Besides meditation, there are other activities that people do to connect spiritually. Think of hiking in nature, the union of body, mind, and spirit by doing yoga, or using your creativity by painting or other arts. But did you know that scuba diving also is a highly spiritual activity? In this post, I share seven reasons why scuba diving is a very spiritual activity. If you read till the end, I’ll also give you a bonus reason. You might be surprised how spiritual scuba diving actually is!! Here’s also a little video about it. Subtitles are available in your language and don’t forget to subscribe to the channel :-)
What to expect in this post about the spiritual benefits of scuba diving
I will first give you an overview of all the seven reasons for the spiritual benefits of scuba diving, that also explain why you connect spiritually whilst scuba diving. After this overview, I will go over each reason separately to explain to you the connection to spirituality, the spiritual benefits, and include some examples of my own time when I was working as a diving instructor around the world. For the 8th reason, you have to read till the end of this post or watch the above video.
The seven reasons why scuba diving is a very spiritual activity
- You become very aware of your breath whilst scuba diving.
- You’re totally disconnected from the world and your cell phone.
- Whilst scuba diving, you’re in the silence of the oceans and alone with your thoughts (like meditation).
- You’re much less affected by gravity but float around like our souls do.
- You’re in nature whilst scuba diving, and observe the oneness and how the marine life is interconnected.
- Your spiritual energy field gets cleaned by immersing yourself completely in water.
- Collectively, scuba divers spread awareness and consciousness of the importance of ocean conservation.
1. The focus on your breath during scuba diving is similar to that in spiritual activities such as meditation and yoga
What’s the very first rule of scuba diving? Never hold your breath. No matter if you’re learning to scuba dive or are an experienced scuba diver, you are always very aware of your breath during scuba diving. You can hear yourself breathing in and out constantly. When you meditate, you often focus on your breath to get you out of your mind. Breathing exercises are often used for relaxation and it’s also a very important aspect of yoga.
A Chinese medicine practitioner and meditation teacher told me that scuba diving is like meditation
When I worked as a diving instructor in the Maldives, I was teaching scuba diving to a man from Switzerland who was running his Chinese medicine practice and was also a meditation teacher. The first thing he told me after his first scuba dive, was that scuba diving was as meditation to him. He said the focus on his breathing in combination with the sound of the ocean made him go in some kind of meditative state.
2. Each scuba dive disconnects you from the world like other activities for a spiritual connection such as hiking in nature
Most scuba dives take about one hour to 45 minutes, depending on your air use, the water temperature, and the dive center you’re diving with. During all this time, you’re totally disconnected from the world. You can’t use your cellphone and therefore are also away from the internet, the news, and social media. By the way, if you’re looking for a waterproof phone to use on the dive boat (not for use during the scuba dive itself LOL) or around the swimming pool, check out this post about the waterproof Blackview phone!
3. Scuba diving makes you go into silence which connects you spiritually
When you meditate, you’re going in the silence to connect spiritually. You’re away from all the noises from the world and connect from the inside. Some people in meditation retreats even go into a silent retreat for a certain period to refrain from speaking. Whilst scuba diving you don’t speak, you only communicate by hand signals for safety reasons or to point out fish life. You’re alone with your thoughts and the ocean life. Like meditation, and next to becoming very aware of your breath, you’re just with your thoughts.
4. Being less affected by gravity contributes to a feeling of freedom and a spiritual experience
It feels as if you’re not affected by gravity whilst in the water. Of course, you still are, but much less than on dry land. Whilst scuba diving, you just float in the three dimensional and you can go up and down too. I always have this idea that our soul just floats around without being affected by gravity. We often say to people who have died: “Fly high!”. So you can have the feeling of ‘flying high’ whilst scuba diving down under and being deep in the oceans. It contributes to a very strong feeling of freedom which also makes it a very spiritual experience.
(ad)
5. The connection to nature makes scuba diving a spiritual activity too
A lot of people go into nature to retreat from the world and to connect spiritually. Think of hiking in the forest, mountain biking, or surfing. Lots of people escape city life, even if it’s going to a park, to recharge their spiritual energy and to get more in touch with their true selves. Whilst scuba diving, and being totally immersed in the ocean, you’re also in nature. You’re away from the hustle and bustle of the busy life and just at peace with the nature of the ocean. This connection to nature is another reason why scuba diving is a very spiritual experience.
Nature, and the marine ecosystems of the oceans, clearly demonstrate the spiritual principle of oneness
Oneness is an important spiritual principle that is to be found in many different religions, ancient teachings, and spiritual philosophies. It’s also the first law of the 12 universal laws, which I’m writing about in Safety Stop book. This law, or spiritual principle if you like, emphasizes how everything in life is interconnected. Everything we think, feel, and do creates an effect on the world around us. What we give to life, comes back to us. And what we give to another, we give to ourselves. Just to name a few examples. We often become more aware of this principle by observing nature.
Scuba diving makes us conscious of this spiritual law by observing how all marine life is interconnected
Scuba diving often feels like entering another planet, some people say it’s another world down there. Whilst observing marine life with the variety of fish and beautiful coral reefs, we can become very aware of this spiritual oneness. The marine ecosystems of the oceans are very fascinating to observe and clearly show us how all life is connected. Like being in a forest, the oceans also show us this highly spiritual principle. This is yet another reason that makes scuba diving a very spiritual activity and why it offers spiritual benefits.
6. The use of water in activities for spiritual purification around the world since ancient times
All around the world, and in different religions and philosophies, people use water for spiritual rituals. Think of Jesus, and John the Baptist, and how Christians use water as a symbol to accept Christ into their life. Hindus wash themselves in the Ganga River to purify their soul. When I worked as a diving instructor in Mexico, I heard of the Mayas doing cleansing rituals with shamans in the waters of the cenotes, an underwater cave system. In Spain, the Philippines, and many Latin American countries, there’s a religious ritual on the night of Saint John the Baptist (San Juan), on the 23rd of June, to bathe for purification.
Scuba diving and being immersed in water cleanses our spiritual energy field or aura
So since ancient times and all over the world, we use water, not only to clean ourselves physically but also for spiritual purification and energetic cleansing. And there might be a reason for this. When I was working in the Dominican Republic, there was a Russian couple scuba diving with me. She was really into reading the aura: the energy field around our body that we can’t see. She told my colleague and me that our auras were very clean because we were diving every day. She said that the water immersion kept our energy field clean. I also use salt water to clean my crystals and gemstones (ad).
When I was scuba diving every day I always felt good energy!
I don’t know if you believe in the above, but I do remember that I was always having good energy when I was diving every day. And at the time we met the Russian couple, I was often doing three or four dives a day. Are you excited now to go scuba diving again? Check the below widget on Get Your Guide to book your nearest scuba diving activity or diving course.
(ad)
7. The collective consciousness of scuba divers & the awareness of the importance of ocean conversation
I found another reason why scuba diving is a spiritual activity! This has to do with the collective consciousness of scuba divers. People who scuba dive are often very aware of the importance of keeping our oceans clean and our coral reefs healthy. Very often, divers support organizations such as Sea Shepherd and PADI’s Project Aware. This is because in general, scuba divers care a lot about the oceans and marine life. And it’s not only because every scuba diver’s heart is crying when we hear about coral bleaching, the bycatch of commercial fishing, or the plastic soup.
Keeping our oceans clean and our coral reefs healthy affects all life on Earth. The oceans are the lungs of our planet.
Most scuba divers know the importance of keeping our oceans clean and healthy. But even for people who are not scuba divers and don’t care about observing healthy coral reefs or marine life, the oceans indirectly affect all life on planet Earth. They are considered the lungs of our planet. The oceans absorb a quarter of carbon dioxide caused by humans and around 90% of excess heat, as you can read in this post. You can also read there that oceans contribute to at least half of all the oxygen in the atmosphere.
8. Now that bonus reason why scuba diving is such a spiritual activity: uncertainty
If you follow a spiritual path or religious principles, some very common themes are to be found throughout most religions and spiritual philosophies. Think of forgiveness, detachment, oneness, surrendering, and more. One of these themes, or principles, that is to be found in many spiritual practices is the acceptance of uncertainty. We don’t know what tomorrow brings, but we need faith to accept this uncertainty. The same is true for scuba diving. You never know what the next dive brings, what marine life you’re going to see, on your next dive.
The acceptance of uncertainty is also practiced with each scuba dive
You can expect to see certain fish by knowing where you are scuba diving in the world, but the oceans are always full of surprises. You never know what you gonna see on your next dive. If this post is getting you excited to book your next diving holiday, use the search box below to book the accommodation for your next diving holiday with Booking, click here if you prefer Agoda (ad), and use 12go to find your best flight deal (ad).
Funny: the OK-sign for scuba divers and the circulation of spiritual energy whilst meditating
When I come to the end of this post I would like to make one last suggestion. When I recorded the video at the beginning of this post, I just realized another similarity between scuba diving and spiritual activities such as meditation. When I meditate, I normally put my thumb against my index finger, making a little circle, to keep the circulation of energy going. And what is the OK sign for scuba divers? Exactly that, just switched around. Funny, isn’t it?
Conclusion: Scuba diving is a very spiritual activity with spiritual benefits such as purification
I think we can conclude that scuba diving simply is a very spiritual activity. Not only because whilst scuba diving you’re focused on your breath, are alone with your thoughts in the sound of the ocean, disconnected from the world and the internet, less affected by gravity, and surrounded by nature. You also observe the oneness of an eco-system, contribute to the collective consciousness of not only keeping our oceans healthy but our whole planet, and receive the spiritual benefit of purification of your soul and cleansing of your energy field. And all of that in just one scuba dive :-)
Convinced to go scuba diving again and reap the spiritual benefits?
You might be all excited now to book your next scuba diving holiday or even to learn to scuba dive now. Use these links to find your best flight deal on 12go (ad), book your accommodation on Booking (ad) or Agoda (ad) during your diving holiday, and book the spiritual activity of scuba diving with Get Your Guide (ad). Those links are ads and I earn a small commission. But even if for some reason you can’t book your next diving holiday yet, you might like to follow me for more dive-related content. Or check out my latest post about whale & dolphin spotting on the Canary Islands!
Splashpacker is focused on conscious dive travel with a focus on sustainable tourism
Having seen some very destructive forms of mass tourism when I worked in seven countries around the world as a diving instructor, and graduated with a BBA in management tourism, I decided to create this website to focus on the (often) small companies that make a huge difference. My preferred stays during my travels are in eco-friendly accommodations. I prefer to dive with dive centers that care for the oceans. I also always try to support local people as much as possible and am a huge fan of sustainable tourism.
Safety Stop book and the 12 universal laws
Are you interested in topics such as scuba diving, traveling, and spirituality? I’m writing a book about my adventures of working around the world as a diving instructor and the drama of the early loss of my parents. I’m originally from the Netherlands but left my home country in 2006 to become a diving instructor. I worked in Spain (the Canary Islands), the Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Maldives, New Zealand and Australia. I also take you on my travels to Egypt, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Sri Lanka, Hungary, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Video about the 12 spiritual laws of the universe
During this time, I’ve also been on a spiritual search and stumbled upon the 12 spiritual laws of the universe. I’m still working on a blog post about it, but in the meantime, you can already watch a little video about it here. Feel free to subscribe to my channel! Subtitles are available too.
Follow Splashpacker for sustainable tourism and conscious dive travel
Subscribe to my mailing list below to stay up to date. I’m currently working on a blog post about how to travel more sustainably. You can follow me on social media by scrolling down to below the comments section, don’t forget to leave a comment and share it if you also experienced spiritual benefits from scuba diving! Thanks for reading this post! Happy bubbles :-)
As an associate with Amazon, Get Your Guide, Booking, Agoda, and 12go, I earn from qualifying purchases through the links in this post.
Sign up for the mailing list here:
