PADI Open Water: Section 3 Exam Questions With In-Depth
Solutions.
What types of environments might I dive in? - accurate answers--coral reefs
-temperate water oceans
-lakes and reservoirs
-rivers
-springs
-flooded quarries
-human-made dive environments
What six general environmental conditions can affect me while diving? -
accurate answers-- temperature
- visibility
- water movement
- bottom composition
- aquatic life
- sunlight
How can I expect depth to affect water temperature? - accurate answers-
Water gets colder the deeper you go.
The boundary between a warmer layer and a cooler deeper layer is called a
thermocline.
How do I measure (define) visibility as a diver? - accurate answers-The
distance you can see horizontally underwater
What four principal factors affect visibility? - accurate answers-- water
movement - waves, current and diver fin kicks
- weather - wind creates waves that stir up the bottom
- plankton - can cloud the water
- bottom composition
In what three ways can reduced visibility affect me while diving? What do I do
about them? - accurate answers-- More difficult to stay with your buddies so
stay close together, take your time and watch each other
,- May make it harder to track where you are or where you're going. Use
compass and other navigation references to stay orientated.
- May make you feel disorientated, especially when you can't see either the
bottom or surface. Avoid this by following a reference down and up. If no
reference, use your dive computer.
How do I avoid the potential problems of diving in clear water? - accurate
answers-- Bottom may seem closer than it is, so monitor dive computer. May
also experience vertigo if descending without a reference
- May get too far away from buddies as you can still see each other. A good
rule of thumb is to be able to reach each other within two seconds.
What two types of water movement primary affect me as a diver? - accurate
answers-Waves and currents
When driving in a mild current, in what direction would I normally go? Why? -
accurate answers-Begin a dive in a mild current swimming slowly into the
current. Do this so that when you turn the dive, the current will push you back
to your exit point rather than away from it.
What do I do if I'm caught in a current and am carried downstream from
where I planned to dive or exit the water? - accurate answers-Swim across the
current to reach shore or a line trailed from a boat, or to get out of the current
What should I do if I get caught in a surface current while diving from a boat
and find myself unable to swim to the boat? - accurate answers-Remain calm
and inflate BCD (or drop weights if you have a BCD problem)
Signal the boat with your whistle etc. to pick you up
What are five types of bottom compositions I'm likely to find while diving? -
accurate answers-Silt/mud
Sand
Rock
Coral
Vegetation
, How do I avoid contact with the bottom? What are three reasons why it's
beneficial to avoid bottom contact? - accurate answers-- Contact tends to
reduce visibility
- Can present hazards - you may get cut or scrapes
- May damage aquatic organisms or environment
How does sunlight affect me as a diver? How can I avoid sunburn? - accurate
answers-You may get sunburn - avoid this by wearing suncream and
protective clothing and staying in the shade as much as possible
What differences can I expect between diving in fresh water and in salt water?
- accurate answers-- Fresh water is less dense and therefore less buoyant than
salt water. Recheck your weight and trim when going from fresh water to salt
or vice vera
- Marine environments tend to have more aquatic life
-Very distinct thermoclines within the recreational diving depth range are
more common in fresh water
- Freshwater environments are more likely to have bottoms that you can stir
up easily
- Marine environments generally have more water motion - currents and
waves and tides
How do I learn to assess conditions? - accurate answers-- the weather
- the season
- water motion
- water appearance
- reports online and from other divers
- dives made at similar sites in the area
What should I do if any aspect of the dive, including my assessment of the
environment causes me significant concern and/or anxiety? - accurate
answers-Get more information about the concern and how to handle it. If you
can't reasonably address the issue and you can't go to another dive site where
you are comfortable, do not dive.
Solutions.
What types of environments might I dive in? - accurate answers--coral reefs
-temperate water oceans
-lakes and reservoirs
-rivers
-springs
-flooded quarries
-human-made dive environments
What six general environmental conditions can affect me while diving? -
accurate answers-- temperature
- visibility
- water movement
- bottom composition
- aquatic life
- sunlight
How can I expect depth to affect water temperature? - accurate answers-
Water gets colder the deeper you go.
The boundary between a warmer layer and a cooler deeper layer is called a
thermocline.
How do I measure (define) visibility as a diver? - accurate answers-The
distance you can see horizontally underwater
What four principal factors affect visibility? - accurate answers-- water
movement - waves, current and diver fin kicks
- weather - wind creates waves that stir up the bottom
- plankton - can cloud the water
- bottom composition
In what three ways can reduced visibility affect me while diving? What do I do
about them? - accurate answers-- More difficult to stay with your buddies so
stay close together, take your time and watch each other
,- May make it harder to track where you are or where you're going. Use
compass and other navigation references to stay orientated.
- May make you feel disorientated, especially when you can't see either the
bottom or surface. Avoid this by following a reference down and up. If no
reference, use your dive computer.
How do I avoid the potential problems of diving in clear water? - accurate
answers-- Bottom may seem closer than it is, so monitor dive computer. May
also experience vertigo if descending without a reference
- May get too far away from buddies as you can still see each other. A good
rule of thumb is to be able to reach each other within two seconds.
What two types of water movement primary affect me as a diver? - accurate
answers-Waves and currents
When driving in a mild current, in what direction would I normally go? Why? -
accurate answers-Begin a dive in a mild current swimming slowly into the
current. Do this so that when you turn the dive, the current will push you back
to your exit point rather than away from it.
What do I do if I'm caught in a current and am carried downstream from
where I planned to dive or exit the water? - accurate answers-Swim across the
current to reach shore or a line trailed from a boat, or to get out of the current
What should I do if I get caught in a surface current while diving from a boat
and find myself unable to swim to the boat? - accurate answers-Remain calm
and inflate BCD (or drop weights if you have a BCD problem)
Signal the boat with your whistle etc. to pick you up
What are five types of bottom compositions I'm likely to find while diving? -
accurate answers-Silt/mud
Sand
Rock
Coral
Vegetation
, How do I avoid contact with the bottom? What are three reasons why it's
beneficial to avoid bottom contact? - accurate answers-- Contact tends to
reduce visibility
- Can present hazards - you may get cut or scrapes
- May damage aquatic organisms or environment
How does sunlight affect me as a diver? How can I avoid sunburn? - accurate
answers-You may get sunburn - avoid this by wearing suncream and
protective clothing and staying in the shade as much as possible
What differences can I expect between diving in fresh water and in salt water?
- accurate answers-- Fresh water is less dense and therefore less buoyant than
salt water. Recheck your weight and trim when going from fresh water to salt
or vice vera
- Marine environments tend to have more aquatic life
-Very distinct thermoclines within the recreational diving depth range are
more common in fresh water
- Freshwater environments are more likely to have bottoms that you can stir
up easily
- Marine environments generally have more water motion - currents and
waves and tides
How do I learn to assess conditions? - accurate answers-- the weather
- the season
- water motion
- water appearance
- reports online and from other divers
- dives made at similar sites in the area
What should I do if any aspect of the dive, including my assessment of the
environment causes me significant concern and/or anxiety? - accurate
answers-Get more information about the concern and how to handle it. If you
can't reasonably address the issue and you can't go to another dive site where
you are comfortable, do not dive.
