Top 5 Benefits of Scuba Diving

As I reach the halfway point of my divemaster internship with Rocket Frog Divers in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, I thought I should update my blog a bit. It hasn’t been wanting to load while I have been here, but I’m hoping writing it on windows livewriter and then just posting it will work. Anyway! I have been super busy diving almost every single day (I have already doubled my number of dives since arriving three weeks ago. I have also learned valuable lessons at the air compressor, whipping tanks onto the truck and holding down the dive shop. Thank god I did CrossFit before I came here or I would be even more exhausted than I already am every single night. (I have been known to go to sleep before 8:30pm, and yes I realize that makes me seem like an 84 year old…) Scuba diving everyday is hard work! It is so rewarding, the biodiversity here is absolutely amazing. Every single dive is something new, and I am always amazed at the variety and abundance of sea life. My top favorite sightings so far are a glimpse at a Giant Pacific Manta, a pacific sea horse, and a fever of about 40 rays. It has been amazing. I am loving everything about Costa Rica. I am going to do a day in the life post as soon as I take some more pictures, and get back in the water after this stupid ear infection…yuck. For now, the benefits of scuba diving

1. 1. Full Body Workout (without feeling like one)! Because water has much greater resistance than air every movement done underwater requires more effort than that same movement would on land. Since the entire body is submerged, unlike when swimming laps at the surface, every muscle in the body is working against the water resistance. Most people know the expansive list of benefits swimming at the surface provides- a high calorie burn with little impact. Swimming fully submerged is all of that, and more! The best part is, scuba diving doesn’t usually feel like hard work! You can enjoy the incredible scenery and take in the underwater wonders and not feel at all like you are “working out”. I think it beats running on the treadmill anyday!

2. Relieve Stress- A wise man told me that he considers scuba diving underwater meditation. Being beneath the waves is relaxing, soothing, and therapeutic as you listen to the sounds of your own breathing. The feeling of weightlessness soothes and relaxes muscles. The tranquility of the underwater world alleviates the daily worries and drag of everyday life. Scuba diving is therapetuic for body and mind. And the mere thought of being able to breathe underwater is unbelievable! 

3. Appreciate a world rarely explored– Many people people do not have the opportunity to explore all there is to see underwater! The biodiversity is astounding. Scuba diving is unlike any activity on land. Being fully surrounded by a new environment is indescribable. Just like the different ecosystems on land there are all types to explore underwater, from coral reefs, to arctic aquatic ecosystems, freshwater lakes to kelp forests.

4. Be unique! The Effiel Tower receives about 7 million visitors each and every year. About 40 million people go to Disney World every year. There is an estimated just 4-6 million certified scuba divers worldwide. (Of course this number is very hard to determine, and the actual number is unknown). But only a very small percentage of the world are scuba divers. Be the less than 1 percent! 

5. Meet amazing people! Scuba divers are exciting people, they have great stories of adventures and things they have seen underwater- and they love to chat! The social aspect of scuba diving is almost as great as the activity itself! Scuba diving offers you the opportunity to explore new places, meet great people, and have the adventure of your life.

For your mind, body, and soul…