How does diving make you feel?

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

I know men feel too, but men don't usually get in groups to talk about their feelings. So ladies, how does diving make you feel?

For me it is complete freedom once I get in the water--not before lugging the gear is no fun. But once I go before, I feel so free and peaceful. I want to stay forever. I am so excited when a fish swims out of the green murky water. I am amazed at the grace of their moments. I am captivated by the world below.

Oh and then well all the gear is loaded, I get home spread it out to dry, I am so tired that I can hardly stand it, but I long to go again.

 

[CheddarChick]

The amazing thing is underwater there are no beauty queens, only the fish themselves. No need to worry about if you look fat, or if your hair is looking like a rat died in it. No one cares. Well maybe if you have a greenie hanging. You are judged by your skills, if you need help, scuba people are the best people in the world. You can float effortlessly, twisting and turning with a simple flick of the fin for direction. Always amazed by the smallest goby or the fightin' attacks of a Damselfish only 2 inches long trying to take you out because you got too near his nest. How many times have you grinned ear to ear underwater only to have water come in because of the smiling, and had to remember to quit smiling so much.
Being able to lug your own gear, and assemble it correctly makes you feel great. Yup tired when you get out, but so ready to go back.

 

[TSandM]

My whole life, two of the qualities I've aspired to and have rarely if ever felt I attained were grace and elegance. When I can stretch out underwater and just hang, absolutely motionless, in balance, with my breathing gently lifting me and letting me fall, I feel graceful. When I can swim under the upturned sailboat, check for octopus, and back out without disturbing anything, I feel graceful. I look at my dive buddy, quiet and stable, streamlined and efficient, and he looks elegant, and I hope I look that way to him.

And in the caves, I felt a sense of awe, very similar to being in the cathedral in Cologne when one of the priests began to sing a mass. It gave me goosebumps. That was an incredibly powerful emotion.

Sometimes, like when I was tipping KMD over as he tipped down to look at a fish, I just feel rowdy.

And above all, in diving, I enjoy a feeling of fellowship with my buddies and friends. There's a camaraderie in this sport that's simply lovely, born, I think, of the lack of any competitive quality to it.

 

[sarita75]

From childhood, my mother called me a fish. If there was water, I was in it even if it meant splashing around in puddles after a rainstorm. Summers in Western NY were meant for the community pool – begging parents to take me there, swim classes galore, or – finally gaining the freedom – pedaling my “Desert Rose” bike there just to spend the entire day in the sun, in the water.

As an adult, I still feel the lure to the water. I could never live in a state where I don’t have access to the sea. I live about 30 blocks from the beach in San Francisco (although it provides no opportunity for diving). If I fight with my husband, he can invariably find me at the beach watching the waves, or on the bluff in Land’s End, the entrance to the bay and the ocean beyond (my own special spot).

Lately I have felt a fair amount of stress – job and the growing pains of a 31 year old, trapped between where I am and where I want to be. When I feel this way, I find myself only wanting to be underwater. Hearing my breathing, feeling the movements of the sea around me, exploring the depth and regaining my foundation, my understanding of how miniscule the woes of life truly are in the grandest of all schemes. Emerging, I feel like my soul has been refreshed. It’s such a powerful feeling.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

trapped between where I am
and where I want to be.
When I feel this way,
I find myself only wanting to be underwater.
Hearing my breathing,
feeling the movements of the sea around me,
exploring the depth and regaining my foundation,
my understanding
of how miniscule the woes
of life truly are in the grandest of all schemes.
Emerging,
I feel like my soul has been refreshed.

I edited your lay out, but it reads like a beautiful free form poem.

 

[sarita75]

Aw Leah, that's beautiful when you arrange it like that. Nice! Thank you!

 

[Giggi]

How do I feel when I'm diving? I feel as if I'm home. My life is a cacophany of adolescent boy noises, loud hubby noises, dogs barking, engines roaring...

Underwater is not silence, but it is so blissful.

When I'm in the water, I am alive. I started swimming from before I could even walk and I never wanted to get out.

The only thing that is more peaceful to me than diving is meditation.

 

[DiverLS]

Diving is so calm. It takes all the weight off your shoulders. It's the best way I've found to de stress. It also opens up a whole new world, new friends and the most fun I've had in my life.

I got a velcro handle for my tank, wheeled dive bag, two weight poches and a wheeled travel bag. That makes the lugging part a LOT easier. Being 5' 10 and in good physical shape helps too

 

[Spratman]

Well, I thought about posting, but since you're discussing feelings.....I think I'll abstain.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Aw Leah, that's beautiful when you arrange it like that. Nice! Thank you!

All I did was add some space. You really have a nice way of writing and expressing yourself. I would encourage you to continue doing so. You create some really nice word pictures.

Now back to how I feel about diving. I am so excited about the dive tomorrow that I can hardly sleep. I am supposed be in bed shortly and I am wide awake!