Some aspects of underwater explosions and cavitation phenomena have been studied by using a thermodynamic equation of state for water and a one-dimensional Lagrangian hydrocode. The study showed that surface cavitation is caused by the main blast wave and a bubble pulse from rebound of a release wave moving toward the center of the exploding bubble. Gravity has little effect on the surface cavitation. In nuclear explosions the bubble is bounded by a two-phase region rather than a gas-water interface. The two-phase region cavitates as the bubble expands, changing the optical absorption coefficient by many orders of magnitude and significantly affecting the optical signature. In assessing cavitation damage, it is concluded that a water jet of unstable bubble collapse erodes solid walls. The study leads to suggestions for future research.