Often I meet people who love water.

And who can not even think about to start diving. When I ask them, most answer me.

Diving is not for me, I’m already too scared at the idea that a fish touch me when I’m swimming

In fact, those who say they are scared of water have. Most of the time, a fear of what is in the water. It should however not refrain you to start diving.

So, I’ll tell you what my loved ones already know very well about me:

I’m a scared, really crazy sometimes. And the very idea that a fish can touch me inadvertently is far from being a pleasant thought … and yet, I dive!

You would have seen me jumping out of the water on this beach of Costa Rica. Running and screaming because a school of fish surrounded us by bumping us from all sides, you would surely laughed well 😉

For a long time. When I was swimming in competition, I did not dare to swim in the sea where it was deep. And when I happened to do it (to follow others). I was relieved as soon as I came back to the shore.

Imagine a whale appearing underneath me. Or a barracuda catching my leg or a sticky alga touching my body was enough for me not to venture out of the well-defined swimming areas. It is in general not something thta should stop you to start diving.

And yet, can we start diving anyway when one is afraid to swim in the sea?

The answer is obviously yes.

As far as I’m concerned, there is not even any connection between the two, whow !

To get into the blue in “scuba diving” mode would have nothing to do with swimming freely on the surface ? Here are some possible explanations:

Protection

When we start diving, our body is mostly protected from the outside world by a diving suit. This removes much of the aversion of the touch on our body of some marine creature evne if it is beautiful.

We are part of it when we start diving

During your dives, we see the environment and can anticipate many things. Seeing the fish, seaweeds and other inhabitants of the seabed not only gives us a safer impression of controlling the environment but also the feeling of being part of this wonderful world.

We are no longer above this world but we are an integral part of it. As a result, it is sometimes more reassuring to be in the water than above when we start diving.

Understanding

When diving, we better understand things and we understand very quickly that marine animals are really much more afraid of us than the other way around. As we observe and understand them better, they quickly become “common” and lose their scary side in our imagination when we start diving.

Lure

One of the factors that probably explain the fact that fear disappears when diving may be the attraction itself of diving. Once in the water, in front of the show that is offered to us, we are so captivated by what surrounds us that nothing else exists … a fish? Not even afraid 😉

For this, and for many other reasons, I can only encourage you to start diving perhaps with a dive in some clear and warm waters somewhere around the world.

And if you hang on to the practice of diving but that, despite everything, you continue to be afraid? No worries, I invite you to read the article “scuba diving, … not even scared?“

Are you afraid of snorkeling or swimming on the surface? Who is like me? Leave a comment below, it will be a pleasure to share with you your own experience

Above all … do not forget to be happy  🤗

Helene

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