Over the last few years, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how what is known about human behaviour can help us as divers, and also how scuba diving and our experiences there can help us as humans.
Divers have many experiences that are useful to grow through. We need different things for different experiences. Sometimes we need help. There are many specific issues that a wide range of divers want to understand and learn from. These issues are more common than the divers going through them would think.
There is a huge amount of knowledge available across psychology, human factors, and related fields that is directly relevant to diving. As an instructor, I’ve been able to use all sorts of useful stuff to help the divers I work with, so I know there are things we can do.
And yet, one of the biggest challenges is to bridge the gap between theory and practice. How do we connect the stuff that is known with the people who need to know it… and at the time they need to use it!
Practices
With that in mind, I’ve started creating guided audio practices specifically for scuba divers.
These are short, structured audio exercises that you can listen to and follow along with. Some involve reflecting on past dives, some involve imagining situations, and others focus on working with thoughts, feelings, and reactions that come up around diving.
The aim is not just to provide information, and it’s to create something you can actually use.
Bridging the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
One way to share knowledge is through writing. Blogs, guides, courses. And these can be really helpful.
But there is still a gap between reading something and actually applying it.
Even when we understand something, that doesn’t always mean we can use it when it matters.
I’ve explored this through courses, making things more interactive and discussion-based, and that does help to some extent. And I realised that one way to move further across that gap is through practices.
In particular, audio practices.
Because when you’re listening and following along, you’re not just thinking about something. You’re beginning to do something with it.
Many of these practices involve imagining situations, or reflecting on experiences you’ve already had. They are a step closer to real-life application, and a step closer to individual relevance.
They also allow for repetition. You can come back to the same practice multiple times, and that’s often where change happens, not just in a single moment of insight.
A Different Kind of Connection
There is also something about the mode of communication.
Reading can be powerful. You can feel a real connection with the person who has written something. It can resonate.
And when things feel more challenging, when you’ve had a difficult dive or you’re struggling with a particular skill, there is often a need for something more human.
Audio brings a different kind of connection.
There is a sense of being spoken to, of being understood. And even the existence of a practice on a particular topic can carry a sense of being seen. Of someone recognising that this is something divers experience.
That matters.
Being Seen as a Diver
I think one of the things divers often need is a feeling of being seen.
When you first learn to dive, it’s exciting. You want to talk about it. And sometimes the people around you don’t quite understand what it’s like.
It can be about sharing how incredible something was. The sense of awe, the connection, the experience of seeing something underwater that stays with you. These practices can help you stay with those moments, to reflect on them, and to deepen that experience.
And it can also be about when things don’t go to plan.
When something feels difficult, or uncomfortable, or doesn’t quite make sense, it’s not always easy to find the right space to talk about that. Even with other divers, sometimes those experiences are dismissed, or not fully heard.
These practices are designed to create a space where those experiences are recognised and understood.
An Intermediate Space
Another reason for creating these is that I know many divers recognise when something isn’t quite right for them.
They might feel anxious about a particular skill. Or unsettled after a dive. Or unsure about something that happened.
And yet, it can be difficult to talk about.
Sometimes because of embarrassment or shame. Sometimes because there isn’t the right person to talk to. Sometimes because they’re not quite ready.
So this is an intermediate space.
A place where you can explore what you’re experiencing, reflect on it, and begin to work out what to do next.
Ideally, that might lead to taking action. Communicating with others. Making changes.
And if that’s not where you are yet, then this is a space where you can safely start.
There are also practices that support managing emotional responses, which can be an important part of that process.
The practices are not a replacement for important steps like setting boundaries, asking for what you need or changing the dive plan .. they are are supports to help towards those real world changes.
Making This Work Sustainable and Accessible
A big part of this is also about how this kind of work is made available.
I do work directly with divers who have had difficult or traumatic experiences. I offer psychological therapy in the UK, and support this area more widely.
And this is still a relatively new area.
There are limits to how many people I can work with directly, and not everyone is able to access that kind of support.
So this is also about creating something more accessible.
A way for divers to access psychologically grounded support at a lower cost, and in a format they can use in their own time.
And at the same time, it allows this work to continue.
The resources I’ve created so far, including support for divers after difficult or traumatic experiences, have been developed without external funding. This model helps to sustain that work and make it possible to keep building and offering more.
How It Works
The guided practices are available as a subscription:
- £7 per month
- £70 per year
There is an early introductory offer available until 1st April, after which this offer will close.
Each month, you’ll receive a small number of new practices (usually around three or four). This is intentional, to allow time to engage with them rather than feeling overwhelmed.
There is a wide range of topics, and you also have the option to request practices. So over time, the library will continue to grow in ways that reflect what divers are actually experiencing.
You can use the practices in different ways. Before a dive, after a dive, or as part of everyday life.
A Different Way of Supporting Divers
Ultimately, this is about finding a way to bring together what we know about human behaviour and what we experience as divers.
In a way that is practical.
In a way that is accessible.
And in a way that feels relevant to real diving experiences.
If this sounds like something that would be useful for you, you can find out more and join below.
