I have been a diver for almost 20 years and a diving instructor for more than 5 years. Still, I am surprised to hear some of the myths about why people don’t want to dive. Some of the most common myths include: diving is too difficult; there is nowhere around here to go diving; diving equipment costs too much; or my favorite is that the diving is too extreme or dangerous.
Let’s start with the last one, diving is too extreme for the common person or dangerous. First, we need to understand that being human has inherent risks that we can’t control (as one current commercial puts it, “It could be other humans”). Yes, diving does have some inherent risks. If you are properly trained and follow the safety protocols that are prescribed by almost all certifying agencies (ie PADI, NAUI, SSI), your chances of injury are drastically reduced. We still believe that your instructor is the main influencer for your future safety. IF they are bad, chances are your experience will be bad too (keep in mind that if you had a bad experience with an instructor, don’t stop diving, find another professional to dive with).
As far as being an extreme sport, I haven’t seen scuba sponsored by Mountain Dew or advertised at X Games, so it can’t be that extreme! Humor aside, the reason diving received the reputation of being an extreme sport was because the original scuba gear did not promote a feeling of being comfortable and confident in the water. I know because I started diving with much of this equipment. Looking back, if I had to choose diving over another activity, I would have stayed with the other activities. Those days that are long in the rearview mirror, scuba gear has been borrowed to make you safer in the water, more comfortable in the water, and therefore safer in the water. Properly set up gear will do wonders for your abilities. That scuba gear removes the extreme nature of diving.
So is the cost of your scuba gear too much? Remember what I just said, the right gear does wonders for your ability to dive with confidence and comfort. That said, if you’re looking to fully equip yourself, a complete dive gear kit; it could cost anywhere from $500 to holy chickpeas! Scuba gear should be thought of as lifesaving gear, so cheap isn’t always the answer here. What you plan to do with your diving adventures is what you should base your purchasing decisions on. Your dive locations are going to influence what you should buy more than the cost. This is where you need to trust a professional to guide you through your buying process. They should be knowledgeable and willing to listen to you about what you’re looking to do with your dive, and then help you make the right equipment decisions.
Remember, you don’t have to buy everything at once. You can buy items here and there as money becomes available. Otherwise, you will rent the required equipment until you get to the point of purchase. No matter where you live, you’ll probably find a dive shop to help you make those decisions.
So if there are dive shops almost anywhere, does that mean you can dive almost anywhere? Because if you can. I’ll tell you a little known fact: the founders of PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) were originally from the Chicago area. If they could find a way to go diving there, you could probably dive where you are too. You don’t have to live less than an hour from the Florida Keys or the Gulf of Mexico. Or, you don’t have to live less than an hour from California’s Catalina Islands. While those places lend themselves to the diving lifestyle, you can dive the Great Lakes or even the lakes near your home. There are quarries spread across the country that dive shops use to certify people. Along with that, there are several lakes that also lend themselves to diving. I live in the Midwest, outside of Chicago, in Northwest Indiana. Weather permitting, I can be wreck diving within an hour or two of my house.
So if you want to know where the locals dive, go to the dive shop and find out where they dive. Most likely it is within the local area. If they really want you to dive then they will offer trips to go to other places to dive. Doesn’t that sound easy enough?
So we haven’t talked about diving being too difficult yet. Refer back to the previous discussion about equipment and perception. Diving just got easier. With any certifying body, we are asking what your current health status is. If there is any doubt, we have a doctor who will approve your ability to dive. If they clear it, then we’re good to have some fun and start exploring. There is a physical aspect to diving, there is no doubt about that. I try to reduce that stress as much as possible. On the other hand, there is also a mental aspect to diving. More people obsess over the mental side than the physical side.
Face it, when you get in the water, put the regulator in your mouth and slide under the waves, you take a step back in the evolutionary chain. Once you relax and realize you have a full tank of air, everything becomes easier. We are going to have you do water skills to overcome common problems. While you may not like the skills, if you follow what the instructor teaches, that too becomes easier and more relaxing.
That’s why scuba gear manufacturers have created gear that makes us feel more comfortable and safe in the water. Proper instruction helps you understand common problems that can occur underwater and gives you techniques to correct those problems. Your instructor is also there to remove many of the physical stresses that will occur during the dive. So how can this be too difficult? Again, diving suffers from a perception of what it used to be, and not what it is today.
From someone who has been diving for years, we begin to see that diving, with the right instructors, is not too difficult. They will show us many places to dive and it really doesn’t cost that much for our safety and comfort. Since we don’t see Mountain Dew advertising the dive, it really can’t be that extreme. Diving should be seen as a relaxing and enjoyable sport that almost everyone can enjoy.