I joined this forum to post my swan song to scuba diving. I wrote the following short essay after my physician told me that I must now give up scuba diving. If you agree with the sentiments expressed here, feel free to pass this along to others.
As an aside, the phrase "swan song" is particularly fitting as the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) loves to be on the water, but never actually dives. [Admittedly, though it also doesn't sing before it dies.] Like the swan, I can still get out on the water and stick my head under; i.e., I'm allowed to snorkel and I guess that is better than getting completely docked by my doctor.
All I Really Needed To Know I Learned In Diving Class
By: Richard Wassersug
Its been awhile since I last scuba dived. Of course I miss it. Age and physical disability account for why I can no longer dive. But as I look back, I credit scuba diving with teaching me, not just how to survive underwater, but also how to survive above.
So what was so instructive in that basic diving class I took almost a half century ago that has been so valuable shore-side? In that course I learned three rules for safe diving. All three have served me well both in and out of the water.
1. Plan ahead. The value of this rule is obvious in any setting. Where it has helped me the most is realizing that one must always be planning ahead. One cannot, should not, separate planning from living. For my life on land, this rule has meant making sure that I have a piece of paper and pen or pencil in easy reach to write down ideas, directions, tasks, and actions that I want to follow up on. Thats planning. And, with a way to take notes whenever and wherever I am, I have been able to be productive, by always planning yet also always living.
2. Never stop breathing. This rule, of course, within the narrow context of scuba diving pertains to when one is ascending and risks an air embolism, if one holds ones breath. But even here on land there are times when the world has a torturous terrain with many ups and downs. There are many times when I have felt that I was being suffocated by life. There have been challenging times when I felt so stifled that I couldnt breath. And there have been times when I was so angry and petulant that I was self-destructive and wanted to hold my breath until I turned blue. In all those situations I remembered the second rule of diving: never stop breathing!
3. Never go down without a partner. Ive just mentioned the topographic (metaphorical) challenges that we all face at one time or another in the terrestrial world, with its many endless ups and downs. Simply and literally rule #3 refers to safety while in the water. But in English going down has more than one meaning. In life one can feel like they are going down from illness, despair, or just failing to plan ahead (see rule #1). As a sexual species one obviously needs partners to breed. But even when the kids have left home, there are times when it feels like one is in over their head. There is probably no greater social trauma than isolation. The solution is to always have a partner in and out of the water.
I may never again get to swim with the fish. But for many decades these three core rules of scuba diving have been the BCD of my daily life.
As an aside, the phrase "swan song" is particularly fitting as the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) loves to be on the water, but never actually dives. [Admittedly, though it also doesn't sing before it dies.] Like the swan, I can still get out on the water and stick my head under; i.e., I'm allowed to snorkel and I guess that is better than getting completely docked by my doctor.
All I Really Needed To Know I Learned In Diving Class
By: Richard Wassersug
Its been awhile since I last scuba dived. Of course I miss it. Age and physical disability account for why I can no longer dive. But as I look back, I credit scuba diving with teaching me, not just how to survive underwater, but also how to survive above.
So what was so instructive in that basic diving class I took almost a half century ago that has been so valuable shore-side? In that course I learned three rules for safe diving. All three have served me well both in and out of the water.
1. Plan ahead. The value of this rule is obvious in any setting. Where it has helped me the most is realizing that one must always be planning ahead. One cannot, should not, separate planning from living. For my life on land, this rule has meant making sure that I have a piece of paper and pen or pencil in easy reach to write down ideas, directions, tasks, and actions that I want to follow up on. Thats planning. And, with a way to take notes whenever and wherever I am, I have been able to be productive, by always planning yet also always living.
2. Never stop breathing. This rule, of course, within the narrow context of scuba diving pertains to when one is ascending and risks an air embolism, if one holds ones breath. But even here on land there are times when the world has a torturous terrain with many ups and downs. There are many times when I have felt that I was being suffocated by life. There have been challenging times when I felt so stifled that I couldnt breath. And there have been times when I was so angry and petulant that I was self-destructive and wanted to hold my breath until I turned blue. In all those situations I remembered the second rule of diving: never stop breathing!
3. Never go down without a partner. Ive just mentioned the topographic (metaphorical) challenges that we all face at one time or another in the terrestrial world, with its many endless ups and downs. Simply and literally rule #3 refers to safety while in the water. But in English going down has more than one meaning. In life one can feel like they are going down from illness, despair, or just failing to plan ahead (see rule #1). As a sexual species one obviously needs partners to breed. But even when the kids have left home, there are times when it feels like one is in over their head. There is probably no greater social trauma than isolation. The solution is to always have a partner in and out of the water.
I may never again get to swim with the fish. But for many decades these three core rules of scuba diving have been the BCD of my daily life.
