This is an excellent question we get asked whenever we talk about diving with a non-diver. The idea that scuba diving might be hard is one of the reasons people avoid trying it!
But really, learning to scuba dive is just learning a new set of skills. There will be easier parts to grasp, and there will be more challenging parts. It comes down to a person’s aptitude and which aspects of diving they are really interested in.
Why don’t we break down some of the elements of scuba diving. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list; you will learn all this and more in your certification courses. But for a general idea, check out below.
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A Few Elements of SCUBA Diving
General safety
Having a sense of safety is always smart. One way you can keep yourself safe is always to have a buddy when diving. You will learn about the buddy system in your beginner levels of certification, and it will be reiterated as you advance. This is fundamental.
Your body temperature control is also very important. As mentioned in our article, “Wearing A Wetsuit When SCUBA Diving: The Ultimate Guide”, water wicks heat away from your body much faster than air – approximately 25x faster, in fact! Therefore, ensuring you are wearing the proper wetsuit thickness and, when necessary, gloves, hood, boots, etc., will always help control your body temperature.
More basic thoughts for safety are things like always having fresh water with you to stay hydrated. It might be a surprising thought, but exerting yourself, even under water, means you sweat! So, staying hydrated is vital. It would be best if you also planned to have a couple of healthy snacks or meals with you. Feed your body well to allow it to function optimally while in a foreign environment.
Swimming Skills
When you are learning to scuba dive, it is required that you be able to float for 10 mins and swim 200m (without gear) or 300m with fins, mask, and snorkel. In addition, general comfort in the water is essential, though it is likely that if you are considering scuba diving, you know you enjoy the water and are pretty comfortable already.
As you scuba dive more and more, you can expect this skill to improve naturally. Granted, you aren’t swimming laps, but overall just being in the water more makes a person feel more at home in that environment.
Equalizing Air Spaces
Have you ever plugged your nose and then tried to blow out of it? Or been in an airplane and had to open and close your mouth, or swallow, to “pop” your ears? If you have, then you have already equalized air space in your head.
Now, when you get into the water, it is going to be somewhat different, just like everything else under water. It may take some practice to determine what technique and method is right for you to ease that pressure in your sinus’ and ears. Every person’s anatomy is different, so while this isn’t hard, it is part of the skill set you need to have.
Another air space that we don’t think about equalizing is our lungs. This one is easy because you have been doing it your whole life! All you need to do is breathe. Now there might be some excitement, or maybe some nerves, as a new diver. The trick is to breathe naturally.
Buoyancy Control , Descending & Ascending
And so down you go! Is this part of scuba diving hard? Well, you are starting to get into the real “diving” part of scuba, which comes with learning some new skills.
This is when you learn the technique of buoyancy control. You will use a couple of pieces of your gear to do this.
The use of weights on a belt pulls you down, with your body composition and gear helping determine how much weight goes onto the belt. Your instructors help you figure this out and how to assess the particulars of this skill. An excellent example of a basic weight belt can be found here. Inflating and deflating your bcd with air helps control how quickly or how much you descend or ascend, and you use this in combination with your weights, etc., to help send you in whichever direction you aim to go.
This is an enjoyable part of learning to scuba dive, and you might be bobbing around a bit until you gain proficiency of these different elements. So enjoy this stage, and get some laughs in. Every part of scuba diving is meant to be fun, and the learning part is no exception!
Air Management
This is both a simple and technical skill to get a handle on. Part of your air management is just knowing how to breathe. As mentioned above, you should always strive to “breath normally.” If you are gulping air, it makes sense that you will have less time down on your dive as you will go through the air in your tank much faster. This is a common learning curve for new divers. So, don’t beat yourself up if you tend to gulp a bit at first. Just calm your mind and enjoy the feeling of the water all around you. Distracting from the act of breathing may actually help you to regulate your breathing and prevent gulping.
Another aspect of air management is learning how much air is in your tank. Again, this is more technical than just breathing. You will be taught to read the gauges on your scuba setup; these are your lifeline. Your instructor will ensure you understand what they mean and how to use them to manage your time underwater based on your tank’s air volume.
Dive Planning
Now you are ready to go!! This is how you know you are really a scuba diver. Dive planning is a critical part of every trip into the big drink. Not only is it for safety – always make sure someone above the water has access to your dive plan in case of emergency – it is also for the sheer enjoyment of planning an adventure.
Your beginner course will go through the elements of what makes up a good dive plan. Take notes, and don’t expect to have it all memorized. That definitely takes the “hard” out of this element!
SCUBA Diving Gets Easier With Time
The best way to know if scuba diving is hard is to get out there and do it! Like all new skills, you can expect to fumble initially. Some things might be more challenging than others. But every dive is another opportunity to firm up that knowledge and continue to put it to good use.
