Not only is scuba diving an incredibly fun sport that can also be incredibly relaxing, but it is also a great physical activity that has a number of health benefits associated with it. These are some of the key reasons why taking up scuba diving could prove to boost your overall health and wellbeing.
1 – Improve Your Physical Fitness
There are lots of reasons why scuba diving can help to improve your level of physical fitness. Like any form of exercise, if you are participating in scuba diving on a regular basis then you will see a steady improvement in terms of your overall fitness levels while also improving your stamina. You are probably already aware that when you are exercising underwater there is a natural resistance which can elevate even the most gentle of workouts. Scuba diving is going to require you to kick your legs in order to propel yourself through the water. This means having to work against the resistance provided by the water. You may not feel like you are working all that hard, but you can burn up to 500 calories per hour during a scuba diving session! That is more or less as effective as an hour of cardio at the local gym.
As an added bonus, since scuba divers need to also be able to carry the scuba gear while on dry land, you will also find that you naturally improve muscle tone in your back, arms and legs. This has proven to help offer relief to ailments such as backache by reducing pressure on the spine.
2 – Master Meditative Breathing
One of the important skills that you will learn when you take up scuba diving is going to be controlling your breathing. It is necessary to breathe slowly and deeply when diving in order to make your air supply last for as long as possible. This steady breathing pattern is also going to foster a much calmer attitude which helps to reduce the risk of lung expansion injuries while in the water.
Once you have mastered this breathing technique you may begin to recognise that it is actually very similar to the techniques used in meditation. This is because those slow, deep breaths helps to encourage the body into a calm, relaxed state which in turn reduce stress and can even help the body to balance its own nervous system! This style of breathing increases your oxygen intake which has a number of benefits including offering your body an energy boost, improving your circulation and even improving heart, lung and brain function. Once you have learned this breathing technique for diving, you can actually use it on dry land as well to reap these additional benefits!
3 – Social Health Benefits
So far we have more or less focused on the physical benefits of scuba diving in relation to your health, but there are also mental and emotional health benefits as well! Taking part in scuba diving can offer you some tremendous social health benefits.
It is always wise to team up with a diving buddy, both for safety and for the social side of this activity. When you have a dive buddy you learn to take responsibility for both you and your buddy while in the water. If you do not have anyone that would like to go diving with you then there is no need to worry. You can participate in group dive tours with operators such as the Living Ocean Scuba team and meet like minded people who share your interest. Scuba diving is actually a really great way to make some new friends!
These are just a few of the health benefits that can be associated with scuba diving, but there are many more that we haven’t touched on here. Hopefully this has given you a little insight into just how much scuba diving could do for your mind, your body and even your spirit!
