Reading time: 9 min
Most people live their lives glued to screens, stuck in traffic, eating junk, and calling “Netflix binges” an adventure. Meanwhile, the biggest adventure playground on Earth — the ocean — just sits there, covering 70% of the damn planet, and they never touch it. Pathetic. Scuba diving isn’t just a “hobby” like knitting or golf. It’s a reset button. It’s the closest you’ll ever get to space without Elon Musk overcharging you for a seat on a rocket.
And I’m not spitting cliches from YouTube travel ads here. I’m an actual diver. Certified PADI Open Water, 50+ dives under my belt, and I’m about to go for my Advanced certification. I’ve swum with turtles, descended into shipwrecks, and been in currents that made me feel like an underwater sock in a washing machine. And every single time, I came back up thinking: this is why life is worth living.
The Ocean is Straight-Up Another Planet
Here’s the thing: once you drop below the surface, Earth basically reboots. Gravity stops making sense, sound disappears, light bends into alien shades of blue. You float there weightless, in slow motion, like you hacked the laws of physics. You think VR headsets are immersive? Cute. Try breathing underwater while a manta ray the size of your car glides past.
I’ve seen coral that looks like neon skyscrapers, fish that look like they belong in Pokemon, and moray eels peeking out like grumpy old neighbors. You don’t just watch it — you exist inside it. You feel the currents pushing you, the pressure changing with each meter down, the weird salty taste of the regulator that reminds you, “Yeah, you’re not supposed to be here, but we’ll allow it.”
It’s humbling. It’s alien. And it makes the rest of life feel… small.
Silence That Actually Heals Your Brain
Surface life is a mess. Cars honking, people yelling, WhatsApp groups blowing up with nonsense, bosses emailing you at 10 PM. But 10 meters down? Nothing. Just your breathing and bubbles. That’s it. That hiss-pop rhythm is better than any meditation app you’ll ever download.
I’ve had dives where my head was full of stress — work crap, bills, responsibilities — and the second I descended, it was like the ocean slapped me and said, “Shut up. Look around.” And I did. And suddenly, watching a school of fish glide by in perfect formation was all that mattered. Therapy doesn’t need a couch; it needs fins.
Divers Are Basically a Secret Society
Here’s something no one tells you: scuba divers can spot each other a mile away. On a boat, in airports, in some random cafe — you see someone fiddling with a dive logbook or rocking a faded PADI T-shirt, and boom, you’re instantly connected.
Diving is trust-based. You literally depend on your buddy for survival. That creates a bond most land hobbies can’t touch. I’ve had strangers hand me spare gear mid-dive like it was no big deal. I’ve laughed underwater with people I didn’t even share a language with, just because a fish decided to photobomb us. Dive buddies aren’t just friends — they’re family forged at 20 meters deep.
The Gym Is Overrated, Dive Instead
Everyone’s obsessed with “functional fitness” these days. Kettlebells, CrossFit, whatever. Meanwhile, divers are out here carrying 20 kilos of gear, swimming against currents, climbing back onto boats, and working muscles you didn’t even know you had. And the wild part? You don’t even notice you’re exercising.
Try dragging yourself up a boat ladder in full gear after a 45-minute dive — you’ll feel it. Lugging tanks around builds strength. Controlling your buoyancy tightens your core. Slow, controlled breathing strengthens your lungs. Compare that to staring at a treadmill screen watching calories burn one by one. Diving wins. Every time.
You See Stuff That Breaks Your Brain
Forget safaris, forget zoos. The ocean is the real wildlife show, and it doesn’t need a damn ticket booth. Sharks cruising by like gangsters. Sea turtles casually munching seagrass like they’ve got all the time in the world. Shipwrecks turned into fish condos.
One dive, I watched a ray glide over me like some underwater spaceship, and for a good minute, I literally forgot to check my air gauge because my brain was stuck on “holy crap.” Another time, a curious octopus wrapped its tentacle around my fin strap and stared me down like it was deciding whether to recruit me into its alien cult. You don’t walk away from moments like that unchanged.
Scuba is Adventure + Zen Mode in One
Scuba is weird because it’s both adrenaline and peace. You get the rush of descending into the unknown — wrecks, caves, reefs — but you also hit this state of calm because all you can do is breathe slowly and move with the water.
It’s like nature designed the perfect stress-relief program: “Here, human, carry 20 kilos of gear, jump in, and then just… relax.” Your heartbeat slows, your thoughts settle, and you find yourself floating like a damn Jedi monk. It’s adventure wrapped in meditation.
My Slightly Rule-Bending Truth
Now, if I’m being honest, I haven’t exactly followed the PADI rulebook to the letter. Technically, as an Open Water diver, I’m supposed to stay at 18 meters and keep it simple until I move up. But when your whole family are divers, the rules bend.
I’ve gone down around 40 meters. I’ve done night dives. I’ve poked around wrecks. And yeah, the hardcore safety police are clutching their pearls right now. But when you’re diving with family — people you trust and who know the water like the back of their hand — it’s a different story.
And it wasn’t always just for fun. Sometimes I went deeper or dove at night because I had to. Situations came up that were life-threatening or life-saving. Sometimes it was work. Scraping barnacles off the bottom of a yacht or boat with a metal scraper — those bastards are stubborn. And in Oman, where the heat in the mornings can melt your brain, night diving to do that job was the only option. Practical, not glamorous.
That said, I’m not reckless. I know my limits, I know when to stop pushing, and I know why the rules exist. But it’s also why I’m going for Advanced, and eventually Dive Master. Not because I want another shiny card in my wallet, but because when you’re diving with the “by-the-book” crowd, it’s easier to flash a certification than explain the miles you’ve actually swum underwater.
So yeah, Advanced to make the 30-meter depth official, and Dive Master because at that point, I may as well take the whole damn ladder. If I’m going to live this life, I might as well do it right.
Your Stories Instantly Become Cooler
Let’s be real: nobody at a party cares about how many shows you streamed last weekend. But if you drop, “So this one time I was scuba diving with dolphins…” — you win. End of conversation. People lean in. They want details. They envy you.
Diving makes you the interesting friend. You don’t even need to exaggerate, because reality underwater is insane enough. Telling someone about your first wreck dive, or the time your guide pointed out a seahorse the size of a paperclip — those stories beat “I got stuck in traffic” every time.
It’s Easier Than You Think
I get it, a lot of people think scuba is this elite James Bond skill. Nope. You can get certified in a week. The PADI Open Water course is straightforward: a bit of theory, some pool sessions, then a few open water dives. By the end of it, you’re certified to explore 18 meters deep anywhere in the world.
And once you get hooked (trust me, you will), you start chasing specialties — wreck diving, night diving, photography. Me? I’m heading for the Advanced Open Water cert soon. That bumps me to 30 meters, opens up wrecks and deep dives, and basically says, “Yeah, this guy’s serious.” It’s not hard. It’s just a commitment.
Stop With the Excuses
Every non-diver has the same list of excuses.
- “It’s expensive.” Sure, so is your iPhone. At least diving gives you memories instead of another screen addiction.
- “I’m scared of sharks.” Newsflash: they don’t care about you. You’re not on their menu.
- “I don’t know how to swim well.” That’s why you learn. You’re not doing triathlons down there; you’re moving slowly, controlled.
The first time you breathe underwater, your brain will freak out. Mine did. But once you trust the gear and calm your breathing, it clicks. And once it clicks? Welcome to the addiction.
My Dives So Far
Since my Open Water cert, I’ve logged over 50 dives. Warm tropical waters, rocky coasts, calm bays, some spots with currents strong enough to make me question my life choices. Every dive is different. Sometimes it’s relaxing, sometimes it’s a workout, sometimes it’s straight-up spooky (night diving? That’s a story for another day).
But what sticks with me isn’t just the marine life — it’s the feeling. The peace, the thrill, the reminder that I’m alive and experiencing something most people will never see. That’s why I’m going Advanced. I want more depth, more wrecks, more challenges. Because the deeper you go, the more you realize how little you’ve seen.
Final Thoughts
Life’s short. The world is noisy. People waste their years doing the same boring routines on land, never realizing there’s an entire alien world just a tank’s breath away. Scuba diving isn’t just about fish and coral — it’s about perspective. It reminds you how tiny you are, how vast the planet really is, and how important it is to protect the oceans.
So yeah. Scuba diving is awesome. Not in the “Instagram influencer” way. Not in the “look at me sipping cocktails in Bali” way. Awesome in the original sense: it fills you with awe. It resets your brain. It gives you stories worth telling and experiences worth living.
If you’ve ever thought, “Maybe I’ll try diving one day”… stop stalling. Book that course. Strap on that tank. Take the plunge. Trust me: the ocean’s waiting, and once you go down there, you’ll never look at life the same way again.
Disclaimer: Don’t be an idiot. Follow the rules until you’re trained. I bent them only because I’ve got experience, a family of divers, and enough dives under my belt to know my limits. Sometimes I had to dive deep or at night for reasons that weren’t optional — life-saving or work-related situations, like scraping barnacles off yacht bottoms in Omani heat. Diving is no joke. Respect the training, respect the ocean, and do it right before you push boundaries.
Hey! I personally know that Scuba Diving is the best kind of fun, but as long as you know what you’re doing, but like any kind of sport, there are rules, always rules!
Wanna know what NOT TO DO while Scuba Diving? Click right here: Things you Don’t do while Scuba Diving