When You're Scared of Water - But You Still Want to Dive

"I'm terrified of water, but I really want to try diving."

"Fish scare the crap out of me."

"The thought of putting my head underwater makes me want to vomit, but I really want to see a turtle."

These are real things real people have said to me when asking whether diving was for them. Being underwater is a fascinating sensation. We have no business surviving underwater, we're obviously designed to be primarily landlubbers, yet we insist on strapping metal cylinders to ourselves and jumping in for a poke around, or holding our breaths and going to ridiculous depths to see what's down there. The fact is, things we can't see fascinate us. You look at an ocean, and your mind starts wondering - what's down there? Can I eat it? Can it eat me? Is it pretty? Are there merfolk in this lake?

Turtles are Turtley Awesome.

Our minds have this phenomenal ability to formulate an entire dialogue for us, and convince you that the moment you touch the water, there will be a feeding frenzy thanks to the vicious sharks that are lurking just under the surface, waiting for the scent of your toe (dammit Jaws, you're such an entertaining movie, but you have done SUCH a disservice to sharks and marine-curious humans everywhere!).

Fear of water though doesn't mean you can't dive! It just means there are a few extra steps you'll want to consider to help you become more comfortable in the water! So, my mildly Thassalophobic friends, let's see if we can get you to give this a go.

Learn About the Ocean from Educational Sources, NOT Killer Shark Movies.

This is a fairly all-encompassing tidbit of advice that can be applied to may aspects of one's life. Just like you don't want to get medical advice from your favorite social media celebrity, you shouldn't rely on sensational horror movies to provide you with your marine education.

Seriously, SO hard to get these shots!

If you prefer to do your learning through the magic of moving pictures, the Blue Planet series is spectacularly beautiful to watch, and is chock-full of great information. Just remember - a lot of the footage is of very cool (and uncommon) situations, especially any feeding frenzies they filmed. Do you have any idea how long you have to wait (perfectly immobile and practically invisible) to get those shots!?

If you prefer wordiness, then the internet is your oyster. One of my favorite collections of things to read is NatGeo's Oceans Section. Ever-changing, there's always something interesting to read. The Smithsonian Ocean Portal is an AMAZING resource to learn way more than you cared to know about oceans.

Ask a Diver!

Hey you! I have a question!

They've obviously been underwater once or twice! If you have any buddies who are (or have been) divers, ask them about their experiences! Most notably, ask about what they saw, anything they learned, and anything that really left an impression on them. Speaking from experience, we divers are a talkative bunch on land, and for the most part, we love to blab about all the neat-o places we've had a chance to dive.

Don't know any divers? Oh honeybunch, sweetpea, my darling internet-user - there are tons of social media groups, forums, and online underwater personas you can follow to get an idea of what you could see! If you're constantly scrolling through Facebook or Instagram, look up diving groups in destinations that interest you, and don't be afraid to post questions. Divers are always on the lookout for dive buddies, and there will always be folks who are excited to share their experiences with you in the hopes of getting you to take the plunge.

Some of my favorite folks to follow include Becky Kagan Schott (a spectacularly talented underwater photographer), Sylvia Earle (referred to as Her Deepness, no exaggeration), Jill Heinerth (explorer extraordinaire), and (while not a person) - TED Talks are awesome to bet you curious - check out this list of talks on Ocean Wonders!

Stick Your Face in the Water!

If you're lucky enough to be travelling somewhere with a huge body of water that is frequently explored by perceived semiamphibious bipeds, why not see if anyone is offering even snorkeling excursions? A guided peek into the wonders of the underwater world may help to dispel a number of the horrendous myths bobbing around.

Cold lakes aren't all scary.

Simply sticking your face in the water will give you a moment to appreciate that there aren't super sneaky sea monsters out to eat your soul (or your toes). In the tropics, you might see brightly colored fish and coral, in cold water mountain lakes you'll see some rocks, silt, more rocks, and maybe even another rock. Possibly a weed or two. Maybe some sad garbage (please don't throw your garbage in our lakes!). In your local swimming pool, you'll likely see a discarded hair elastic and potentially a lost earring. Pop a mask on and have a peek!

Take Swimming Lessons

This is something that everyone who hangs out around water should do, not just divers or would-be divers. If you're going to be around water for any reason, you should value your safety enough to take a lesson, especially if you're not a strong swimmer, or if you're uncomfortable in water. Water is not a force to be trifled with: it will win. However, being comfortable in the water will in turn make any water-based activities you take on that much more enjoyable, as you can then focus more on actually having fun, and not on whether you're capable of floating.

I have too much fun in the pool.

Your local YMCA will typically offer swim lessons for all ages and abilities (yes, even adults who skipped out on lessons as kids). Take a go at that, and even head to your local pool if it's been a bit to swim for fun and increase your comfort/skill level. I wouldn't want to ruin the fun of swimming for anyone, but it's also good exercise - keep that between us. Shhh......

Try a Discover Scuba Diving Course!

Hey, seriously, if you want to try diving, but don't want to try diving, maybe you should just try diving. Your favorite local Dive Shop will typically offer Discover Scuba Diving courses. It's a wee little class where you watch a video outlining what you'll do in the pool, safety considerations in diving, a brief introduction to general procedures, and a very enthusiastic bit on what NOT to do in the water. Then, you get in the pool with your Instructor (they do all the gear set up for you), they'll show you what you just saw in the video, then you get to stick your face in the water and breathe! Hooray!

The beauty of the class is it's done at your speed - not cool with sticking your head very far underwater? All good, go as far as you're comfortable. Loving the feeling and feeling the need to swim around? Sweet - swim away, my ducklings! It's an awesome opportunity to try diving for the first time (or tenth time, if it's taking you a bit to get comfortable!), in a controlled environment.

Don't Watch Jaws (Or Anything Similar) Before Getting in the Water

Ok, now I'm just being silly. But if you're nervous, just don't. It's like someone who's afraid of clowns watching Stephen King's IT before going to a clown convention. Silly, sillier, silliest. In fact, do something that relaxes you: yoga, meditation, watching Finding Nemo or Luca (my current favorite Disney movie), play video games - walk into it more relaxed, and the entire vibe will follow along that mindset.

Don't Be Afraid of One-on-One Instruction, and Take Your Time!

If all else fails, you may need a one-on-one pool session to work through things. Don't ever be adverse to that option. Especially if you're exceptionally nervous, being the instructor's sole focus can be reassuring, and can help you take those baby steps to trying diving for the first time. You improve by doing, repeatedly: the more you work at it, the better it will get. Similarly with diving - the more you work at becoming comfortable in the water, dealing with the gear, and diving in general - the more likely you are to enjoy it, and be able to do it safely.

What if Nothing Works?

If you are set on trying diving, but you've tried everything you can think of, and it still isn't happening for you, don't despair. Start with simplicity. Identify what causes you concern, and work on that first. Then move on to the next bit. Then the next. One component at a time. After some effort, you may find that you're ready to get in that pool with a mask and snorkel, then maybe add fins. Take up freediving, as the mental component does wonders for relaxation and connecting with both your body and the water. Then maybe try dive gear. It may only be a few breaths at the surface from a regulator, but eventually you'll work up to sticking your head under water, then maybe moving around a bit, swimming around a bit, swimming around a lot, getting bored of the pool, and then maybe - just maybe - giving it a try in the ocean. You may think you want to vomit, but just imagine what it'll be like when you finally get to see that damn turtle. If you do vomit - don't worry, the regulators can handle that, and your buddies will love you for attracting all the fish.

Stop where you think you need to, work on becoming comfortable at that level, then add complexity. Adapt and overcome. There is no race, there is no need to rush; after all, we're on ocean time.

Happy diving!

-Sab