NAUI Underwater Skills & Safety Procedures 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When performing a controlled emergency swimming ascent (CESA), a diver should:
- Ascend as fast as possible while holding breath
- Ascend slowly while continuously exhaling and making an 'ahh' sound (Correct answer)
- Inflate BCD fully before starting ascent
- Signal buddy and wait for assistance
Correct answer: Ascend slowly while continuously exhaling and making an 'ahh' sound
During a CESA, the diver must continuously exhale to prevent lung overexpansion as air expands with decreasing pressure.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of the 'stop, think, breathe, act' sequence when a diver encounters a problem underwater?
- To conserve air supply
- To prevent panic and allow rational decision-making (Correct answer)
- To signal the dive buddy
- To initiate an emergency ascent
Correct answer: To prevent panic and allow rational decision-making
This sequence helps prevent panic, which is a leading factor in diving fatalities, by forcing deliberate thought before action.
Question 3: A diver notices their buddy is not responding to signals and appears rigid underwater. The first action should be:
- Begin immediate ascent with the buddy
- Check for consciousness by tapping and observing (Correct answer)
- Remove the buddy's mask
- Inflate the buddy's BCD fully
Correct answer: Check for consciousness by tapping and observing
Assessing the buddy's responsiveness is the first step before initiating any rescue or ascent procedure.
Question 4: When sharing air using an alternate air source, the donor diver should:
- Remain stationary while the receiver ascends alone
- Stay close to the receiver and ascend together controlling rate (Correct answer)
- Immediately drop weight belts and ascend
- Signal the surface before sharing air
Correct answer: Stay close to the receiver and ascend together controlling rate
Both divers must ascend together at a controlled rate while staying close to maintain the air-sharing connection.
Question 5: Which condition is most likely to cause a diver to experience mask squeeze?
- Ascending too quickly
- Failing to exhale through the nose during descent (Correct answer)
- Wearing a mask that is too large
- Breathing through the nose instead of the mouth
Correct answer: Failing to exhale through the nose during descent
During descent, increased pressure creates a vacuum inside the mask unless the diver equalizes by exhaling a small amount of air through the nose.
Question 6: What does the term 'negative entry' refer to in diving?
- Entering the water with a fully deflated BCD to descend quickly (Correct answer)
- Entering the water with a negative attitude
- Jumping feet-first without a BCD
- Entering the water with excess weight
Correct answer: Entering the water with a fully deflated BCD to descend quickly
A negative entry involves entering the water with the BCD deflated to achieve rapid descent, used in conditions with strong surface currents.
Question 7: The recommended hand signal for 'I am out of air' is:
- Thumb pointing up
- Hand moving across the throat in a slashing motion (Correct answer)
- Fist held up with thumb and pinky extended
- Both hands on top of the head
Correct answer: Hand moving across the throat in a slashing motion
The throat-slash signal universally indicates an out-of-air emergency and requests an alternate air source.
NAUI Underwater Skills & Safety Procedures 2
When performing a controlled emergency swimming ascent (CESA), a diver should: