5 Reasons Non-Divers Should Learn to Dive
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For many, scuba diving looks difficult, seems dangerous, and sounds expensive. But while a certain investment of time and money is needed, carefully designed training programmes and modern technology have made scuba diving a safe and enjoyable sport that anyone can learn. Here are five reasons why you should take the plunge!
Text credit: Dorothy Clement
1. Learn a New Skill: Scuba diving is like no other challenge you’ve ever set yourself, and picking up the skills is immensely rewarding. At the same time, by overcoming any fears you may have had, you’ll feel more confident and in control, things you can bring into other aspects of your life.
2. Become a Specialist: After getting your open water diver certification, there are a lot of options for you to explore. From cave diving to freediving to rescue diving, you can take up almost anything that interests you.
3. Get Away From It All: There’s no better way to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life than to soak in the tranquil surroundings of the ocean while you admire Nature’s creation. Away from social media, email, and TV, you’ll find inner peace while scuba diving that will make you feel more content and less bothered by life’s stresses.
4. See Exciting Marine Animals in Their Natural Habitats: Marine life encounters are nothing like a visit to your local zoo or a wildlife safari experienced on land. You are, quite literally, immersed in their world, and have the freedom to observe up close. From nudibranchs to corals, schooling fish to sharks, you can be right where the action is.
5. Develop a Newfound Respect for the Ocean: We are visual learners, and by becoming a diver and experiencing the underwater world firsthand, we will become more aware of the impact we are having on the ocean’s fragile ecosystems. More than 12 million tonnes of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year. Many other factors are also threatening our beloved ocean – such as climate change, ocean acidification, and pollution. Whether it is by reducing our reliance on plastic or by learning how to mitigate coral bleaching, we can all become advocates of change.
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This article is from Issue 6 of AsianDiver 2021, which can be purchased here.