Abstract
This review article addresses the topic of scuba diving in terms of both history and the current state of understanding on the reactivity of breathing gases in hyperbaric environment. The article is divided into two parts.
The first part summarizes the findings on the history of diving, the first experiments with caissons, and subsequent problems and their solutions. The second part of this research deals with the physiology of respiration, the behavior of breathing gases and their interrelations in high hydrostatic pressure environment.
The aim of this work is to provide comprehensive information about the history of diving and important knowledge about the physiology of underwater breathing, as scuba diving is one of the many specific outdoor activities where knowledge of physiology, anatomy, and the overall functioning of the human organism is needed for its pursuit.