bEnglishrespiration
+aEnglishequipment

Scuba compresses “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus” into a word. The name highlights the equipment’s defining feature: it provides a diver with an independent breathing supply underwater.

In context

LUNA Dive School0:54
when jacques cousteau the famous scuba diver the guy that made scuba diving what it is invented a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus which is what scuba stands for in 1942
How do scuba divers talk underwater? Scuba Sign Language!

More examples

  • The instructor checks our scuba equipment before each dive.
  • She rents scuba gear for her weekend diving trips.
  • Divers must learn to use scuba safely.

Forms

scuba

Similar words

aqualung
Usually refers to open-circuit scuba that releases exhaled air.
rebreather
Recycles exhaled gas instead of releasing it into the water.