What is Boyle's Law related to diving?

Boyle's Law describes the relationship between the pressure and volume of a gas at a constant temperature. In the context of diving, as a diver descends and experiences increased pressure from the water, the volume of any gas (for instance, the air in a diver's lungs) decreases. This is fundamentally important for divers to understand, as it impacts how gas behaves under pressure.

When a diver is submerged deeper in water, the increase in pressure results in a decrease in the volume of the air in their lungs. This principle is critical for safe diving practices; divers must exhale during ascent to prevent lung over-expansion, as the gas taken in at greater depths would expand if not allowed to escape as the pressure decreases.

Understanding Boyle's Law helps prevent barotrauma and other pressure-related injuries during dives, enabling divers to manage their breathing and ascending procedures thoughtfully to avoid complications.