Diving for Beginners
(And All the Mistakes You’re About to Make)
So you’ve decided you want to try scuba diving.
Excellent choice. Terrible financial decision, but spiritually? Nailed it.
You’re probably imagining floating weightlessly over coral reefs, making eye contact with a turtle, and emerging from the water looking calm, mysterious and effortlessly cool.
Yeah… Sure…
What’s more likely is that your mask will leak, your ears won’t equalise, and you’ll briefly forget how to breathe through your mouth.
All of this is normal. Welcome.
Here’s a few things which is all part of the fun of learning to dive - plus the mistakes I definitely made so you don’t have to.
1. You Don’t Need to Be “Good at Diving” Yet
You are not bad at diving.
You are new to diving. These are different things.
Everyone looks mildly chaotic for their first 10–20 dives. Your buoyancy will be weird. Your finning will resemble interpretive dance. You’ll surface thinking you did terribly and your instructor will say, “That was actually pretty good.”
They’re not lying. You just don’t know what “good” feels like yet.
If you can:
Breathe calmly
Follow your guide
Not kick coral
Not panic when something small goes wrong
You are doing absolutely fine.
Mistake I made:
Acted really strong in a heavy current where I was really struggling.
There’s no need, just say you’re struggling and a good divemaster will sort the rest of the dive for you.
2. Breathe. Slower… No, Slower than That
New divers breathe like they’re on a true-crime podcast - it’s like they’re being hunted.
Fast, shallow breathing:
Burns through your air
Ruins buoyancy
Makes everything feel stressful
I surfaced 30 minutes into my first few dives looking ashamed while everyone else still had half a tank.
Slow. Deep. Boring breaths.
An instructor taught me the 1-5 second rule. One second in, 5 seconds out. Eventually that will get even slower.
If you feel floaty, anxious, out of control or vaguely panicked - slow your breathing first.
It’s the underwater version of “have you tried turning it off and on again?”
Mistake I made:
I’m ashamed, but I would sometimes hold my breath at the same depth.
NEVER! Hold. Your. Breath.
3. Don’t Faff With Your Gear Constantly For No Reason
Mask slightly damp? Touch it.
Regulator feels weird? Touch it.
Gauge moved 2cm? Touch it.
Now three things are wrong.
If air is flowing and nothing is actively on fire (it won’t be), leave everything alone and signal your buddy or guide.
Most “problems” are imaginary or fix themselves in ten seconds.
Mistake I made:
Played with my mask so much that the strap snapped…
Fair to say, I couldn’t see much for the rest of the dive - not that it was much longer.
4. Your Buoyancy Will Be Bad. That’s Fine.
You will either:
Hover beautifully
Bounce along the reef like a haunted balloon
There is no in-between at the start, aside from the occasional wobble if you’re amazing to start with.
Tiny bursts of air.
Slow breathing.
Wait five seconds before touching your equipment again.
Buoyancy is patience, not violence.
Mistake I made:
Adding loads of air, floating up, dumping it all, sinking again.
Like a deeply stressed yo-yo.
5. You Don’t Need to Go Deep to Have a Good Dive
Beginner brains love depth.
Experienced divers love shallow reefs with silly amounts of fish.
Shallow = more light, more colour, more life, more bottom time, less nitrogen nonsense.
Some of the best dives on Earth are in 5–15 metres.
Depth is not a personality trait.
Mistake I made:
Dropping deeper just because other people were doing it. I already couldn’t use my air properly, at depths it just vanished.
Down there: less colour, less life, more regret.
6. Don’t Chase Stuff
Yes, the turtle is amazing.
No, it does not want to be your friend.
Chasing marine life:
Scares it off
Wastes your air
Separates you from your group
Makes you drift into things
Makes you look unhinged.
Leave it alone, smiles all round
7. Your Air Will Go Faster Than Everyone Else’s
This will hurt your feelings.
It shouldn’t.
New divers burn air. It’s nerves, bad trim, excitement and breathing like a Labrador.
Mistake I made:
Lying about how much air I had because I didn’t want to be the reason the group came up…
You’re low on air, fine, get over it… you’ve still had fun.
Air consumption fixes with experience.
8. Pick Easy Dives First. Your Ego Will Survive.
You don’t need:
Strong current
Deep wrecks
Drift dives
“Advanced” sites
You need:
Calm water
Good visibility
Shallow reefs
Patient guides
Build confidence first. Drama later.
There is no medal for suffering.
Mistakes I made:
Saw a shipwreck and went “OO SHINY!!!”.
No. Current hit, I floated away, not much to smile about.
9. You’re Going to Compare Yourself to Everyone
The beginner brain loves comparison.
“They’re more relaxed.”
“They’ve been diving longer.”
“They’re better at not looking like a flailing fool.”
Stop. None of it matters. You’re underwater. You’re breathing. You’re alive. That’s already impressive.
Other people are too busy trying to film a fish, don’t worry about them.
10. Not Every Dive Will Be Amazing
Some dives are just… fine.
Bad vis.
Low fish life.
Weird current.
Nothing dramatic happens.
That’s still a good dive.
Not every dive is a n Attenborough documentary (as sad as that is).
Sometimes it’s just wet yoga with fish.
Final Thought
Diving is not about being brave, technical or impressive.
It’s about floating around quietly while fish ignore you.
If you can do that without panicking or kicking coral — congratulations.
You are officially a diver.
Everything else comes later.