Scuba diving is one of those activities that many of us have considered, but not many of us have actually done. There are a number of reasons why someone may choose not to try out scuba diving, such as expenses or simply a lack of access to scuba locations. There is also the more than reasonable fear of the ocean and the creatures that lurk beneath the surface.
Another big reason that people choose to avoid taking up scuba as a hobby is because it is believed to be extremely hard to do. Of course, like any sport, scuba has challenging elements and can be difficult. But does this necessarily make it a hard sport and what aspects of the sport make it difficult?
Physical fitness
As previously stated, scuba diving is a sport and with any sport, it is going to be hard if you lack physical fitness. When you are scuba diving, you are swimming for an extended period of time with a lot of equipment in tow. This requires a lot of stamina and if you lack it, then you’re definitely going to find yourself having problems. However, if you plan on scuba diving in shallow bodies of water, it will be a lot easier and a lot less demanding.
Your physical fitness is something that can also be improved, so if you find yourself in a position where you don’t feel like you can physically scuba at the moment, this isn’t necessarily permanent. You could always start working on your own physical fitness by going swimming or even doing simple exercises, doing this can improve your fitness and make the challenge of scuba much easier.
A lot to learn
A lot of people tend to agree that scuba isn’t necessarily physically hard and instead think that the real challenge lies in the knowledge you must learn in order to successfully scuba. It is true that you have to learn a lot of key information before you are allowed to scuba dive, which you learn through a series of training. You may also learn a lot of intimidating vocabulary that you haven’t learned before. Though this may be off-putting for some, it is important to remember that all of the knowledge is taught with the goal of keeping you safe in mind.
If you are someone that can drive or even ride a bike, then you have probably had to learn a lot of instructions and new vocabulary that probably overwhelmed you at the time. Once you become more familiar with all of that information it becomes second nature to recall it and apply it in real-life situations, so it is really nothing to be afraid of. Due to all of the information you need being for the sole purpose of protecting yourself, your brain is also likely to absorb the information and remember it easier.
However, if you are someone who struggles with memory issues then you may find it quite difficult. It is important to remember that you will rarely ever scuba alone though and if you scuba with an instructor, they’ll be there to remind you of all of the important information that you have to remember.
Swimming
There are a lot of people out there who confidently proclaim that they are excellent swimmers, yet having touched a swimming pool in over a decade. Swimming in a pool on holiday is a lot different from having to scuba dive and swim for a long time accompanied by a lot of gear. If you are someone who isn’t a very strong swimmer, then yes scuba diving will be quite difficult for you. This is especially the case if you are someone that has little experience swimming under the surface of the water, which is much different from treading the water of a pool.
Once again, though swimming is a difficult element of scuba diving, it doesn’t have to remain difficult. Before taking up scuba as a sport, it is more than possible to practice swimming and become really confident in that element of the sport. There is also no harm in generally improving your swimming ability as it is a very valuable skill to have.
The Temperature
Another aspect of scuba diving that people believe to be quite hard is overcoming the temperatures in the water. If you are stepping foot into the water, you have to appreciate the fact that you are bound to feel a lot colder than you would on land, that is a given.
In the warmer months, having to deal with the cold isn’t that big of a problem as the water can reach quite nice temperatures, depending on where you are. However, during the winter it can get extremely cold and uncomfortable, which may make you uncomfortable when trying to scuba. Companies over the decades have noticed that this is an issue and so have sought out solutions to deal with this and because of this there are plenty of things on the market that prevents you from feeling too cold while trying to scuba.
For example, you can purchase items such as insulated wetsuits and gloves for scuba diving in cold water which have an insulated element that protects you from the cold. You can also buy clothing items such as rash guards that will also keep you a little warmer in the cold water. Due to how many solutions there are, it’s near impossible to say that the cold temperatures make scuba diving harder.
All of the possible health risks
Another reason that people think scuba diving is so difficult is because of all of the possible health risks that you may encounter as a result of the sport. Now to avoid scaring you, it is important to know that a lot of these potential health issues are easily avoidable and more often than not, not very hard to deal with.
People tend to think that issues such as the bends or nitrogen narcosis are very common ailments when you are scuba diving, but this really isn’t the case. If you listen to all of the instructions given before you step into the water you are not going to experience any medical issues. The most you will feel is altitude sickness, but this won’t become apparent until after you have left the water and so your actual scuba experience will not be affected. Though you may not be off-put by the idea of feeling unwell because of scuba, you may wonder what you do if you feel sick after scuba diving. Well, depending on who you speak to there are a number of ways to combat scuba sickness. However, the best thing you can really do is just wait it out and help yourself to a few generous glasses of water.
So, is it hard to scuba dive?
To put it plainly, no it is not hard to scuba dive. As long as you have a good level of physical fitness and take in information easily, you will have absolutely no issues picking up the sport in no time at all. So why not find your nearest company and give it a try?
