5 Reasons You Should Start Scuba Diving

Scuba diving is one of those things that everyone knows about but either doesn’t seriously consider doing, or has somewhere down their to-do list, waiting for the day to “finally have time” to learn it. Considering that it actually doesn’t take much time to complete an Open Water Diver course, here are some reasons you should take the plunge and go scuba diving today!

1. To enjoy the peace and quiet

Underwater, everything is different. To me, it is quieter, it is more serene, it is more peaceful. This is where I can forget about the worries and stresses of normal life, and fully immerse myself in the beauty around me, in the present.

Underwater, no one can talk to me, no one can reach me or remind me of things I’d rather not think about. It’s just me, my dive buddies, and the marine life around me, and we are all enveloped in a bubble of tranquility.

I had about 2 seconds of peace before I had to surface again and breathe so.. get more freedom with diving!

2. To gain access to a whole new world

And yet, it is also exciting. Every time I catch a glimpse of something new or something rare, I feel an overwhelming sense of happiness.

My first octopus in Hawaii. The guide did some freediving here loll..

It feels like such a privilege to be welcomed with open arms into nature’s greatest treasure, to be there in such a large expanse of water where wildlife greatly outnumbers humans, where we are the guests, and not the owners. Sure, you can sometimes see marine life on land…

But see how much cuter and more graceful they look underwater!

Turtles are one of my favorite animals to see. They look so chill slowly moving their flippers up and down to glide through the water effortlessly.

And of course, you’ll never see most of the marine biodiversity on land. It means so much more to be observing these animals in their natural habitats, going about their usual lives, instead of watching them on the computer screen or in the aquarium. Maybe sometimes you end up not seeing something you hoped to, but that is the fun and challenge of diving! Every time you go, there are no guarantees. You don’t know what to expect and you don’t know what you’ll see. And that makes it all the more meaningful when you finally manage to spot that whale shark or manta ray you were wishing to find ~

3. To promote an active lifestyle

Diving is not supposed to be a strenuous sport. After all, you are carrying your limited supply of air on your own back and it would be a good idea to not use it all up before you get to see anything.

However, it is definitely recommended to be fit; being fitter would help you dive better! For me, when I’m not diving, I regularly do sport climbing, swimming, and also go to the gym.

These sports help me burn fats and keep lean, making me streamlined in the water. Fats also increase buoyancy underwater and have to be compensated with extra weights.

Also, exercising helps me build strength, which is much appreciated when I have to carry the tank or heavy dive gear around! [I remember that for my pool session before I started building strength, I had so much trouble carrying my tank on my back and walking to the entry point and waiting for the others to enter the pool D: I had to pretend to be all strong and ok (cos personal pride lol) but actually my back was dying.]

Lastly, I have more stamina when diving, meaning that I don’t get fatigued easily, I am able to control my air consumption, and I can dive more! I’m also able to swim faster without getting overexerted, especially when I spot something in the distance I would like to get closer to.

Dolphins in Hawaii! They swim extremely quickly haha.. I was just snorkelling at that time though

4. To make more friends

So far from what I’ve seen, the dive community in Singapore is pretty friendly and fun! Every time I go on trips, I manage to talk to a lot of people and become friends with a bunch of them. There’s always something to talk about because all of us share such a strong passion for diving and the sea and marine conservation and dive spots and dive experiences and so on… you get the idea.

Here we are talking about diving… again.

We also love having fun and doing other adventurous activities 😀 The friends I’ve made have extended beyond just diving together that one time; we keep in touch and meet up to do other things and travel together. Plus, anytime I need advice on diving or look for people to go diving with me, I have a group of contacts to hit up!

5. To never run out of vacation spots ever again

I already have a long list of places I would like to visit next for my dive travels. I borrowed a book on diving in Southeast Asia and it listed so many places that sound awesome to visit.

Considering that I have a fixed number of leave days I can take and also a limited budget, I expect these trips to take me about a few years (or maybe even my whole lifetime) to complete. That means I would never have to crack my brain thinking about where I should visit next! When I have time, I can just look at my list, make sure the season is good, and start planning my trip ^_^

Here’s my list if you’re interested:

1. Maldives
2. Similan/Surin
3. Lombok/Gili Islands
4. Raja Ampat
5. Bali/Tulamben
6. Anambas
7. Komodo
8. Redang
9. Great Barrier Reef

I guess on the flipside you’ll always be tempted to travel and spend loads of money ><

So here are my reasons to go scuba diving, what do you guys think? Wold love to hear your reasons for diving too!

What’s Next!

If you have been successfully convinced to start diving, check out my post on how I got my Open Water Diver certification!

**All photos are mine, if you use them do include an acknowledgement and link**