Scuba Dive

Neoprene is not the most forgiving of fabrics...

Frequently after I end a great dive I wonder why more people don’t take up the sport of scuba.  Sure, there are your usual shark, drowning and wetsuit phobias, and not everyone lives near water worth diving into, but still – what excuse does the rest of the world have?  It’s not that I want to fill dive boats up to capacity world-wide (although that would be a nice boost to the scuba economy), but I really think people are missing out, especially when it comes to exploring the substance that covers 2/3rds of the world’s surface.  Therefore, I propose these 5 Good Reasons to go diving:

• You don’t need to provide your credit score to get a scuba tank – It’s not the cheapest hobby ever, but there are a lot more expensive ways to spend your time.  I think some people assume that a diver has to fork over a ton of bucks, especially in light of all of the gear needed, but it’s just not true.  And, many dive shops offer discounts if you book with them for more than one day.  It seems everyone is holding their hands out waiting to grab some of your hard-earned cash; make sure you are getting something life-changing in return!
• Voices don’t travel well underwater, so it’s easier than ever to tune them out – Pick your own brand of annoyances: politicians, fanatics, your in-laws, maybe even that nosy neighbor with the eternally barking dog.  Though topside you can’t escape them, underwater they are blessedly silent.  There is something incredibly zen-like about the lack of everyday sounds underwater, replaced by the more tranquil sounds of sea life, water and an occasional boat overhead. 
• A little bit of exercise that feels good might be nice – Some dives I have done, like a nice drift dive over Palancar Reef in Cozumel, are so mellow that I bet I burnt more calories sleeping.  Others, like those involving a roaring current or acrobatic acts to climb through wrecks, will leave you almost breathless and completely exhausted by the time the boat returns to the dock.  Scuba can be a great way to get some exercise.  Best of all, there is so much for your mind to absorb underwater that you won’t even notice you are doing something good for your body. 
• “Hey, there’s fish in there!” – Fish, inherently, live underwater.  Ship wrecks are, by definition, wet.  There are some incredibly interesting things to see in the ocean, but only if you take the time to go under the waves.  Squinting at an aquarium in your dry clothes just isn’t the same.

Keep your New Year’s resolution – Go ahead, look at Twitter or Facebook notations on New Year’s resolutions.  By far the most common stated intentions for 2010 are scuba diving, sky diving and losing 10 pounds.  I can’t help you with the sky diving thing nor the weightloss, but I can say that learning to scuba dive is a great goal for the year, one that you’ll appreciate not just now, but in the future years to come as well.