When you’re looking for fun and unusual activities to take part in, scuba diving is usually somewhere on the list.
Most people consider scuba diving fun. The sport appeals to people of all ages and fitness levels, and it can be as challenging as someone wants it to be. There is no competitive pressure, and divers spend their time exploring a part of the world few see.
Scuba diving is not for everyone, but there are plenty of reasons people dedicate time, money, and effort to it as a hobby or a profession. Learning what it’s like to scuba dive, how well it works for beginners, and what fears you might face will help you place how it can be.
Why is Scuba Diving So Exciting?
The excitement of scuba diving exists in:
- The opportunities for physical activity
- Unparalleled experiences and travel opportunities
- The social benefits of sport
These may seem like basic benefits, but they separate diving from all other experiences.
Physical Activity
While some people love to work out, most lack the motivation. There’s a lot of pain involved in growth, and many don’t feel like it’s worth the hassle.
Scuba diving offers a way to exercise that rewards your mind and spirit. It’s easy not to notice you’re getting a workout in until you’re out of the water, and even then you’re basking in the afterglow of your experience.
Exercising in water is more accessible for those with weak or injured bones or joints, and scuba diving is an avenue for those avoiding impactful activities.
New Experiences and Travel Opportunities
Scuba diving is never the same. Even if you’re diving in the same area, the world under the water is constantly changing. While we’re burnt out on the awe of the landlocked world, any time spent underwater reveals something new in raw detail.
You can come face to face with different marine life in each dive, and there’s always something new to experience. This changes even more when diving at a new location, especially when traveling the world.
Divers are more likely to travel to new locations and exotic destinations. Diving opens up opportunities in areas that non-diving tourists never experience. Staff at your dive shops can give you suggestions on local attractions.
Social Aspects
Scuba diving is a non-competitive sport, so there is no stress involved when you partake. Instead, you can easily join a local dive club to find others you share your interests with. Scuba diving relies on the idea of safety in numbers, and it gives you an opportunity to break out your social skills.
Introverts may not like the sound of this, but many introverted divers prefer interacting in this setting. The shared passion facilitates instant friendships and easier conversations, and you can still spend plenty of time without talking as you explore the depths.
What is it Like to Go Scuba Diving?
Many compare ocean diving to floating in space, but that does little for the majority of the population that is not an astronaut.
What’s important to know is that scuba diving offers you a unique feeling of weightlessness. You get a sense of this anytime you go swimming, but the feeling multiplies when diving deep.
You may experience brief moments of fear when you realize just how big the ocean is and your body tries to adapt to a completely new environment, but these usually pass.
Prepping with a scuba diving course arms you with the knowledge to deal with the changes in pressure and clears the way for a safe diving experience. This lets you spend more time soaking in the beauty waiting underwater.
Should I Try Scuba?
If you’re interested in scuba and have no disqualifying conditions, give it a try.
If you’re not sure about committing the time and money needed for certification, some dive centers offer single-day try dives to get your feet wet. They provide a rundown on the course load and let you test out how you feel in the water.
Scuba diving offers plenty of benefits and minimal risks, and few regret the choice to get certified and go on a dive.
Who Shouldn’t Try Scuba?
There are several medical conditions that can disqualify you from scuba diving. The Undersea ; Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) has an evaluation form that helps you identify any conditions that may cause problems when diving.
A medical professional who has experience with divers can provide an in-depth assessment on how severe these risks are, but some of the most common disqualifying conditions include:
- Severe anxiety or a history of panic attacks
- Heart failure
- Sickle cell disease
- Diabetes
- Pregnancy
- Seizures (even if using medication to prevent)
The truth is that the criteria to disqualify someone from diving is not set in stone, and it requires a professional whole-health assessment to make a judgment. If you have any cause for concern, checking in with your doctor may prevent you from getting into a dangerous situation.
Is Scuba Diving Easy or Difficult?
Scuba diving is easy when compared to other sports, but that doesn’t mean it’s without its difficulties.
What’s Easy About Scuba Diving
Scuba diving is not too difficult to understand. As long as you have basic comprehension skills and are fairly fit, you should have no issues passing a beginner scuba diving course such as PADI’s Open Water Diver.
This sport is also much easier on the body than other activities. Those looking for a low-stress workout can burn a decent amount of calories and keep their body in condition with regular diving.
What’s Difficult About Scuba Diving
If you think you can just get in the water and everything will fall into place, then your expectations will make learning to dive difficult. Your coursework isn’t extensive in a beginner course, but you’re still learning how to behave in an unfamiliar environment.
Some people take to scuba diving easier than others. If you spend little time in the water, you’ll need to dedicate extra time putting your skills to work.
It can also be difficult to find the time needed to practice diving, especially if you don’t live near a suitable diving location. You can only spend so much time reading about scuba diving before you need to put it to practice, and planning a trip to work on your diving eats up plenty of time.
Is Scuba Diving Scary?
Scuba diving is scary, even for those who love the ocean. Your body’s mammalian diving reflex should evoke a certain degree of fear instinctually, and your body and mind may be on different pages.
Diving in the ocean is beautiful, but it’s also accompanied by thoughts of:
- Anxiety
- Claustrophobia
- Fear of the unknown
These emotions are healthy and can facilitate attentiveness, but you need to manage your emotions so they don’t cause an issue.
Managing Fear When Scuba Diving
It’s easier to keep your fear from getting out of hand than it is to play damage control. Proper preparation helps you feel less scared when scuba diving. This often entails:
- Getting scuba diver certified
- Rehearsing emergency procedures
- Checking equipment for faults or failures
- Diving with buddies and professionals
Even with proper preparation, you may find your heart racing. Identifying the emotion and accompanying symptoms helps you target them before they get out of control. Grounding techniques such as deep breathing helps you settle your nerves so you can act calmly and make sound decisions.
Scuba diving is less scary the more you do it, and most divers find the strength to overcome their fears in the beauty of the dive.
References
https://rushkult.com/eng/scubamagazine/scuba-divers-have-more-fun/