student asking question

What's the main difference between a "scuba" and "dive?"

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Scuba" is actually an acronym for "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus," which is a type of breathing diver for free swimmers. A "dive" is a plunge or plummet head first into water. Thus, scuba is being used as an adjective here, used to describe a dive that utilizes a breathing device. Ex: It's dangerous to do a deep dive without scuba gear. Ex: I dove head first into the water.

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