Diving

Scuba diving is the practice of submerging yourself, either using a breathing apparatus or holding your breath.

Diving has been practised in ancient cultures for the recovery of valuable objects and as a resource to support military campaigns. In antiquity, free diving without the support of equipment was the only possibility, except for using reeds or leather bladders for breathing.

Both commercial diving and recreational diving may have originated in Ancient Greece, as both Plato and Homer mentioned that sponges were already used for bathing. The island of Kalymnos was the main centre of sponge extraction. Using weights (skandalopetra) of up to 15 kilos to accelerate the descent, apnea divers could go down to 30 metres for up to 5 minutes to collect the sponges.

Diving using breathing apparatus is called scuba diving. Holding your breath is called free diving.