Over the past two decades, developing countries have recognized the economic value of attractive marine resources and the need to actively protect these resources. Many of these conservation projects rely on limiting extractive activities to protect habitats, which restricts local livelihoods, and promoting marine resource-based tourism to provide financing for conservation. Using a political ecology framework, this dissertation investigates two connected aspects of tourism and conservation: tourists' seafood consumption and the Go Blue Central America, a geotourism project initiated by National Geographic. It also explains the value of considering the local environmental knowledge of a diverse group of resource users, with a specific focus on professional scuba divers. Given the importance of scuba diving as an activity and tourism attractor on Utila, professional scuba divers on the island are well-positioned to serve as a source of environmental knowledge data on Utila's dive sites, including on their condition, species sightings, and changes over time. This knowledge is not without its problems as it may lead to conceptions of local participation that fail to include those actually from the community of concern. Thus, this dissertation calls attention to the possibilities of using divers' environmental knowledge in conservation and environmental management while also remaining attuned to the potential complications that may arise from doing so. Ultimately, this dissertation calls for the development of additional tourism alternatives and more comprehensive tourism planning and management which includes the potential for damage done by nonextractive resource users. For Utila, this will entail altering existing business practices to increase local ownership, shifting away from backpacker and budget oriented tourism toward a more expensive product, and involving more of the local community in the decision-making processes which affect tourism and the environment.

ABSTRACT EFFECTS OF SCUBA DIVING ON MIDDLE EAR PRESSURE &Ouml / zyurt, Deniz MS. Department of Physical Education and Sports Supervisor : Prof. Dr. Feza Korkusuz Co-Supervisor: Dr. Mehmet &Ouml / zekmek&ccedil / i April 2006, 42 pages Since / the self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba) was developed / the growth in the recreational diving population leaded an increase in diving-related injuries, mostly about the ear barotraumas. Previous findings show that inexperienced divers are more predisposed to ear barotraumas. This study was performed to see the dive related alterations of the middle ear pressure and the compliance of the tympanic membrane due to experience (experienced - skin divers and/or underwater rugby players and inexperienced -not use to skin diving or such water sports) and depth (3m and 12m) in 22 novice divers with normal pre-dive audiometry, tympanometry, and otorhinolaryngologic examination. Pre dive otologic inspections were taken and pre dive / post dive tympanograms were measured for each depth. In 8 ears of the 5 inexperienced divers either hyperemia or hemotympany were observed in the second day&amp / #8217 / s (12m) otoscopic inspections. In the first post dive tympanometric measurements / middle ear pressure changes were observed in 19 ears of 14 divers. The compliance was not changed in 5 ears of 3 divers and increased in the reminder. In the second tympanometric measurements, 12 ears of the 8 divers showed negative middle ear pressure and compliance was not changed in 10 ears of 5 divers and increased in the reminder. Due to experience and middle ear pressure changes of each day / no meaningful, statistically significant correlation was found. Also no meaningful correlations were found neither for experience and compliance. A correlation of .542 between experience status and otologic inspection prior to 12m depth dives was a contradiction to the hypothesis there would not be any significant difference between experienced and well trained inexperienced groups as the otologic variations such as hyperemia or hemotympany were only seen in inexperienced novices. Again / the correlation of .571 showed that 3m depth dives had grater frequency of middle ear pressure changes than 12m depth dives. Similarly / due to the compliance correlation of .516, 3m depth dives had a grater frequency of compliance increases than 12m depth dives. These results however should be reconsidered as the 3m depth was the first open water dive day and 12m depth was the next day which the novices could use to the open water conditions.

This thesis explores the role of comfort in adventure leisure and in recreational SCUBA diving in particular. In this chapter the study’s central elements of comfort, constraints and negotiation will be introduced. Human engagement with marine locations provides background to the evolution of SCUBA diving as a leisure activity. The concept of comfort is then introduced, with attention given to what comfort means from a range of disciplines. Following this, the use of the term comfort in adventure, leisure and tourism research is reviewed. Divers’ constraints to comfort are also briefly examined here in this introduction, to build understanding of how comfort can be experienced during adventure, and SCUBA diving. Leisure constraints-negotiation research is discussed briefly and linked to SCUBA diving experiences. The objectives of this study are then presented prior to introducing the qualitative research paradigm that guides the research, and the thesis outline.

This thesis explores the role of comfort in adventure leisure and in recreational SCUBA diving in particular. In this chapter the study’s central elements of comfort, constraints and negotiation will be introduced. Human engagement with marine locations provides background to the evolution of SCUBA diving as a leisure activity. The concept of comfort is then introduced, with attention given to what comfort means from a range of disciplines. Following this, the use of the term comfort in adventure, leisure and tourism research is reviewed. Divers’ constraints to comfort are also briefly examined here in this introduction, to build understanding of how comfort can be experienced during adventure, and SCUBA diving. Leisure constraints-negotiation research is discussed briefly and linked to SCUBA diving experiences. The objectives of this study are then presented prior to introducing the qualitative research paradigm that guides the research, and the thesis outline.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2011. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-95). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Ανάλυση των μοντέλων που περιγράφουν τη διαδικασία απορρόφησης και αποβολής αδρανών αερίων στο ανθρώπινο σώμα κατά τη διάρκεια μίας αυτόνομης κατάδυσης. / Analysis of the models that describe the procedure of absorption and expulsion of inert gases in the human body during scuba diving.

Monitoring rare or elusive species can be especially difficult in marine environments, resulting in poor data density. SCUBA-derived citizen science data has the potential to improve data density for conservation. However, citizen science data quality may be perceived to be of low quality relative to professional data due to a lack of ‘expertise’ and increased observer variability. We evaluated the quality of data collected by citizen science scuba divers for rockfish (Sebastes spp.) conservation around Southern Vancouver Island, Canada. An information-theoretic approach was taken in two separate analyses to address the overarching question: ‘what factors are important for SCUBA-derived citizen science data quality?’. The first analysis identified predictors of variability in precision between paired divers. We found that professional scientific divers did not exhibit greater data precision than recreational divers. Instead, precision variation was best explained by study site and divers’ species identification or recreational training. A second analysis identified what observer and environmental factors correlated with higher resolution identifications (i.e. identified to the species level rather than family or genus). We found divers provided higher resolution identifications on surveys when they had high species ID competency and diving experience. Favorable conditions (high visibility and earlier in the day) also increased taxonomic resolution on dive surveys. With our findings, we are closer to realizing the full potential of citizen science to increase our capacity to monitor rare and elusive species. / Graduate

M.A. / The study presents a narrative exploration of the potential offered by SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving as a therapeutic wilderness adventure context bridging Deaf and hearing experiences. It is structured as an emerging narrative in three parts. Part I explores the philosophical and theoretical literature with a view to providing an overview of the epistemological frameworks against which the study is presented and which could result in a sense of tension between modern/post modern discourses within the reader/author. Part II reviews the current literature pertaining to: Deafness and Deaf/hearing relations, contrasting the medical-pathological perspective of Deafness with a socio-cultural model and examining perceptions regarding the development of a Deaf cultural identity, the articulation of meaning and culturally affirmative proposals with regard to the integration of Deaf and hearing experiences; adventure, wilderness programmes and practices as agents of therapeutic change with particular reference to the Deaf and other disabled communities; and the potential application of SCUBA diving and the underwater environment as metaphorically different agents of therapeutic change and particularly as they relate to Deaf/hearing relations. Part III attempts to provide a multi-levelled dialogical space for the voices of Deaf and hearing participants in the study to emerge and reflect on their lived experiences of their participation in a SCUBA diver course and its potential impact on lived experiences and personal narratives and metaphors. The study is written as a post modern text and explores Bakhtin’s (1973) theories of dialogism as a basis for presenting a polyphonic text.

Scuba diving as a recreational activity has increased in popularity over the past few years. It is believed that repeated exposure to the hyperbaric environment may have a long term effect on the auditory system. The research literature has given a lot of attention to acute injury but is very limited relating to the long term implications of scuba diving. Previous research studies did not perform a full audiometric test battery. A comprehensive audiological assessment is critical to determine in which part of the ear a pathology may occur during recreational diving. This study endeavoured to assess and describe the hearing abilities and middle ear functioning of the recreational scuba diver and investigate the possibility that diving, on a recreational level, may have an influence on the auditory system. In order to achieve the aims of this study, a descriptive, correlation research design was selected. The results of the current study indicate that scuba diving on a recreational level does not have a significant effect on the hearing and middle ear functioning of the individual, with the exclusion of static compliance. It appears that the inevitable compression and decompression that the middle ears are exposed to during scuba diving might have a more permanent effect on the elasticity of the tympanic membrane. Finally this study aims to increase the awareness of possible risks concerning the auditory system relating to scuba diving and in so doing, attribute to the prevention, diagnosing and intervention of diving related ear injuries. / Dissertation (M (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / M (Communication Pathology) / unrestricted

When scuba diving under a physical overhead such as a cave, a mine, a shipwreck, or under a virtual overhead due to decompression requirements, it makes it impossible to safely access the surface in the event of an emergency. Therefore, diving with overhead is often described as technical diving. In this research, I address how technical divers in Outaouais, Quebec, practice this risky sport with unforgiving consequences. Based on fieldwork in Outaouais, I focus on divers, including myself, who perform trimix dives deeper than 200 feet. I argue that the process of becoming a deep diver is a lifelong journey where a diver learns to adapt to a milieu hostile to human life. The basic skills are acquired during classes to ensure that a novice diver will survive in this limit-environment. As divers bend the rules and take more risks to go deeper for longer lengths of time, they will go through a series of limit-experiences and near misses that are essential to their development and found to be regenerative. In turn, those limit-experiences and near-miss events shared with teammates create mutual trust. It is this trust that becomes the foundation of the team and allows the team to improve upon existing techniques and increase the depth and difficulty of their dives.