Why Scuba Diving Is A Worthwhile Pursuit

We are all looking for untouched, innocent beauty in life. i believe many of us seek it out but don't believe it exists.Where are all of the birds? Where are all of the Koala's in the trees?

The animals we see consist of cattle, sheep, domesticated dogs, cats and horses, which represent not even 0.00001 of the life that actually exists. And while big corporations, trophy hunters, red necks and polluters destroy the beauty that exists while the rest of us idly sit by and let it happen, apart from writing abusive comments on Facebook, we really don't know where we can go to connect with nature.

And this is where the grace of scuba diving exists. It is a worthwhile pursuit.

Many people think they won't be able to handle it though. They believe they will freak out under the ocean, run out of air or be eaten by something. They create so many reasons to fear the unknown.

Well I embrace the unknown. I embrace the adventure. And I search for that connection to life as well. So when I discovered the grace of scuba diving, I was certain this was really my way to connect to the unknown.

There is nothing so peaceful than feeling calm in the ocean and observing the peaceful ocean life, as you breathe through your regulator.

Ok, the ocean presents many dangers, but diving with a group of professionals or a dive buddy is the safest way to ensure you make it back to the surface with your camera and live to share the footage.

So, let me share with you some amazing reasons, including photos and video, to pursue scuba diving. And while I am doing so, I will share some of the most phenomenal places to dive, that you should put on your bucket list.

Day to life can make us feel extremely monotone. The pressure of havaing to do something or to be somebody is overwhelming and definitely not what why we signed up for being born in the first place.

Inside the ocean there are no societal pressures. Your only purpose is to move, observe, breathe and not be eaten.

You are a guest in their reality. Unfortunately there seems to be an element of people who wish to take too much from the ocean and give nothing back to balance it out.

For example, under the ocean lay the ghosts of war; battleships lost to attacks during world war 1 and 2. Looters and pillagers want to dive into those wrecks and take artefacts. That can be sold for a huge profit and this means that thousands of people over the years will be denied viewing history in all it's glory.

As you drift with neutral buoyancy throughout the dive site, often you will just want to pause, breathe and marvel at all that is coming at you, whether it be a shark or a large school of fish. It is as though you are floating in a sensory deprivation chamber. But here you can only hear your breath and view the most vibrant colours of life denied to you up until that very moment. Just float there, breathe and experience.

Don't take anything from the oceans that was not yours to take. That includes artefacts and life. You should dive with the view to allow others in the future to experience what you are experiencing.

Scuba diving could become an expensive hobby if you allowed it. Photographers, videographers and artists benefit greatly from scuba diving.

but these days, equipment is getting cheaper and cheaper, as well as becoming higher quality. The highest end GoPro may only set you back $500 and provides amazing quality. It comes with an underwater casing, plus you can buy a red colour correction lens cover to balance out the green and blue of the ocean water. Why is this important? Well, much of the actual true colour of what you are filming can be lost without it. By adding red, you are able to Capture the scenery as if you were above water.

Gopro systems now also offer lighting systems as attachments for when you are diving through a cave or into the engine room of a battleship. This means you won't be missing anything.

That said, there are many more higher end options for video and camera equipment, such as the Black Magic film camera or one of the latest Nikon's. You will then need to purchase some pretty expensive housing gear which comes with a complete lighting system to boot.

it all depends on what you want to do with the footage in my opinion. If you are trying to make a professional documentary and you plan on making many of them, then perhaps the high end is for you. But if you want to edit a phenomenal video, with music, maybe your voice over and just add some titles, effects and then upload the finished product to youtube or vimeo, then maybe you just need a GoPro with a high end microsim card.

Another issue to consider is carrying your equipment everywhere you go. Sometimes you may be diving in far off locations or in a third world country. Your equipment may not be safe from thieves if it is easy to spot. Or, as you travel, it risks being broken.

But with the smaller cameras and equipment, you can keep it with you at all times, even as you fly or walk around, in your backpack.

Another advantage of smaller equipment such as a GoPro or similar camera is the accessories to film from the air. You can now purchase remote control drones to attach your GoPro to that allows you to take some stunning video footage of the area you are just about to dive. This gives you an edge in making your Youtube documentary on a tight budget.

You may only need to purchase:

GoPro

Gopro red lense cover

GoPro underwater lighting equipment.

GoPro helicopter drone.

The total may set you back $2000 and is totally portable.

The more expensive options may set you back $6-10k or more.

And there is one phenomenal reason why you should love becoming a scuba diving, underwater photographer and videographer.

Sharing your experiences with others, truly enhances your own experiences!

If you are considering pursuing this passion, don't expect others to follow you. You may not have your close friends or Facebook friends choose to pursue this with you. But you will find many new friends who are already actively diving. These are the people you will go away for weekends with and live the dream on lives boards in exotic places. I will discuss liveaboards later.

Just because your friends feel too afraid to go under the ocean or cannot afford to pursue this amazing recreation, does not mean they don't already want to see what you are seeing.

Have you ever seen a great movie or tasted the most amazing dish and you just wanted to share it with others? Will duplicate this feeling tenfold, or more!

Imagine a dolphin swims up to you to check you out and you just float there filming the interaction.

Imagine you dive into a battleship in Micronesia and you see the skulls of the lost soldiers of war.

Imagine you are surrounded by sharks and you calmly observe as they swim by. But there are so many of them that most other people would be frightened to death. Well, by diving with others and especially people who are much more qualified than you to handle this situation, you can pull out your professional video equipment and film in HD. Most people will never see up close what you are seeing and are ignorant to the abundance of life out there.

You will never be able to express the glory of your experiences in words. and it will frustrate you as you excitedly tell the tales of your ocean adventures and your audience just smile and say, "that sounds interesting." Trust me here, you will understand soon enough.

And in fact, video will never be enough either. But it is the closest you will come to share it with everybody. as you tightly edit your video into something consumable, everybody you love will have the unique opportunity to share in your life experience and marvel at all that you have seen.

It is amazing how much respect you will gain from others for pursing your passions and they will actively seek to live their lives through you. You may inspire them to pursue their own adventures.

Scuba diving is not just a passive recreation. You don't just live in observation.

During your years of Scuba you will have some amazing opportunities to interact and connect with other forms of life who will want to connect with you.

Also, you will quickly see that ocean life has great intelligence too. Some forms of life tend to have a very intelligent consciousness, even though many people will have you believe that fish feel no pain and just float around doing nothing, waiting for us to eat them.

Over your scuba life, you will come to a deeper understanding about the nature of existence, leaving you with even deeper questions, but allowing you a very calming understanding of the life you were born into.

These understandings are truly humblling.

Below is a video we filmed where we rescued an octopus from a broken fishing line. It had tried to eat the bait attached to the hook and the hook was attached to a broken fishing line that was caught on a rock. Who knows how long that Octopus had been struggling there. But we came by it by accident and lent it a helping hand. And it felt great!

there are youtube videos showing how scuba divers have rescued turtles and dolphins from if fish nets, left there by trawlers. Without scuba diver rescue, those turtles, sharks and dolphins would have all died a very slow death. This is sad, especially knowing it was because of crazy human behaviour.

As you scuba dive, you will see opportunities to help a struggling animal, which will fulfil you and help you on your path. But without you being there at the time, that life form would have had zero chance of survival.

Scuba diving allows you to give back and feel amazing you were able to help!

Don't be afraid to try.

The Scuba diving industry is vast and very professional. PADI is the main body behind the scuba industry and has an extensive training program and certification system.

Never dive alone. Always dive with a buddy and ideally, with a group. Provided you are all looking out for each other, you should never run out of oxygen or run into much trouble.

Go in prepared at all times, and you will stay safe and enjoy each and every moment.