Showing posts with label scuba lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scuba lessons. Show all posts

Life Lesson #1

31 October 2009 Labels: , , ,



Be in the Moment


I've often told students that diving is an extreme stress reliever because you can't take your problems underwater with you. No matter what kind of a day you've had, the problems are hydrophobic and don't seem to be able to follow you beneath the sea. When you enter the sea, you enter another world, where all that is, is what's right there.



In the water, the most important thing we do is to pay attention. Pay attention to your air gauge (air is important underwater!), to the sites around you and to your buddy. I've heard many divers say one of the things they love about scuba is it forces them to focus on the present moment. They can't allow their mind to wander underwater. The feeling of focusing on what's in front of you and what you need to do to make it safely back is very freeing. In that very moment, there's nothing but you, the sea and your plan.

If you misread the water in a current, or don't adjust your buoyancy to fit with the water (which is bigger and heavier than you), the water will let you know immediately. If we mess up our buoyancy or get into a situation that's risky, it's not the sea that is out to get us. We can't blame the water for our mistakes, lack of focus or bad timing. We are forced to take responsibility for the decisions we've made up to that point, and then work to find a way to fix them.

Paying attention and being accountable for our actions, thoughts and words in our daily life isn't always as easy. Often we try to shift the blame or focus our attention elsewhere. There may not be the immediate consequences when we act carelessly, like there is in scuba, however, there will be affects to our lives that can include drama, anger and unhappiness.

In the water, if we mess up once, we will definitely replay it in our head and do it differently the next time. I haven't met very many divers with the same "one time I did..." story, but I have met many people who get addicted to drama and blaming in their lives and repeat lifes lessons over and over again.

Being truthful with yourself, and others, about your mistakes gives an opportunity to change the course of the dive. Knowing when you're going into a challenging situation and letting those around you know this is more than you've taken on before. When you mess up, let others know. Just like "dive buddies", people really do want to help us through challenging situations. No one wants to see you drown, whether in water or on land. Even the best divers in the world dive with buddies.
What life mistake do you need to admit to, forgive yourself from and resolve to not repeat it again? Ok...no comments needed below for this one. :)

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PADI Tropical Referral

16 August 2009 Labels: , , , , , , ,

Why sit in a classroom on vacation?

You've paid for the hotel, done the research on the top dive sites, dreamed of swimming beneath the sea, probably even finished the bookwork prior to coming, and now leave via taxi to the vacation dive center in your tropical paradise.

Meeting with your instructor, you review the completed bookwork going over your knowledge reviews, taking several short quizzes and one final exam which, itself takes approximately an hour to finish. Meanwhile, the tropical breeze is blowing outside and the sun is shining...outside.

Now you'll move to the pool. There are 20 basic skills you need to learn to dive. Whether PADI, NAUI, SSI or any other certification agency, we all teach the same things you need to know underwater. Your instructor will explain and demonstrate each skill, then have you try and demonstrate the skill until you show mastery at each one. A minimum of three to four hours will be required to complete the pool portion. Meanwhile, the tropical breeze is blowing and you hear the waves crashing...on the beach.

Usually the next day, you'll be taken out for your first two dives. One day wasted, spent in the class and pool, when your goal was to look at the fish.

In any locale throughout the United States, local dive instructors are available to do the "pre-work" at home so you can spend your hard earned and expensive vacation time IN the water, instead of in the classroom. Through evening or weekend courses, you are able to do the class and pool ahead of time, and quite often, more thoroughly than on vacation.

Who wants to sit through a class on vacation, when with a little pre-planning, you can start with your Open Water certification dives in paradise. Isn't this what you went on vacation for in the first place?

If you need recommendations for local instructors in your area, feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to refer you to a great instructor near you.

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19 June 2009 Labels: , , , , , ,


1. All time really is beach time. When I was in the corporate world, I ran 15 minutes ahead of any appointment on my hectic schedule. Traffic backups created a tight feeling in my chest and impatience for retail lines churned in my stomach. I was never late, no matter what.
But living now in the water world, I realize that all things will come in time. I try to schedule my students on the "ish" time frame. "We'll meet at the site at noonish". If I get there ahead, I can relax and watch the waves. If I'm running a few minutes late, I know they are there....watching the waves.
I once believed that being late was showing another person disrespect for their time...and still do. So, I announce ahead of time, to enjoy the moment, and if I'm not there on the dot, well, we're on 'beach time'. Often, my students will use the same phrase, and rather than being irritated, I smile, knowing I took the churn out of their stomach.
2. People, regardless of gender, all want to be princesses. One of the trademarks of GirlDiver is our 'Princess Treatment'. On dive number one, designed to do no skills...simply introduce students to the underwater world on one exploratory dive, we give Princess Treatment. We have the students enter the water, and after walking to the shore with 80 lbs. of gear on their back, lie floating on their backs in 'Relaxation Pose #1', allowing the muscles to relax into the water. Our dive team then puts their fins on their feet, like a princess. I've had police officers, special forces soldiers, engineers and truck drivers all rave they enjoyed being treated like a princess.
Everyone, in any walk of life, wants to feel pampered. If we can make them feel taken care of and special, everyones day is a little better.
3. Go with the current. It's an undertaking to swim against a current, so you should pick the times carefully, with prior research, before going up against a strong force. Come prepared for the battle. But don't choose that battle everyday. Often, it's nice to just relax into the current, and even though you may not think you want to go with it, your mind can be opened up to new things by relaxing and becoming one with it.
In life, pick your battles. Is it really worth saying something? Are you going to change that person, issue or world? Or are you just going to create a rift? Sometimes silence is golden and if you simply go for the ride, with eyes wide open, knowing the pitfalls, you may be able to learn something new.

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