What happens to a diver's buoyancy if they take a deep breath?

Taking a deep breath increases the volume of air in a diver's lungs, which subsequently increases their overall buoyancy. This is due to the principle of buoyancy, where an object submerged in a fluid experiences an upward force equivalent to the weight of the fluid it displaces.

When a diver inhales deeply, the addition of air makes them less dense than the surrounding water. As a result, this increased lung volume allows the diver to float more easily. The relationship between the volume of displaced water and the added air is crucial here; more air in the lungs means that the diver displaces more water, leading to increased buoyancy. Hence, taking a deep breath causes the diver to become more buoyant, allowing them to rise closer to the surface or float at a higher level in the water column.