Let’s be honest: recreational SCUBA diving isn’t rocket science.
There isn’t a single piece of information so difficult that we can’t understand it. And even the most challenging concepts have been reduced to their most basic form, like decompression and dive table theory, for example. The information we received during our basic course is more than enough to have an incredibly satisfying diving career.
And, all in all, it’s not even physically demanding, intense, or complicated. After all, we learned that we should move as little as possible, and as slowly as possible … not exactly like artistic gymnastics, rugby, dancing, or many other examples we could cite.
And let’s be honest again… not all dives are so adrenaline-filled as to push us to our limits.
Nevertheless, we often struggle with at least some aspects of our performance, or at least, we don’t perform as well as we would like or should, considering the time or number of dives we’ve dedicated to SCUBA diving.
A bit like a skier who still snowplow even after years on the slopes.
Or someone who hasn’t mastered a foreign language they’ve been studying for years.
But while learning to properly ski or to properly speak a foreign language are objectively highly demanding activities, SCUBA diving doesn’t require the same amount or type of effort.
And while we could argue that managing a dive, considering the vast range of potential conditions we could encounter, isn’t so easy or obvious, the truth is that many divers struggle with simple techniques, skills, and exercises, without even progressing to personally managing an entire dive under challenging conditions.
So, why does this happen to so many of us?
SCUBA diving is complex, meaning it involves many different aspects and considerations. Most, if not all, of these are quite easy when considered individually, but they can become overwhelming when considered collectively.
There are many reasons that could be the root of our setbacks, most of which are out of our control, and about which we can do little or nothing to change. However, many others are within our control, and many play a crucial role.
