Why you should Scuba Dive…in Koh Tao, Thailand!
Did you know that scuba diving is one of the fastest growing extreme sports in the world today? What does the term scuba mean? Well, it was originally the acronym SCUBA, which is short for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus and every year, millions of people go scuba diving, whether for a course, an introductory dive, or because they already have their diving licence.
Scuba diving is the main activity here in Koh Tao, due to the awesome dive sites, colourful coral and plenty of marine life, it’s easy to see why people flock to Koh Tao every year in order to scuba dive!
But why should you scuba dive, is it just an extreme sport or are there benefits in donning a heavy tank on your back and exploring the underwater world? The answer is yes, and here’s why!
Gain strength & flexibility!
Just carrying the gear can definitely help you with your strength but also as you move throughout the water during the course of a scuba dive, your muscles tend to work harder than they would if you were outside the water. This is due to the resistance of the water but also the current. The more you dive and swim, the more your muscles lengthen, build strength and develop endurance as well as flexibility.
Control your breathing!
Breathing whilst diving is slow and deep, similar to the breathing we do whilst meditating, which is essential when conserving and optimizing your air consumption. During a scuba dive, you breathe in and tend to breathe out slower which reduces the heart rate, promoting calm.
Stimulate your mind!
When exploring the marine life surrounding you on your dive, your body is flooded with excitement, wonder and awe. Seeing the sheer variety of underwater life and the amazing colour of the corals and is enough to put anyone in a good mood. Seeing certain colours can also help to change and improve your mood
Release those endorphin’s!
Scuba diving stimulates your heart, body and mind! As mentioned before, when we breathe underwater, it should be slowly and deeply. Whether in cold or warm climates, when you’re doing what you love combined with holiday, adventure, excitement and lifetime experiences, this ‘time out’ gives your body a chance to rest and bring it back to a natural balance.
See things other’s won’t!
You will see things you’ve only ever dreamed of, amazing colours, historic wrecks, man made reefs, beautiful islands, bizarre marine life you didn’t even know existed…plus those that you did; the list goes on!
Dive anywhere in the world!
The World is over 70% water, which means there are more places in the world where diving is possible than those where it isn’t. So no matter where you live, or where you travel for holiday, once you get your PADI Open Water certification, you won’t be too far from diving – even lakes and quarries offer fabulous diving…we would, however, suggest scuba diving on a tropical island called Koh Tao though!
Wow, I didn’t realize that there were so many actual benefits to scuba diving. I had always been under the assumption that it was just a fun activity that you can do on vacation. However, it is really cool that, by regularly going scuba diving, you can improve stuff like being able to control your breathing.
Absolutely! There are so many practical applications to Scuba beyond the obvious….one of the many reasons why divers are some of the happiest folk you’ll meet! 🙂
My fifth anniversary is coming up, and my husband and I want to do something really memorable to celebrate it. I think that it’s really cool that by scuba diving you’ll be able to see things like reefs, bizarre marine life, and other unique things. That seems like it would be really special. We should find somewhere that could train us how to scuba dive so that we could go on a trip for our anniversary.
Happy anniversary. We quite agree – Scuba would an amazing experience to share as a celebration, and a great pass time in general for you and your favourite buddy. Where are you based? We’d be happy to help with information on courses 🙂
I have always dreamed of scuba diving, and my husband and I are thinking of taking a vacation and getting certified for scuba diving! I had no idea that scuba diving can help you to gain strength and flexibility as well as stimulate your mind. Also, I love the idea of seeing new things that I would never see otherwise. I am getting more excited for this vacation now and I will show my husband these benefits!
Thanks for your comment and great to hear you are thinking of planning a dive holiday to get certified! SCUBA diving really does have many positive benefits. Plus when learning with partner it also strengthens your communication skills and trust levels. There really is no down side!
Where are you thinking of going to dive? If you need any info on courses etc just let us know! 🙂
It sure got my attention when you said that scuba diving allows a person to see a lot of things that they never knew existed, like bizarre marine life, historic wrecks, and so many other things. Now I am even more interested in trying out diving. I wanted to give it a try since I want to do something exciting and mind-opening for my birthday. Seeing this made me realize that I chose the right activity. Thanks!
Yes, it’s a whole other world down there – you should definitely give it a try. If you need any further info on courses or programmes please don’t hesitate to ask 🙂
Thanks for helping me learn more about scuba diving. It’s good to know that you should try to breathe like you do when meditating to help keep you calm. It also sounds really important so you can make rational decisions underwater when necessary.
You are very welcome. Yes, being relaxing and breathing slowly makes for more relaxing dives, better buoyancy, better judgement and communication, and all round more enjoyable dives 🙂
There are a number of surprising benefits that you can gain from learning how to scuba dive. I particularly like that the article points out the strength that you can gain as one of them. After all, it takes a lot more effort to move your body through the water than it does on land, so you’ll naturally start to build some muscle.
Thank you very much for your comment, Duncan. Yes, indeed this is one of the points that is quite often overlooked, but still an important one. Did you feel that you started to build up your strength when you learned to dive?