Scuba diving is often considered to be the closest experience to being in space. While underwater you'll feel like you're weightless, and this provides you with the opportunity to glide high over the ocean floor, scale the side of a tall vertical wall, and fly over underwater formations.

To make this possible, you'll wear gear that allows you to adjust your buoyancy while underwater and at the surface. This gear includes a weight system and buoyancy compensator. Together, these items allow you to achieve neutral buoyancy, which means you hover in the water without floating or sinking.

In this lesson you'll learn why you need a weight belt and buoyancy compensator, essential features to look for, and how to take care of your investment.

After this lesson, you will be able to:

• State the purpose of a weight belt.
• Identify the essential feature of a weight belt.
• State the purpose of a BC.
• Identify the essential components of a BC.
• Demonstrate proper BC maintenance.