As divers, we already understand that distraction during a dive can create risk. If our attention moves away from important tasks such as monitoring air, depth, or navigation, problems can follow. Losing focus on what matters in the moment can quickly lead to danger.

In that sense, distraction is something we try to avoid.

At the same time, there is another way of looking at distraction that I find interesting. Distraction can also be used deliberately as a technique. People sometimes report that these strategies work for them. They can reduce distress and create a sense of calm. Because of that, distraction techniques are often shared as tools that can help divers manage difficult moments.

As an instructor who understands psychology, I’ve previously been quite rigid on my thoughts distraction techniques: that they are unhelpful for multiple reasons. But recently I realised there is more to it, and have been turning over the question of when distraction can be useful?

When do people use distraction in diving?

Sometimes, people find the quiet and peacefulness actually opens a space into which “free-floating” anxiety rushes in. Minds can be very active in generating problems and fears. You can rationally know that everything is ok, but there is an agitation in the body and the mind decides to create horror films. It’s like there is not enough for the mind to do, and so it occupies itself with identifying all the things that could go wrong – and there is plenty of material for that underwater.

_{(And actually, using distraction here may have a certain amount of merit. Humans function well when we have just the right amount of challenge. There are times that increasing the task load does make sense).}

It can also be the case that people are stressed or uncomfortable about something. Diving is full of challenges, and we do not always have what we need to respond to those usefully. For example, if you are concerned about another diver’s behaviour or something your dive guide said that could feel uncomfortable. Similarly, if you know there is something about the dive you are not ready or equipped for, it raises the inner red flags. Clearly the thing to do is address the concern, but that’s not always easy and will quite possibly make you feel worse. Speaking up, letting people know you are uncomfortable … or just the reluctance to make an extra effort to fix something. Sometimes our brains veer towards making the discomfort go away, rather than fixing the problem itself.

And that’s where distraction techniques can be tempting.

What Do I Mean by Distraction Techniques?

When I refer to distraction in diving, I mean deliberate mental strategies that some divers use when they notice discomfort or stress.

These are techniques people sometimes share with each other as ways to handle nerves, or feelings of anxiety underwater. The intention is usually to calm the nervous system or move attention away from whatever feels difficult in the moment.

For example, some divers hum* quietly to themselves. Some count numbers**. Others repeat a song in their head or deliberately think about something else. Then there is photography! When doing things like this, for the purpose of distration the aim is to occupy the mind so that attention moves away from the uncomfortable feeling.

These strategies raise some interesting questions about how attention works underwater and what happens when we move attention away from an experience rather than responding directly to it.

_{[*humming has potentially useful mechanisms besides distraction and is an intriguing topic that I am choosing not to get distracted by in order to focus on the topic of distraction techniques; **similarly mental puzzles can sometimes “switch on” the part of the brain that is logical and may have some use that way]}

Three problems with using distraction in diving

People often use theses strategies as a way of avoiding uncomfortable experiences. In the short term this can seem helpful, and it can reduce distress for a moment. However, distraction tasks takes from our limited attention and adds an unecessary task. At worst, this can increase risk. Over time it can also make the original problem worse.

Getting distracted from very real problems

One situation where distraction can be unhelpful is when an uncomfortable feeling is signalling that something important needs attention.

For example, imagine you are preparing for a dive that feels beyond your current skill level. You feel uncomfortable because you do not want to speak up. You do not want to say that you would prefer to change the plan or sit the dive out. That discomfort is present, and instead of addressing it, you distract yourself. You chat with other divers. You busy yourself with equipment. You keep moving so that you do not have to face the feeling or make a decision.

You notice that you are using air faster than anticipated. Your BCD button is sticking a little. Or perhaps a minor problem with the regulator. Worried about cutting the dive short, or what others will think you try and think of something else and focus on the fish.

Instead of dealing with the situation directly you try to distract yourself from the feeling it is creating. Distraction pulls attention away from the thing that actually needs to be addressed.

Teaching the brain that you can’t cope with discomfort

Another problem is how the nervous system learns from these patterns. If an uncomfortable feeling appears and we repeatedly move away from it, the nervous system can start to learn that this feeling is something we cannot cope with. Avoiding the feeling becomes the solution the system relies on.

For example, imagine feeling uncomfortable because water is leaking into your mask.

These techniques can calm the system slightly in the moment. That relief can be rewarding, and because it works in the short term, the mind may return to it again and again. Over time the nervous system learns that when this feeling appears, it must be avoided. The original situation then becomes more stressful, not less.

The Cognitive Load Problem

There is another issue that can appear with distraction techniques, especially underwater.

When someone uses a distraction technique during a dive, they often add an extra mental task. If a diver feels nervous and decides to count backwards in sevens, or is given a camera, that is now an additional demand on attention.

Diving already requires awareness and monitoring. Air supply, depth, navigation, buoyancy, and communication all require attention. Adding another mental task increases cognitive load.

In that sense, distraction can pull attention away from the very things that keep the dive safe.

When Distraction Can Be Useful

Although distraction often creates problems, it is not always unhelpful.

Sometimes the mind becomes caught in an unhelpful loop. Human thinking often runs in the background as a set of stories about who we are. These stories come from life experience and gradually shape a sense of self.

Many people carry some version of a “not good enough” story. The belief runs quietly in the background and emerges when something goes wrong.

During a diving course, for example, a diver may miss a step in a skill. The mind begins repeating the familiar pattern:

I should have done that properly.
Why can I not get this right?
I am just not good enough.

Once that loop begins, it can be a barrier to learning and performance. Attention moves away from the task and toward self-criticism. Emotional reactions follow. The body responds to the stress of the belief.

In those situations, deliberately interrupting the pattern can be helpful. Recognising that the mind has entered a familiar loop and choosing to redirect attention elsewhere can break the cycle. Its a bit like when a toddler is doing something you really don’t want them to do, so you gently guide them towards something that will occupy their attention.

This is subtly different from avoidance. Avoidance tries to escape the uncomfortable feeling. Interrupting a loop begins with awareness of the pattern, tolerance of the discomfort, and a decision to move attention toward something more useful.

A note on Containing and Shelving Emotions

Underwater there are always elements that require attention. Because of this, it may be more useful to redirect attention toward the environment rather than away from it. Divers often develop other ways of handling strong feelings. (There are practices to support that here.)

Experienced divers sometimes describe the ability to contain or shelve emotions temporarily. This is particularly noticeable in environments where focus is essential, such as decompression dives or overhead environments like caves.

If a strong emotional reaction appears during a dive, the diver cannot stop to process it fully in that moment. The priority is to survive, therefore to problem-solve and take (hopefully) useful actions. In those situations the feeling may be acknowledged briefly and set aside while attention returns to the task at hand.

That process is subtly different from distraction. It is more like placing something to one side because it is not useful in that moment. Detaching attention from it to be directed to a more useful place.

Ideally the diver returns to the feeling later, reflecting on it and considering what it might reveal about the experience or the situation. When safely back on the surface, it can be taken off the shelf and perhaps even contain something useful.

Using distraction wisely

Whether its unfounded discomfort or a very real problem, the important thing is not to panic! Getting hooked on worried thoughts and what ifs can spiral down into ever-decreasing awareness and inability to respond usefully. But its hard to stop yourself spiraling sometimes.

A mind that is looping unhelpfully needs to be interupted. The usefulness of distraction is in disruption.

From there, attention can be diverted and applied more usefully.

For example, if a diver notices their mind circling irrationally, a bit of distraction could be helpful. Not to ignore the problem, just to recognise that the behaviour of worry and rumination is not useful.

However, attention is limited, so rather than wasting it, its worth considering redeployment.

Depending on the context, perhaps shift attention toward something in the surroundings. Before the dive, connect the brain’s logical and problem-solving abilities with dive planning and SAC rate calculations. During the dive, perhaps orient to direction of travel, buoyancy, or building a good habit like checking air. And when all the essential survival stuff is covered, give the mind something interesting to do – here’s where photography could have a role!

In these cases the shift in attention is not really about escaping experience. It becomes a reorientation toward the present moment and toward aspects of the dive that are useful and relevant.

Is this really distraction at all?

Or is it simply awareness of what is not helpful, followed by a deliberate return to what is?