Mindful Diving

Have you ever had a bad dive? Sure, we have all heard the joke, “A bad day of diving is better than a great day at work.” But what is it that makes a dive bad?
Maybe you struggled with your buoyancy? Or, you had a hard time equalizing your ears and were frustrated. Maybe you got distracted and then got separated from the group and lost the Dive Master. Or, maybe the dive was cut short because you used up all your gas too fast and then you missed the Eagle Ray at the end of the dive.
Any of these situations can be discouraging and leave you getting off the boat saying, “That was a bad dive.”
Being mindful underwater and before the dive can help you prepare and execute your diving with passion, calm and peace. Remember why you wanted to learn to dive, it was for the fun and enjoyment. If the practices that you fall into are resulting in anything but that, it may be time to reexamine your diving habits.
Whether you are a diving pro or a bubbling beginner, we all have habits that can make our diving safer or they could be bad habits that put us on autopilot and take ourselves out of the game. Mindful Diving will help keep you focused and performing your best so that all your dives can be, “Great Dives”
Take A Minute
Your pre-dive routine needs to give you a chance to set your brain up for success. If you are stressed and anxious prior to jumping into the water, you are already setting yourself up for a bad dive. You need to get into the zone, focus your mind and take charge of your breathing.
Let another diver enter before you and when they move towards the back of the boat, give yourself that minute or so that it takes them to get their fins on and enter the water to focus your breathing. Pay attention to your breath and move it deep into your belly, instead of the usual fast shallow breathing. Balance it, in and out with control. Inhales turn to exhales only when you consciously let yourself, be in the moment with your breathing. Nervous energy may flood your thoughts, that’s OK. Let them come in and let them go out.
Mindful Breathing
During the dive you must remember that it is your breathing that does most of the work. Your breathing controls your buoyancy. Your breathing gets rid of carbon dioxide. Your breathing delivers oxygen to your blood and body. It calms you down and controls your anxiety.
Being aware of why you are breathing with every breath will calm your mind and give your inhales and exhales a meaning and a purpose that will allow you to continue efficiently. When panic starts to build and you lose control of your breath, you will start mindlessly reacting. These reactions lead to confusion and the very things that will turn this into a bad dive. It is why you missed the turtle, crashed into the fire coral, or lost track of the dive master.
Mindful Swimming
Just like your breathing, it is important for you to know why you are swimming. What your body is doing and what return you are getting from the physical exertion you are putting out. You need an economy of motion and being aware of your work output will help you to reduce unnecessary action. Action that leads to carbon dioxide production, faster breathing and shorter bottom times for you underwater.
It is important to keep your head up, eyes all-seeing and aware so that you know where you are going on the dive. Both in the big picture as well as the micro. See your next target, like the large purple tube sponges and get there with as little effort as possible. Moving as far as you can with each kick. A little further on each kick after. Gliding through the water between kicks instead of continuously working.
Slow Down
Many divers don’t get the opportunity to dive nearly as much as they would like to. Outside pressures with work and family often keep us away from our time underwater that we so desperately want or need. When this happens and we finally get a chance for a diving trip it is understandable that you want to see everything. We get overwhelmed with trying to do too much on the dive, so we don’t miss anything. The problem is that this also keeps you from really enjoying any of it too.
By slowing yourself down and really being in the moment you find yourself seeing and enjoying more. Your dives will become richer with value for what you were able to absorb on the dive as well as on the surface after the dive when talking with your buddies. There again, slow down and be in the moment with them recapping the experience and really making it yours.
Diving on purpose
We need to remember that we are human beings and breathing underwater is not where we are meant to be. Science and physics are working against us and we need to be smarter than nature here. Having a purposeful intention for your dive that includes seeing wonderful sights but also balances an attention to remaining breathing gas, decompression management, buddy team awareness cannot be left to chance.
Although it is easy to put your trust in technology and get a computer to beep and flash when warnings are triggered, you can be more mindful of these things yourself and get more out of your diving. When you have slowed down your breathing and your mind, you will become more aware and managing these things yourself will become easier. When your breathing is purposeful, and your swimming is purposeful your mind will be relaxed enough to take it all in.
This is mindful diving. Being in the moment with yourself and the world underwater that you are visiting. It is the time before the dive actively listening to the dive master. It is the time after the dive listening and sharing with friends. Most importantly, it is the time underwater in the moment. Mindful diving is really being there and getting the most out of the minutes you are underwater, not worrying about the last dive or wondering about the next one.