> How dangerous is scuba diving in shallow waters, say less than 15ft/5meters?
Bear in mind that the rate of change in pressure is higher at shallow depths. At the surface pressure is 1 atmosphere, it will be 2atm at ~33ft, 3atm at ~66ft and so on. This means that if you have a momentary loss of buoyance control and shoot up, say, 10ft, it is a much larger sudden change in pressure (i.e. more dangerous) to go from 20ft to 10ft than from 100ft to 90ft. So having expert buoyancy control is actually more important at shallower depths.
It just takes practice, but it is a risk for new divers who go in thinking they'll just stay shallow but do so without having mastered boyancy yet.
For shallow dives I use nitrox at 36% oxygen to reduce nitrogen absorption. It's easy to get nitrox certified after completing basic & advanced training so I'd recommend it if shallow diving is a primary goal.
Although at 15ft or less I generally just snorkel if the visibility is any good. At such depths you can see the same by snorkeling, with less risk and hassle.
Bear in mind that the rate of change in pressure is higher at shallow depths. At the surface pressure is 1 atmosphere, it will be 2atm at ~33ft, 3atm at ~66ft and so on. This means that if you have a momentary loss of buoyance control and shoot up, say, 10ft, it is a much larger sudden change in pressure (i.e. more dangerous) to go from 20ft to 10ft than from 100ft to 90ft. So having expert buoyancy control is actually more important at shallower depths.
It just takes practice, but it is a risk for new divers who go in thinking they'll just stay shallow but do so without having mastered boyancy yet.
For shallow dives I use nitrox at 36% oxygen to reduce nitrogen absorption. It's easy to get nitrox certified after completing basic & advanced training so I'd recommend it if shallow diving is a primary goal.
Although at 15ft or less I generally just snorkel if the visibility is any good. At such depths you can see the same by snorkeling, with less risk and hassle.