Diving is a speed swimming on different distances, plunging, underwater orientation, tourism and hunting under water with the application of special equipment (aqualung, flippers and mask). In 1999 the International Conference of the underwater activity) KM AS (established in 1959) was held. More than 80 countries successfully participated in it.

The wish of underwater submergence existed always accompanying humanity itself. This wish was provoked not only by curiosity but also by deep exigency: underwater hunting, ships? repair, rival ship's sinking, underwater life research. Before discovering various methods of underwater breathing underwater staying was very short, difficult and dangerous.

The diving with thin reed was possible but if the reed was longer than 0.5 meters the breathing had been complicated. In the 16th century people started using the bells filled with the air. That was the first effective way of long underwater staying. Simultaneously France and England produced leather costumes. They were provided with the air that moved from the surface that gave possibility to dive into 18-meter depth. The revolution in diving history belongs to Jack Eve Custo and Emilio Ganyan who invented the first operating device for open breathing cycle. From that moment diving as hobby, sport and research activity started its development.

As for diving at the Olympics, then it traces to 1904. It is almost impossible to guess the date of human's diving first experience. The identification of the first diving competitions or diving at the Olympics is not less complicated. As usually all prints lead to ancient Greece but the exact line of development is not clear. According to some historical issues England was always the country that took diving seriously as sort event. The facts are evidences that the only diving discipline during the first steps of its development was straight diving. The sport gained more artistic appearance only in 1800s when gymnasts from Germany and Sweden replaced there trainings to the beach for practicing difficult jumps and twists above the water. In this way they unconsciously started creation of new sport.

In 1904, St. Louis, diving served as introductory event. Diving on the springboards and platforms was included into the common diving at the Olympics in 1908. Synchronized diving competitions took place later. They were represented only on Sydney Games.

It is considered that success of diving at the Olympics is influenced much by diving equipment. Today diving sport market offers big choice of masks: for instance, masks with one glass, double-glassed masks, masks, with four gasses, with valves. The mask consists of facial side, frame and head strap. The tube is necessary part of diver's equipment. It helps to economize vultures in air containers.

Despite the huge progress in manufacturing process and steady researches diving is still rather dangerous. It needs special preparing and land-based professionals? consultations.