You start diving for turtles, sharks and mantas. Then one day, a two-centimeter sea slug becomes the highlight of your entire weekend. Welcome to the wonderfully weird evolution of a diver.

Finishing a dive with more air than everyone else doesn’t automatically make you a better diver. Here’s what really affects air consumption—and what’s actually worth paying attention to.

That first breath underwater feels strange, exciting, and slightly impossible—until your brain realizes it actually works. Here’s what to expect when you try scuba for the first time.