Another important element of equipment of the underwater swimmer is a compensator or a compensator of buoyancy, designed to compensate for the negative buoyancy of the diver created by a cargo belt. Without a cargo belt, it simply cannot be immersed, because even in fresh water a person has a positive buoyancy, t. e. He does not sink. And in salt water, and even in the wetsuit, you can not strain not the surface, almost like on an inflatable mattress. When you nevertheless plunged, the pressure of the water squeezes you and your ammunition, reducing the volume of the body, the law of Archimedes, which we all loved so much in school, enter into effect. It is thanks to him that we begin to lose pushing power in the water and the deeper, the stronger. Here we come to the rescue of the buoyancy compensator, made in the form of an air chamber, designed in the form of a vest.
Using a special valve, air from the cylinder is supplied to the compensator, thus aligning the strength of gravity and the pushing force. Using another valve, air from the vest can be released. There can be several such valves, and they are used depending on the position of the body of the diver, horizontal or vertical. Ideally, you need to achieve neutral buoyancy – this is when the diver hangs motionless at one depth. For a comfortable diving, it is important that the swimmer does not have to fight buoyancy, since it takes a lot of energy and, as a result, rapid breathing and large air consumption. In addition, attention is not focused on the beauties of the underwater world, but on the pressure gauge and depth. But you went to rest! But after several dives, you will begin to understand what’s what. At first I also ate air before everyone else, and my partner kindly shared with me the contents of my cylinder.
A balloon with air or gas mixture is attached to the vest-compensator, it usually has several pockets, rings for attaching a variety of equipment, lantern, emergency buoy, whistle, etc. D. The compensator of the buoyancy is selected in size, although it has some adjustments. He must tightly fit his body to provide him with uniform lifting force. On the surface, the vest can be inflated stronger and calmly to expect you to take your accompaniment. In addition to the vest, there is also a compensator of buoyancy type “wing”. His air chamber is located behind and does not cover the belt, as is done by the vest. This design provides a more stable position under water, but on the surface tilts face into water.