I am permanently enrolled in a full-time school called ‘Life’. There is no other institution that gives you never-ending lessons, and the choice is entirely yours whether to learn from them or not.
But what can you learn about life from an esoteric recreational activity like scuba-diving ? An immense measure, as I am still discovering to my utter amazement since the time I took the plunge (literally !)
Let’s begin.
Under water, everything happens slowly. Part of the reason is because of the limits put by the liquid medium, and part is because it is in your own interest to be slow. Your breathing has to be slow, your movements leisurely and your thinking unhurried. Lesson : Above the water also, in life, your pace should be measured and deliberate, savoring the varied flavors that come your way and lingering on to the essence of our existence. Feeling alive is more important than just being alive. But it’s amazing how we are getting increasingly breathless everyday of our fast-paced lives.
Scuba-divers always go diving with a ‘buddy’. (You can go solo, but it is not recommended). After donning the ‘second-skin’ and other gear, divers do a pre-dive ‘buddy check’ to ensure that the all the equipment is functioning properly. In the depths of water, your buddy is always beside you, not only relishing the colorful sights while gliding along, but also ever ready to assist you in case you get into some trouble, small or big. Message : It’s good to have someone to rely on and put your complete trust on in the journey of life, be it your spouse, a bosom friend, a parent, a guru. The buddy is there to help you every time you stumble or take a misstep. And the relationship is two-ways, making it quite enriching, emotionally satisfying and pleasurable.
Scuba-diving is a new frontier for adventure and exploration, but it has to be done with a lot of preparation. First of course is the equipment itself – there’s the high-pressure cylinder with air delivery system, the mask and snorkel, fins for your feet, a suitable wet or dry suit, weight belt and a dive computer to give you information on depth, time, direction etc. However, there’s a whole lot of new skills that you need to learn to survive down below. Equalizing your ears as you descend, clearing your mask of water, taking out the air regulator from your mouth and putting it back, maintaining buoyancy at different depths, becoming acquainted with sign language – these are all necessary competences to be learnt in confined waters before heading out into the open sea. Key Point : Being ready isn’t enough, you’ve to be prepared for any significant change. And adventure is not about taking risks, rather it is about elimination of risks.
Since you’re putting your body in an environment which is out of its element, you need to exercise some extra caution. Dive too deep or too long, and you’ll suffer from what is called ‘Nitrogen Narcosis’, a feeling of euphoria, paranoia, well being, nervousness and a slowing down of the normal functions of the brain and body. Ascend too fast, and you will risk decompression sickness which can lead to dizziness, paralysis, temporary blindness, convulsions and unconsciousness. Holding your breath under water can lead to overexpansion injuries in the lungs. All this may sound scary at first, as it sure did to me, but this doesn’t come in your way to enjoy the beautiful sights during your dive as long as you follow the principles. Lesson : We have limitations, we have to work within those boundaries. Nevertheless, to quote Albert Einstein “Once we accept out limits, we go beyond them.”
Now, despite all the training, preparations and experience that you may have undergone in scuba-diving, there could be an odd occasion when you panic. It may be that you’re out of air, have lost sight of your buddy, encounter low visibility, or suddenly start rising or sinking, or in a rare instance come face-to-face with an intimidating creature like the shark. Panic. A natural human reaction to danger, real or imagined, but very instinctive. The simple solution to counter panic during a dive is to take deep breaths and always think calmly. I know it’s easier said than done, but you’ve got to train you mind to do that. Lesson : When in panic, calm down and breathe deeply. Fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind. And the other side of every fear is freedom.
Divers go to extreme lengths in taking care of the world under water. We humans are mere visitors, indeed veritable guests in the marine world, and have to behave responsibly so. Divers are deeply respectful of the aquatic wildlife. Whether it is a tiny fish, a gentle turtle, a magnificent Manta ray or a formidable shark – all are treated with due reverence. Any dose of aggression is left behind above the water. Even the beautiful and inviting corals are only to be appreciated with the eyes rather than the hands, as simply touching the corals may remove some of the protective mucous coating, making them susceptible to injury or infections. Moral : Live and let live. Do unto others what you would have them do unto you. We’ve come to this wonderful world to nurture it, not harm or destroy it. And we need to make this world a better place for you and me, and for our future generations to live in harmony with nature.
There. I never knew I could learn so much about life above water from going under water ! But I was humbled by a statement made by my diving instructor, Martin, after he surfaced from a dive, when he said, almost to himself, “I learnt something new during this dive”. I was too dumbfounded to ask him what could he have possibly learnt which he already did not know. Because this came from a man who is a veteran of maybe more than 2,000 dives (you’ll take about five and a half years of diving every single day of the year to achieve this feat !)
Ladies and gentlemen, take a bow. And never stop learning in life.
Endpiece : It is utterly false and cruelly arbitrary to put all the play and learning into childhood, all the work into middle age, and all the regrets into old age. - Margaret Mead
But what can you learn about life from an esoteric recreational activity like scuba-diving ? An immense measure, as I am still discovering to my utter amazement since the time I took the plunge (literally !)
Let’s begin.
Under water, everything happens slowly. Part of the reason is because of the limits put by the liquid medium, and part is because it is in your own interest to be slow. Your breathing has to be slow, your movements leisurely and your thinking unhurried. Lesson : Above the water also, in life, your pace should be measured and deliberate, savoring the varied flavors that come your way and lingering on to the essence of our existence. Feeling alive is more important than just being alive. But it’s amazing how we are getting increasingly breathless everyday of our fast-paced lives.
Scuba-divers always go diving with a ‘buddy’. (You can go solo, but it is not recommended). After donning the ‘second-skin’ and other gear, divers do a pre-dive ‘buddy check’ to ensure that the all the equipment is functioning properly. In the depths of water, your buddy is always beside you, not only relishing the colorful sights while gliding along, but also ever ready to assist you in case you get into some trouble, small or big. Message : It’s good to have someone to rely on and put your complete trust on in the journey of life, be it your spouse, a bosom friend, a parent, a guru. The buddy is there to help you every time you stumble or take a misstep. And the relationship is two-ways, making it quite enriching, emotionally satisfying and pleasurable.
Scuba-diving is a new frontier for adventure and exploration, but it has to be done with a lot of preparation. First of course is the equipment itself – there’s the high-pressure cylinder with air delivery system, the mask and snorkel, fins for your feet, a suitable wet or dry suit, weight belt and a dive computer to give you information on depth, time, direction etc. However, there’s a whole lot of new skills that you need to learn to survive down below. Equalizing your ears as you descend, clearing your mask of water, taking out the air regulator from your mouth and putting it back, maintaining buoyancy at different depths, becoming acquainted with sign language – these are all necessary competences to be learnt in confined waters before heading out into the open sea. Key Point : Being ready isn’t enough, you’ve to be prepared for any significant change. And adventure is not about taking risks, rather it is about elimination of risks.
Since you’re putting your body in an environment which is out of its element, you need to exercise some extra caution. Dive too deep or too long, and you’ll suffer from what is called ‘Nitrogen Narcosis’, a feeling of euphoria, paranoia, well being, nervousness and a slowing down of the normal functions of the brain and body. Ascend too fast, and you will risk decompression sickness which can lead to dizziness, paralysis, temporary blindness, convulsions and unconsciousness. Holding your breath under water can lead to overexpansion injuries in the lungs. All this may sound scary at first, as it sure did to me, but this doesn’t come in your way to enjoy the beautiful sights during your dive as long as you follow the principles. Lesson : We have limitations, we have to work within those boundaries. Nevertheless, to quote Albert Einstein “Once we accept out limits, we go beyond them.”
Now, despite all the training, preparations and experience that you may have undergone in scuba-diving, there could be an odd occasion when you panic. It may be that you’re out of air, have lost sight of your buddy, encounter low visibility, or suddenly start rising or sinking, or in a rare instance come face-to-face with an intimidating creature like the shark. Panic. A natural human reaction to danger, real or imagined, but very instinctive. The simple solution to counter panic during a dive is to take deep breaths and always think calmly. I know it’s easier said than done, but you’ve got to train you mind to do that. Lesson : When in panic, calm down and breathe deeply. Fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind. And the other side of every fear is freedom.
Divers go to extreme lengths in taking care of the world under water. We humans are mere visitors, indeed veritable guests in the marine world, and have to behave responsibly so. Divers are deeply respectful of the aquatic wildlife. Whether it is a tiny fish, a gentle turtle, a magnificent Manta ray or a formidable shark – all are treated with due reverence. Any dose of aggression is left behind above the water. Even the beautiful and inviting corals are only to be appreciated with the eyes rather than the hands, as simply touching the corals may remove some of the protective mucous coating, making them susceptible to injury or infections. Moral : Live and let live. Do unto others what you would have them do unto you. We’ve come to this wonderful world to nurture it, not harm or destroy it. And we need to make this world a better place for you and me, and for our future generations to live in harmony with nature.
There. I never knew I could learn so much about life above water from going under water ! But I was humbled by a statement made by my diving instructor, Martin, after he surfaced from a dive, when he said, almost to himself, “I learnt something new during this dive”. I was too dumbfounded to ask him what could he have possibly learnt which he already did not know. Because this came from a man who is a veteran of maybe more than 2,000 dives (you’ll take about five and a half years of diving every single day of the year to achieve this feat !)
Ladies and gentlemen, take a bow. And never stop learning in life.
Endpiece : It is utterly false and cruelly arbitrary to put all the play and learning into childhood, all the work into middle age, and all the regrets into old age. - Margaret Mead
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