Afraid of Scuba Diving?

Are you one of those who are afraid of scuba diving? Or perhaps you know someone who is feared of it? Then this article is meant especially for you.

The entry may be useful not only for those who are afraid of diving but also for those who want to help such people.

No matter what other people say, and no matter what kind of professionals may surround you while diving, it takes good courage for someone to do something he is really afraid of. That means that first of all you have to find courage in yourself to make the step. In order to have the desire to dive, you should first of all understand the joy of scuba diving. If you realize that you really want to dive to enjoy yourself fully and not just join your friends in their dive, you’ll more easily find courage in yourself. As you know, a strong internal wish can overcome any phobia.

If you feel that you really have that internal wish of diving, start looking for a good instructor. The role of the instructor is very important in learning to dive. The instructor should be caring and understanding. Tell your instructor everything about your fears so that he knows how to treat you.

Always avoid proud and conceited instructors. They will never be able to help you. So, before starting, get sure that the instructor believes in you and is aware of your fears.



Many male students prefer female teachers and vice versa. Some people say that this helps students become more purposeful. However, that doesn’t at all mean that you should overstrain yourself. Never be ashamed to ask the instructor to go slower or to stop, so that you can have some rest.

If you see that other students are more apt, you may take private lessons not to get depressed from their presence. The instructor will give lessons to you individually according to your capabilities. A good instructor will always let you bring out your abilities and potential. You yourself should decide how much and how fast to dive.

If you feel uncomfortable to learn diving with an instructor, you may turn to your friend who is a diver. No one will understand you better than a friend of yours. Besides, you will never be ashamed of your failures and momentous weaknesses. He will willingly share all the diving secrets and tricks with you. So if you have a friend who is a diver, don’t look around for some other instructor.

If you have already learned diving, that doesn’t mean that you may start diving in the open waters straight away. I am sorry to remind you that you can’t be compared with the starter who has no fears of diving. Besides learning to dive, you should also learn to control your fears. Dive in shallow areas for the first three or four times. Your buddy is still of great importance for you. Stay close to him while diving.


Elaborate gestures with your buddy to stay in constant contact with each other. After two or three dives, you’ll start enjoying the whole thing. The moment you start getting pleasure from diving, all your fears will disappear.

Now, please, imagine another case. You are a great diver, and the underwater life means everything to you. However, your spouse or friend, with whom you’d really like to scuba dive, is extremely afraid of the whole diving process. What can you do in this case?

In my opinion, you can do a great deal. A lot depends on you in this case. Always treat him/her with understanding and never stress on him/her.

If you are not the one to give diving lessons, then do not interfere with the process. Try to stay away from your friend, while he’s taking diving lessons. Just constantly ask him how he is doing. In case of a slight success applaud him, encourage him, ignoring all kinds of failures. Do not constantly remind him that he can do it. It’ll be a great pressure on him. If you see that your friend is not fond of the whole thing, ask him to quit the lessons. That’ll deprive him of the sense of duty in front of you. Most fearful students reach success after they feel free from the sense of duty.


If you notice that your friend becomes engaged in scuba diving process, offer him to take extra lessons with you. This way, you’ll help him get used to his diver-buddy.

After your friend gets certified, do not get relieved. Realize that now he needs you more than ever. While diving, do not show him how attentive you are towards him. Let him feel equal to you and responsible for himself. However, don’t forget to show him that he’ll get your help and support whenever he needs. If you manage to do all this, you’ll greatly help your friend in overcoming his fears and becoming a good scuba diver.

Scuba diving is something really worth trying. Then why let any phobia deprive you of the opportunity to admire the underwater wonders?