Glossary

ASBO: An ignorant troublemaker, typically poorly educated, dysfunctional, addicted to cheap alcohol, welfare-dependent, and lazy. ASBO's can be avoided early in the morning since they do not tend to get up early. From Anti-Social Behaviour Order, a type of legal sanction imposed on such people in an attempt to improve their conduct. Also known as Hoodies or Chavs.

Backplate: A rectangular plate on the back of a B.C.D. which allows an air tank to be attached. Backplates can be made out of metal or plastic.

Bacon Buttie: A bacon roll, referring to the fact that the sandwich is buttered.

Bail-out bottle: See Pony Bottle.

B.C.D.: Buoyancy Compensator Device. An inflatable jacket, somewhat like a life jacket, which allows a diver to vary his or her buoyancy in the water. Most B.C.D.'s have inflator valves which allow air to be injected into them from the main tank. Most B.C.D.'s also incorporate backplates. Synonymous with Stab jacket.

Carrier Roll: A white bread roll without flavour or texture, and which serves as a "carrier" for the filling. Often used for bacon rolls.

Chav: See ASBO.

Crannog: A small fortified dwelling constructed by bog people. They were often built above piles of rocks and other debris by means of wooden stilts so they stood proud of the waterline.

Cylinder: An air tank.

Departmental Diver: See P.S.D.

Drysuit: A waterproof suit that covers the entire body except for the hands and head. The air pressure inside a drysuit can be varied by means of an inflator valve, thereby providing a degree of buoyancy control and also warmth.

Find: A bottle or jar discovered on a dive

First stage: See Regulator.

Hazard: Something that may cause danger or difficulty on a bottle dive. Examples include submerged trees and boat traffic. Hazards are assessed by the degree of risk they present.

HazMat: Hazardous Materials.

Hoodie: See ASBO. So called because of the hooded sweatshirts they often wear in an attempt to conceal their identities.

Initial Survey: A dive that is conducted to assess the risks of a site before working dives are commenced. Surveys are conducted above the silt so as not to churn it up and compromise visibility.

Kevlar: A very tough material which resists tearing, and which is used on the palms and fingers of bottle diving gloves.

Leg: A straight line search in one direction parallel to the shore. Legs are normally done in alternate directions, with each leg bringing the diver slightly closer to shore so a wide area is covered. A line, line bag, and screw picket are commonly used to mark out a leg.

Line: The polypropylene cord used to mark out the leg of a bottle dive.

Line bag: A hold-all type bag which holds line and a screw picket. One end of the line is fastened to the picket and the other is sewn into the bag. The picket is screwed into the silt and the line paid out of the bag. See Leg.

Midden: A general dumping area.

Ned: A Scottish chav.

Picket: See Screw Picket.

Pony Bottle: A small emergency cylinder which clamps next to the main cylinder and which contains its own independent regulator.

P.S.D.: Public Safety Diver. A diver who works for the emergency services, typically the police or the fire brigade. A term synonymous with Departmental Diver.

Regulator: A component of a scuba system which brings the air in the tank down to ambient pressure. A modern regulator consists of two stages; a first stage which fits on the tank valve, and a second stage (connected to the first by a hose) which contains a mouthpiece.

Resurgence: A body of water at the exit of a cave system, through which water flows outwards.

Risk: A measure of the probability of an event and its impact should it occur.

R.S.: Relative Superiority, the point at which a bottle diving expedition is more likely to succeed than to fail.

Screw Picket: A large corkscrew-like device which can be driven into the silt and used to tie off one end of the line.

Scuba: Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. The combination of a regulator system and an air cylinder. The regulator brings the air down to ambient pressure so it can be breathed.

Second Stage: See Regulator

Shrapnel Guard: A protective cover for the glass crystal of a watch.

Sinkhole: A hole formed in soluble rock by the action of water or by ground collapse, forming a kind of pond. Sinkholes may flow into cave systems.

Stab Jacket: Stabilisation Jacket. See B.C.D.

Sump: A submerged passageway, often found connecting areas of dry cave.

Survey: See Initial Survey

Trench watch: A toughened watch that is easily readable and robust enough for use in waterlogged and muddy conditions.

Wetsuit: A suit for diving that is not waterproof but which traps a thin layer of water against the skin which is then warmed by body heat and which is retained due to the tightness of the suit. Normally made from a thick rubber material called Neoprene.

Wings: an inflatable yoke which can be attached to a backplate and harness, and used instead of a B.C.D. Unlike B.C.D.'s a wing does not wrap around the sides of the body.

Working Dive: A detailed search for bottles, normally conducted with line, a line bag, and a screw picket.