Prepare for the PADI Open Water Diver Exam with flashcards and self-assessment quizzes including hints and explanations. Dive into your scuba certification confidently!

As you descend underwater, the water pressure increases, which affects a wet suit's material. Wet suits are made from neoprene, which is a type of foam rubber that contains tiny gas bubbles. These bubbles provide insulation through buoyancy, trapping a layer of water between the suit and your body, which is warmed by your body heat.

As you go deeper, the increase in water pressure compresses the gas bubbles within the neoprene, leading to a decrease in thickness and buoyancy of the suit. This compression results in a loss of insulation as less trapped water is retained and the suit becomes less buoyant. Therefore, option B accurately describes the change that happens to a wet suit as you descend, highlighting the significant effect of environmental pressure on the material properties.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately reflect the physical changes occurring in a wet suit during a descent. The increase in buoyancy, for example, would imply that the suit is becoming more effective at keeping a diver afloat, which contradicts the principle of compression. Similarly, with increasing depth, the wet suit does not become warmer; instead, it may lose thermal efficiency due to compression. Lastly, the idea that the suit will loosen and provide more freedom of movement doesn't hold true

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