Welcome to episode one of Scuba with Scott, A blog where I share all my knowledge and experiences Scuba diving in various locations around the world.
In this episode, I plan on filling you in on my scuba origin story and what diving means to me.
I got started scuba diving when I was on a European trip in high school. We were in Loret de Mar, Spain and my mother and I decided to sign up for Scuba discovery dive. That first dive was all it took to get me hooked. Now back then, I didn't have the means to become a scuba diver, but I have always dreamed of it.
Fast forward to my adult life. After sustaining injuries in the military and later as law enforcement. It was at the advice of my therapist that I took up scuba diving. I thought it was a great idea, although I couldn't see it being therapeutic at the time. Boy, was I wrong!
After retiring early, my husband and I found ourselves traveling the Caribbean. Now you know if you've ever traveled the Caribbean, there is an abundance of dive centers. While looking for an excursion, I came across a discovery dive and remembered my therapist's suggestion. I signed up and was instantly reminded of how much I loved diving the first time. After the dive was over, I had to share my excitement with my husband and told him that I would like to get certified.
After returning from vacation, I found a local dive instructor here in Houston. He was able to provide one on one instruction. I must admit, during the classroom portion, I got nervous. There was a lot of technical data thrown at me all at once, and I wasn't sure if I was cut out for it. I later realized, like anything else in my life, I learned better by doing. After the first pool dive. I felt very comfortable in the water. And knew that I wanted to be in the ocean. I pushed through, hammered out the necessary skill test required and passed my open water certification. Soon afterwards I got my NITROX certification. While on another vacation in Cozumel an opportunity presented itself for me to become an advanced diver.
I have to say the instructors at Dressel Divers in Cozumel are awesome. I can highly recommend Anna, Omar and Millie. They made sure of my comfort every step of the way. The Advanced Open Water Diver course is all about advancing your skills. I practiced navigation and buoyancy and was able to participate in some specialty dives. The specialty dives I did were deep diving, drift diving, night diving., peak performance buoyancy and wreck diver.
Diving is indeed therapeutic, at least for me and a few others.
I’ve been lucky enough to find other disabled veterans that dive as therapy. On the physical side, scientific research and the personal experiences of veterans show that water pressure and the feeling of weightlessness can relieve physical and mental tension as well as chronic pain. "The weightlessness kind of helps my body release itself," says Coast Guard veteran Kevin Cozzie in an interview with the Daily Herald, a publication based in suburban Chicago. "I can feel it when I get out of the water. "Ian James Brown, an Air Force veteran who was injured in the line of duty, returned to scuba diving after his injury through an adaptive diving program. "I discovered scuba again...I was able to integrate skills I thought I had lost," such as the regulation of breathing and balance, he says. "It made me challenge myself a bit more. "Mr. Brown, who suffers from chronic neurospinal pain but has chosen to forego medication, "felt this euphoric feeling," and realized that he was "living pain-free for the first time in 11 years," during an extended dive in Cozumel.
The mental health benefits of scuba diving are as valuable as the physical. I find just being underwater with just the sound of your bubbles and the clicking of the reef combined with the slow deep breathing scuba requires is better than any therapy session I’ve been to.
If you are interested in obtaining your open water certification or would just like to try out a discovery dive, I can help make that happen for you. Feel free to book a consult and if you mention you read this blog, I’ll throw in a free dive*.
A typical dive group size when booking with Prestige Travel Concierge.
Photo credit Sean Bazin
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