Index of underwater diving: O–R

The following index is provided as an overview of and topical guide to underwater diving: Links to articles and redirects to sections of articles which provide information on each topic are listed with a short description of the topic. When there is more than one article with information on a topic, the most relevant is usually listed, and it may be cross-linked to further information from the linked page or section.

Underwater diving can be described as all of the following:

A human activity – intentional, purposive, conscious and subjectively meaningful sequence of actions. Underwater diving is practiced as part of an occupation, or for recreation, where the practitioner submerges below the surface of the water or other liquid for a period which may range between seconds to order of a day at a time, either exposed to the ambient pressure or isolated by a pressure resistant suit, to interact with the underwater environment for pleasure, competitive sport, or as a means to reach a work site for profit or in the pursuit of knowledge, and may use no equipment at all, or a wide range of equipment which may include breathing apparatus, environmental protective clothing, aids to vision, communication, propulsion, maneuverability, buoyancy control and safety equipment, and tools for the task at hand.

There are seven sub-indexes, listed here. The tables of content should link between them automatically:

O

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Subsection: Top, Ob, Oc, Of, Om–On, Op, Or, Os, Ou, Ov, Ox

Ob

Observation bell – Closed diving bell used as an observation platform

Oc

Occupational diver – Person who dives underwater as part of their occupation
Occupational diver training – Training of people employed as underwater divers
Occupational diving – Underwater diving which is part of the job
Occupational exposure limit – Upper limit on the acceptable concentration of a hazardous substance
Occupational hazard – Hazard experienced in the workplace
Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 – South African statutory law administered by the Department of Labour
Occupational hygiene – Management of workplace health hazards
Occupational safety and health, also known as Occupational health and safety – Field concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people at work
Ocean current – Directional mass flow of oceanic water
Ocean Guardian – Personal electromagnetic field shark deterrent device
Ocean stratification – Layering of ocean water due to density differences
Oceanic Worldwide – American recreational scuba equipment manufacturer
Octopus demand valve, also known as octopus regulator – Secondary demand valve on a scuba regulator

Of

Off-board gas – Feed gas for a rebreather supplied from an external cylinder
Offshore commercial diving – Professional diving in support of the oil and gas industry
Offshore construction – Installation of structures and facilities in a marine environment
Offshore diving – Diving outside the territorial waters of a country
Offshore survey – Discipline of hydrographic survey largely concerned with the oil industry
Ohgushi's Peerless Respirator – Underwater breathing apparatus with bite-controlled gas supply valve

Om–On

Omitted decompression – Missed obligatory decompression stops
Omitted decompression procedure – Procedure to reduce risk of developing decompression sickness
On-board gas – Gas supply carried as integral part of equipment

Op

Open bell – Platform for lowering and lifting divers with an open-bottomed air space
Open circuit breathing apparatus – Breathing apparatus where the exhaled gas is lost to the environment
Open circuit demand helmet – Diving helmet which provides gas on inhalation and exhausts to the surroundings
Open ocean diving – Diving in deep water out of sight of land
Open water (diving) – Unrestricted water with free vertical access to the surface
Open Water Diver – Entry-level autonomous diver certification for recreational scuba diving
Open-water diving – Diving in unrestricted water when the diver has unresricted vertical access to the surface
OpenROV – Open-source remotely operated underwater vehicle
Operation Algeciras – Argentine plan to sabotage a British warship in Gibraltar
Operation Source – Second World War Royal Navy midget submarine attacks on heavy German warships in Norway
Operation Thunderhead – American amphibious mission during the Vietnam War
Operational Diving Division (SA Navy) – Diving component of the South African Navy's Maritime Reaction Squadron
Operational safety – The absence of unacceptable risk in the presence of the associated hazards
Operations manual – Authoritative document of how things should be done in an organisation
Optimum scuba weighting – Weighting for scuba diving which works best most of the time

Or

Orca Edge – First commercially viable personal decompression computer
Orinasal mask, also known as Oral-nasal mask – Breathing mask that covers the mouth and the nose only.

Os

Osprey Reef – Submerged atoll in the Coral Sea, northeast of Queensland, Australia

Ou

Outline of recreational dive sites – Hierarchical outline list of articles about rereational dive sites
Outline of underwater divers – Hierarchical outline list of biographical articles about underwater divers
Outline of underwater diving – List of articles related to underwater diving grouped by topical relevance
Out-of-gas emergency, also known as Out-of-air emergency – Underwater diving incident involving loss of breathing gas supply
Out-of-gas incident, also known as out-of-air incident – Underwater diving incident involving loss of breathing gas supply

Ov

Overfall – Dangerously steep and breaking seas due to currents over shallow obstructions
Overconfidence effect – Personal cognitive bias
Overhead environment, also known as overhead (diving) – Environment with a physical constraint to a direct vertical ascent to the surface
Over-learning, also known as Overlearning – Practicing newly acquired skills beyond the point of initial mastery
Overpressure valve (rebreather loop) (OPV) – Pressure relief valve on a breathing loop

Ox

Oxygen analyser – Instrument to measure partial pressure of oxygen in a gas mixture
Oxugen cell – Electro-galvanic fuel cell used for measuring oxygen concentration
Oxygen cleaning – Removal of contaminants that might cause a fire hazard in an oxygen rich environment
Oxygen compatibility – Usability in high-oxygen environments
Oxygen decompression – Use of oxygen for accelerated decompression
Oxygen enriched air – Air with added oxygen
Oxygen fraction – The molar or volumetric fraction of oxygen in a gas
Oxygen prebreathing – Procedure to reduce risk of decompression sickness before hypobaric exposure
Oxygen service – Use in contact with high partial pressures of oxygen
Oxygen therapy – Use of oxygen as a medical treatment
Oxygen toxicity – Toxic effects of breathing oxygen at high partial pressures
Oxygen toxicity seizure – Underwater diving emergency
Oxygen window, also known as oxygen window in technical diving – Physiological effect of oxygen metabolism on the total dissolved gas concentration in venous blood

P

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Subsection: Top, Pa, Pe, Ph, Pi, Pn, Po, Pr, Ps, Pu, Py

P2 – Svenskt Vrakskydd – Organization for presrvation of shipwrecks in Swedish waters

Pa

PADI Advanced Rebreather Diver – Minimum PADI certification meeting Rebreather Training Council standards
PADI AWARE – Marine conservation non-profit organization for recreational divers
PADI Delayed Surface Marker Buoy Diver – Diver trained to deploy a decompression buoy from depth
PADI Discover Scuba Diving – Introductory scuba experience without certification
PADI Low Impact Diver – Training to mitigate low entry level competence standards
PADI Open Water Diver – Entry level recreational diving certification
PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy – PADI diver with buoyancy control skill
Panic – Sudden overwhelming sensation of fear
Parachute lift bag – Open bottomed airtight bag used for underwater buoyant lifting when filled with air
Partial pressure – Pressure of a component gas in a mixture
Partial pressure blending – Gas blending based on pressure ratio of components
Partial pressure vacancy – Physiological effect of oxygen metabolism on the total dissolved gas concentration in venous blood
PASKAL – Special operations force of the Royal Malaysian Navy
Passive addition semi-closed circuit rebreather, also known as passive addition rebreather – Dumps gas from the breathing circuit and makes up volume on demand
Patent foramen ovale – A heart defect present at birth

Pe

Pearl hunting – Collecting pearls from wild molluscs
Pearling in Western Australia – Local aquaculture industry
Pelagic Pressure Systems – Manufacturer of dive computers
Pendulum rebreather – Configuration using biderctional gas flow
Pendulum search – Diver search pattern
Penetration dive – Dive under a physical barrier to a direct vertical ascent to the surface
Penetration diving – Diving under a physical barrier to a direct vertical ascent to the surface
Peress, Joseph Salim – Pioneering British diving engineer
Performance Freediving International (PI) – Freediver training agency
Perfusion – Passage of fluid through the circulatory or lymphatic system to an organ or tissue
Permanent set – Plastic deformation
Permeation – Penetration of a liquid, gas, or vapor through a solid
Permit-to-work – Work safety management system
Personal diving equipment – Underwater diving equipment worn by the diver
Personal protective equipment – Equipment designed to help protect an individual from hazards

Ph

Philippine Underwater Hockey Confederation – National sports association
Phoenix International Holdings – Marine services company for underwater operations
Physiological effects of the use of breathing apparatus
Physiological response to water immersion – Also known as the diving response and mammalian diving reflex
Physiology of decompression – The physiological basis for decompression theory and practice
Physiology of diving adaptations – Adaptations of marine vertebrates to diving
Physiology of human diving – Influences of the underwater environment on the physiology of human divers

Pi

Pillar valve – Type of scuba cylinder valve
Piccard, Auguste – Swiss physicist, inventor, and explorer
Pinch point hazard – Mechanical hazard which may damage or injure by reducing a gap
Pipeline end manifold (PLEM) – Termination of a rigid pipeline

Pn

Pneumofathometer – Instrument for measuring the depth of a diver by air pressure

Po

Polespear – Basic rubber launched underwater fishing spear
Police diving – A branch of professional diving carried out by police services
Neal W. Pollock – Canadian researcher in diving physiology and hyperbaric medicine
Pony bottle – Small independent scuba cylinder usually carried for emergency gas supply
Pool part of the 2011 Finswimming World Championships – International competition in Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
Pool part of the 2013 Finswimming World Championships – International competition in Kazan, Russia
Porpoise (rebreather) – Australian oxygen rebreather
Porpoise (scuba gear) – Australian scuba manufacturer
Powerhead – Specialized firearm used underwater that is fired when in direct contact with the target
Positive pressure breathing – Breathing gas which is at a slightly higher pressure than in the resting lung
Positive pressure breathing apparatus – Equipment in which pressure insude the facepiece is always higher than ambient pressure
Positive pressure open circuit breathing apparatus – Apparatus supplying gas at a pressure slightly above ambient
Potable water diver – Person competent to dive in potable water systems
Potable water diving – Underwater diving in potable water systems
Power inflator – Low pressure gas supply valve for buoyancy compensator
PowerSwim – Diver-powered propulsion device

Pr

Pre-dive briefing – Meeting of the dive team to discuss details before the diving operation
Pre-dive checks – Checks done prior to entering the water for a dive
Preparing the diving rebreather – Assembly and predive function tests
Pressure – Force distributed over an area
Pressure reducing regulator – Pressure control valve that maintains the downstream pressure setting
Pressure reduction regulator – Control valve that reduces and maintains the outlet pressure of a fluid
Pressure swing adsorption – Method of gases separation using selective adsorption under pressure
Pressure-tight zipper – Zip fastener capable of a seal across a gas pressure difference
Pressure transmitter (diving) – Cylinder pressure transducer with wireless transmitter linked to dive computer
Pressure vessel for human occupancy, also known as pressure vessel for human occupation – Container to be occupied by one or more people with an internal pressure different from outside
Primary demand valve – The second stage regulator that the diver normally uses
Priz-class deep-submergence rescue vehicle – Russian submersibles
Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) – Recreational diver training and certification agency
Professional Divers' Association of Australia – Trade union
Professional diver training – Training of candidates for registration as professional divers
Professional diving, also known as Occupational diving – Underwater diving where divers are paid for their work
Professional Diving Instructors Corporation (PDIC) – Recreational diver training and certification agency
Professional scuba diver – Person with skills and knowledge required for occupational scuba diving
Professional scuba diving – Occupational diving using scuba
Professional Technical and Recreational Diving – Diver certification agency
Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 – UK legislation protecting wreckage of military ships and aircraft
Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 – UK legislation on conservation of shipwrecks

Ps

Psychological fitness to dive – Psychological fitness of a person to function safely underwater under pressure
Psychosocial hazard – Occupational hazard to one's psychological well-being
Psychrometric constant – Relation of the partial pressure of water in air to temperature

Pu

Public safety diver – Diver working in the public safety sector
Public safety diver training – Training divers for public safety services
Public safety diving – Underwater work done by law enforcement, rescue and search and recovery teams
Pulmonary barotrauma – Lung over-pressure and squeeze injuries
Pulmonary circulation – Part of the circulatory system which carries blood from heart to lungs and back to the heart
Pulmonary edema of immersion – Body fluid in the lungs while immersed
Pulmonary oxygen toxicity – Lung injury due to nlong term exposure to high oxygen levels
Pulmonary volutrauma – Lung injury due to over-expansion
Purge button – Manual activation control of the demand valve

Py

Pyle stop – Type of short deep decompression stops in addition to the standard profile
Pyle, Richard – American ichthyologist and scuba diver

Q

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Quintana Roo Speleological Survey – Data repository for explored sites within the state of Quintana Roo

R

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Subsection: Ra, Re, Ri–Rn, Ro, Ru

R-2 Mala-class swimmer delivery vehicle – 2-man wet sub swimmer delivery vehicle class of the Yugoslavian, and later, Croatian, Navies

Ra

Rack operator – Member of a surface-supplied diving team who operates the breathing gas panel
Raid on Alexandria (1941) – Italian frogman raid on British warships
Raid on Algiers – Italian frogman raid on Allied ships in Algiers harbour in 1942
Rash guard, also known as Rash vest – Stretch garment for protection from abrasion, UV and stings
Ratchet reel (diving) – Type of reel used by divers to deploy and recover line
Ratio deco – Rule of thumb for estimating a decompression schedule for a given set of breathing gases
Ratio decompression – Rule of thumb for estimating a decompression schedule for a given set of breathing gases
Rawlins, John – Royal Navy officer and pioneer in the field of diving medicine

Re

Rebreather – Portable apparatus to recycle breathing gas
Rebreather ascents and descents – Loop volume and partial pressure control with changes in ambient pressure
Rebreather Association of International Divers (RAID) – Recreational diver training and certification agency
Rebreather bailout – Switching over to an alternative supply of breathing gas
Rebreather diluent flush, also known as diluent flush, or dil flush – Replacing gas in the loop with fresh diluent
Rebreather diver – Scuba diving qualification to use a rebreather
Rebreather diving – Underwater diving using self contained breathing gas recycling apparatus
Rebreather Education and Safety Association (RESA) – Organisation of rebreather manufacturers
Rebreather endurance – The duration that a rebreather can adequately supply appropriate breathing gas
Rebreather head-up display – User information interface always in view of the diver
Rebreather instructor – Person certified to train and assess rebreather divers
Rebreather loop – Ambient pressure breathing gas circuit
Rebreather scrubber – Component that removes carbon dioxide from exhaled gas
Rebreather Training Council (RTC) – Organisation to coordinate rebreather training standards
Reclaim helmet – Diving helmet that returns exhaled gas through a hose for recycling
Reclaim regulator – Diving regulator controlling flow of exhaled gas into low pressure exhaust return hose
Reclaim valve – Backpressure regulator controlled relative to ambient pressure for breathing gas recovery
Recompression (disambiguation) – Returning to a state of higher ambient pressure
Recompression chamber – A hyperbaric chamber used to treat divers suffering from decompression illness
Recovery breathing – Technique used by free divers on surfacing to reduce the risk of surface blackout.
Recovery of a convulsing diver – Procedure for rescue of a convulsing scuba diver from underwater
Recovery of an unresponsive diver – Procedure for rescue of a convulsing casualty from underwater
Recreational dive – Underwater dive done for recreational purposes
Recreational Dive Planner – PADI no-decompression dive table also available as a circular slide rule and electronic calculator
Recreational dive sites – Places that divers go to enjoy the underwater environment
Recreational diver certification – Certification as competent to dive to a specified standard
Recreational diver certification agency – Agencies which issue certification for competence in recreational diving skills
Recreational diver impact on reefs – Effects of scuba diving on the underwater environment
Recreational diver training – Training process for people who do not dive at work
Recreational diver – Person who engagesin underwater diving for entertainment
Recreational diving – Diving for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment, usually when using scuba equipment
Recreational diving fatalities – Deaths occurring during scuba dives
Recreational diving instructor – Person who trains and assesses recreational divers
Recreational diving service provider – Tangible and intangible goods and services provision for recreational diving tourism
Recreational diving tourism – Industry based on recreational diver travel
Recreational scuba certification levels – Competence represented by recreational scuba certification
Recreational scuba diving – Diving for leisure and enjoyment while using scuba equipment
Recreational trimix diver – Certification to dive with normoxic trimix with equivalent narcotic depth 80 ft or less
Reduced gradient bubble model – Decompression algorithm
Redundancy (engineering) – Duplication of critical components to increase reliability of a system
Redundant breathing gas supply – Scuba breathing gas reserved for an emergency
Redundant diving equipment – Equipment carried in case of failure of the primary equipment
Reef – Shoal of rock, coral, or other material lying beneath the surface of water
Reef Ball Foundation – Non-profit organization to promote artificial reef building
Reef Check – International NGO for reef conservation
Reef diving – Recreational diving on a reef
Reef hook – Tool used by a diver to grip a reef
Reef Life Survey (RLS) – Marine life monitoring programme based in Hobart, Tasmania
Refresher course – Training to update existing skills and knowledge
Refresher training – Training to update existing skills and knowledge
Refresher training (diving) – Checkout of skills or remedial training to bring skills back up to standard
Regulator freeze, also known as regulator freezing and regulator icing – Underwater breathing apparatus malfunction
Regulator malfunction – Failure modes for diving regulators
Regulator necklace – Safety item for scuba diving,to keep the DV near the mouth
Remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV or ROV) – A tethered underwater mobile device operated by a remote crew
REMUS (AUV) – Autonomous underwater vehicle series
Repetitive dive – Dive made while outgassing from a previous dive is incomplete
Repet-Up profile – Commercial diving multi-level dive profile
Repex, also known as repetitive exposure – Repeated exposure to potentially toxic concentrations of oxygen in breathing gas
Rescue bell – Diving bell for submarine rescue
Rescue diver – Recreational scuba certification emphasising emergency response and diver rescue
Rescue Diver – Recreational scuba certification emphasising emergency response and diver rescue
Rescue sling – Device used for lifting a casualty
Rescue tether – Equipment to facilitate a diver rescue
Rescue ventilation – Assisted breathing to support life
Reserve gas supply (diving) – Breathing gas supply for diving use if main supply is compromised or used uo
Reserve valve – Valve isolating access to reserve gas supply
Residual inert gas tissue loading – Gas remaining in the tissues after decompression
Residual nitrogen – Excess nitrogen remaining in body tissues after surfacing from a dive
Residual nitrogen time – Estimate of excess nitrogen remaining in tissues before repetitive dive
Resort diving – Introductory scuba diving experience
Respiration (physiology) – Exchange of gases between environment and tissues
Respiratory exchange ratio – Ratio between the metabolic production of carbon dioxide and the uptake of oxygen
Respiratory gas exchange – Process by which gases diffuse through a biological membrane
Respiratory interface – Facepiece of a breathing apparatus
Respiratory quotient – Ratio of carbon dioxide produced by the body to oxygen consumed by the body
Restriction (diving) – Space through which it is possible to pass with some difficulty
Reverse squeeze – Failure of the Eustachian tubes to open during a reduction in ambient pressure

Ri–Rn

Rip current – Water current moving away from shore
Risk assessment – Estimation of risk associated with exposure to a given set of hazards
Risk control – Process in which identified risks are reduced or mitigated
Risk management – Identification, evaluation and control of risks
RN Diving Manual – Training and operations manual

Ro

Rock bottom gas planning – Scuba gas planning based on a planned dive profile
Rocky reef – Natural reef of rock
Röjdykare – Clearance divers of the Swedish Navy
ROUV – Remotely operated underwater vehicle
ROV KIEL 6000 – Remotely operated vehicle built by Schilling Robotics, Davis, California for scientific tasks
ROV PHOCA – Remotely operated underwater vehicle of the COMANCHE type
ROV Supervisor – A senior ROV pilot appointed to supervise the ROV team
Royal Australian Navy School of Underwater Medicine (RANSUM) – Unit based in Sydney, Australia.
Royal Engineers – Engineering arm of the British Army
HMS Royal George (1756)#Salvage attempts – 100-gun first-rate Royal Navy ship of the line (1756) – Early salvage operation using bells and surface supplied divers
Royal Navy ships diver – Category of underwater diver in the Royal Navy

Ru

Rubicon Foundation – Non-profit organization for promoting research and information access for underwater diving
Rule of thirds (diving) – Rule of thumb for scuba gas management
Russian commando frogmen – Tactical scuba diving unit
Russian deep submergence rescue vehicle AS-28 – Priz-class deep-submergence rescue vehicle of the Russian Navy
Russian submarine AS-34 – Priz-class deep-submergence rescue vehicle
Russian submarine Losharik – Russian deep-water nuclear submarine

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O

Ob

Oc

Of

Om–On

Op

Or

Os

Ou

Ov

Ox

P

Pa

Pe

Ph

Pi

Pn

Po

Pr

Ps

Pu

Py

Q

R

Ra

Re

Ri–Rn

Ro

Ru

See also