Scuba diving is an eye-opening sport that reveals so much about the underwater world as a whole new frontier. At the same time, it also offers allegorical lessons that can be applied to our everyday life. Here are the list of things that you may learn and observe from a trip underwater.

1. Be Present in the Now

When diving, you need to constantly be in the moment and be hyper aware of your surroundings. You have to keep your buddy in sight. You have to be on the lookout for any danger. You also need to be present in order to appreciate and enjoy the experience. What’s the point of diving if you’re not going to allow yourself to take in all of the underwater splendour around you? The same goes for life on dry land. Being in the moment is the only way to live life to the fullest.

2. Just Breathe

The number one rule in diving is don’t hold your breath! But regardless whether or not you’re diving, that should be life’s mantra as it is. There’s nothing more basic than simply breathing and being aware of your breath. It calms your nerves, helps you to focus and connects you to your body. The next time you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, check in with your breathing and focus on keeping it calm and regular.

3. Look Beneath the Surface

Diving is all about discovering what lies beneath the water. It’s amazing what you can find there; even when the waves are rough at the surface, the current can be perfectly calm below. When things are grey and boring from above, they can be colourful and exciting below.

Next time you’re involved in an argument, look deeper to find the true cause. If you find it difficult to get along with someone, try to look below the surface of who they seem to be to get to the good stuff of who they really are. The truth always lies just below the surface.

4. Stay Calm

One of the worst things you can do when you’re diving is panic. Panic gives way to danger. If you’re out of air, signal your buddy. If you see something dangerous, stay out of its path. Keep breathing and stay focused. That advice works just as well beneath the waves as it does above them. The one thing that always makes a situation worse is panic. So before you do anything else, do your best to keep your cool and your chances of getting out unscathed are far better.

5. Trust Others

It can be the hardest thing to do. But once you’re underwater, you have to trust your equipment, your dive partner, your teacher and your dive plan. You chose them all for a reason. Now you have to trust the choices you made. Second guessing your decisions and worrying about them will do you no good once your dive is underway. That’s good dry land advice too. Make choices and rely on those people and things you have put your faith in. Otherwise, it’s nearly impossible to enjoy the things you’re doing or be productive in the things you’re creating.

A blank mind is not your friend when you’re under the water—or on land. Being present and enjoying your surroundings does not mean forgetting all of the lessons you learned before you entered the sea. Having that knowledge at the forefront of your mind makes diving more fun because you know you’re prepared for anything. The same thing goes for when you’re at work or play any other non-diving day.

6. Appreciate Nature

“I never really was a true conservationist or one of those tree-hugger types, sure I liked nature, but wouldn’t be bothered by what we’re doing to protect it. However after taking up Scuba Diving and experiencing the wealth of marine life and coral that exists in out oceans, something changed. I started getting interested in what we are doing to our oceans, and started to do my bit to protect it.”

Sound familiar? Scuba Diving can do that to you. Even if you get into the sport for the fun of adventure, there is no way you will be unmoved by natures beauty at some stage in your diving career. While you may not become an activist, experiencing the fragility of a reef ecosystem first-hand, you’ll surely learn to respect it. There is something awe-inspiring each time we submerge underwater and get to witness the other 70% of earth that changes us inexplicably for the better and helps us appreciate our world.

7. Learn to Have Fun

While there are several other life lessons we can take away from Scuba Diving, we felt that the one that was perhaps the most important was to always learn to have fun in what you are doing. We wouldn’t all be scuba diving if it were purely educational, or scary or dangerous. The reason we Scuba Dive is because it’s fun Despite the dangers, the risks, and the need to stay focused, Scuba Diving is a whole lotta fun which makes the experience worthwhile. If we can try and learn to have as fun in our jobs, and daily activities, suddenly the risks, and hardships don’t really account for much, and we will be better off for it.