Weeding Your Scuba Garden

It is springtime in Michigan and the weather this year has been difficult to say the least. Quick and teasing warmups followed by a cold snap that reminds us that winter was not that long ago. These realities make it difficult to get a garden ready to grow.
Not only has this made it difficult for weeding a garden or cleaning up the landscaping but it has also made it difficult to get ready for a safe and fun diving season.
For me to enjoy my backyard deck and patio with my wife and friends this summer, I need to have the area cleaned up. The space around the deck and between the trees must be free of weeds so I can lay the mulch and get the tiki torches placed.
For me to enjoy my summertime diving here in the Great Lakes, I need to have my scuba garden weeded also.
Weeds in your scuba garden include sloppy kicks, choppy movements, losing buoyancy, struggling with clips, target fixation and disturbing the visibility. All of these and other basic skills that lose their fluidity and form over time when not practiced will take away from your overall global awareness underwater.
Although we have certification cards that say we can perform these skills, they need constant attention and practice. If you want to maintain your scuba garden, you will need to weed it much like you will need to weed your home garden as well.

After a few weeks of teaching The Essentials, I spent last weekend doing some much-needed yard work. And while weeding an area I found myself rushing to get the job done and lay the mulch. I was focused on the end goal rather than putting the necessary work in which was the weeding. I was reminded of my students who easily get focused on receiving a card and celebrating that accomplishment instead of enjoying the practice.
Here are a few things I learned while weeding this past weekend that will make your diving better.
 
Try These 5 Tips To Weed Out Your Scuba Garden
 
1- Weed after it rains
After it rains the soil is softer, so the weeds are easier to pull. It is best to weed your scuba garden immediately when you get back in the water after a break. Before you go back into doing bad habits the same old way, which only reinforces their presence in your game, weed out your inefficient movements. Clean up your kicks. Cut down the time it takes you to complete drills. Retrain yourself when your personal soil is soft and ready to be groomed.

2- Get the root
How you first learned something is the most natural way you will perform it. Whether you learned it right or not. Taking the time to evaluate your natural movement and how you flow through a skill or drill underwater will let you see what you are doing. A good instructor can help you make these movements more fluid and take less step to complete. Breaking down fundamentals will give you more freedom to enjoy your dives.

3- Use the right tools
Just like there are tools to help with weeding your garden, there are tools to help you clean up underwater. Get a camera. Get an instructor. A buddy or mentor to help you see the things that you can’t see in yourself on a dive. Seeing yourself underwater from a third person perspective will help you notice the things you really need to work on.

4- There is always more
On thing I learned while pulling weeds was that I was never done. Every time I got up to grab the mulch, I noticed more weeds. They never stopped showing up. Instead of focusing on finishing the job, I needed to learn how to find peace in the moment. To be meticulous and focus my attention on doing the job right. Just practicing a mask clear once or twice is not that same as putting your awareness into all the little details of clearing your mask. Buoyancy control, body position, balance in the water column, awareness of depth, awareness of your buddy, awareness of the environment and visibility all play a role in doing a mask clear. And every one of those little details can be weeded.

5- Enjoy the practice
My biggest takeaway was noticing how much I wanted to rush and get things done. I was willing to cover up and hide a few little weeds and get right to my reward of enjoying a cold beer and a pretty view. I had to stop and remind myself that I have this very same discussion with my Essentials students every class. We have been conditioned as divers to take a class and get a card but there is no other sport or recreation that focuses on the goal rather than the process of continual practice like scuba instruction tends to do. Slowing down and enjoying the work will give you more happiness in the long journey.
 
So, get out there and weed your scuba garden. Get back to enjoying the practice and the rewards it will bring you. The attention to detail will help improve your awareness, it will give you a quiet time to learn about yourself and let you find peace underwater.