Scuba Diving in the Costa Blanca

Fears or phobias are one of a normal human behaviour, we get it mainly by the “help” of our loving family from the time we were babies, using the “Don’t” sentences like: don’t climb… don’t go there… don’t touch… don’t… don’t….
This protecting behaviour is quite old, started at the times when humans still lived in caves, fears from nature, animals, fire… you name it. Those fears lasted until humans learned how to control whatever the reason that caused those fears, so now they are controlled fears.
As for examples: a diver who gets used to diving with sharks, after a while doing so, he is less afraid, yet he knows that he still needs to “watch” his back. Another one is fire, we are playing with matches… but there are still fires that take human life…
Here we have one of the biggest secrets… to stop being afraid of something… we need to learn how to control the thing that creates our fears!

If you find it interesting, continue reading and find out how we can get over our fears!

I’m Claustrophobic!
I cannot put my face underwater!
I cannot breathe underwater!
I will sink!
I won’t be able to go up to the surface!
And many more, use your imagination… I’ve heard them all.

During the last 20 years of teaching diving with thousands of students and Try Dives, I’ve seen how many people express their fears from diving. That is what inspired me become a “ specialist” in getting people over their fears.

A diving student, who admits he is afraid while diving, is safer than a student who is not afraid from anything, because he will probably take more risks.
Students who have fears will act more cautiously. Practice, experience and time will help them get over their fears.

During the course I’m “building” the student’s knowledge and experience step by step, this helps them to build their own self confidence during diving.
In the first practical session for teaching the skills, I’m using some exercises that I developed that help me find out who might have difficulties during the course and at the same time teach the student the technique and build his confidence.

Fear is one of the challenges we deal with during our lives, it has many “faces”… it can stop you from making a commitment to the person you love and live with for 10 years, it can stop you from changing the job you’ve worked at for so many years and still hate it, or it can stop you from doing whatever you wish, dream or like to do in your life, including diving.

Do you have any fears from diving?
Let’s talk and together we shall find a way to help you get over your fears. With the success of beating your fears, you’ll be able to use them as a trigger for solving other problems which stop you from moving forward with your life.

I wouldn’t like fear to be your reason for not diving or enjoying this fantastic world.
I’ve heard so many people telling me that diving is their dream, and wish they could dive…
I understand that people have fears; I had some of my own and I overcame them.

Thoughts, wishes, dreams, plans… those are the mental “doors” that will bring into our life the physical things and achievements we wish for.
If we just remain in the Mental area: “I wish…”, “I want…”, “I dream…” at the end we’ll achieve nothing!
The only way we can achieve something is by telling ourselves “Action” and move from the mental area to the physical area by doing things and fulfilling our thoughts.

Dear friends, if you want to fulfil your dreams, I have the right tools to help you dive !!! Don’t delay your dreams any longer. There is a way you can achieve it!
You’ll get rewards in your life by moving towards them, not by waiting for them.

I’m lucky… I had a teacher.
When I was about 7 years old, I was afraid of the dark, I didn’t like to go out at night, all those night shadows were following me…. scary for a young boy.
My dear mother decided to teach me get over my fears, so holding my hand we walked around the building where we lived; there were lots of trees, a few lamp posts – and lots of shadows, on windy nights the trees were moving and the shadows were dancing in the wind, following me.
When we got back home my mom asked me: “How was it? As you can see, nothing happened…” (of course not – she was holding my hand!)
“Now, you’ll walk it yourself, walk around the building alone the same way we did it…”
“Me? alone? No way…. I’m afraid, there were lots of shadows there….” I said or rather cried..
“If you are afraid you can whistle, that will drive the fear away”
So, I did it… well, I didn’t have many choices…
If you think it’s impossible to run and whistle at the same time, you are wrong…. I did it!.

My mom made me do my “Solo flight” on my own in the darkness…. I did it, and survived… crying…
Now, many years after that “Run & Whistle” experience, for me as a diver, night dives are one of my favourites. Not only that, but during the night dives I love turning off the lights, stay in total darkness and watch the plankton drifting in the water.

Another experience I had in my 30’s, a good friend of mine who I introduced to the diving world, asked me to join him to do Abseiling somewhere in the desert. It sounded like great fun for the weekend, why not… let’s do a different activity…
The desert is a beautiful place, standing on the top of the mountain, about 30m high with a negative slope, that means the slope disappears underneath our legs…

The first one was on his way down, leaning backwards trusting the rope that was sliding  through the harness he was wearing and was anchored to the cliff (will it hold ? is it strong enough?).
I let the others pass me to do the abseiling while I watched them. Those who were the first down had already started climbing up again for the second time….
I’m afraid, could it be me, the night diver who can run and whistle at the same time?
Well yes, I was afraid! When I admitted that, I also decided that my fears were not going to stop me from doing abseiling…

I wore the harness, passed the rope through it, stepped backwards to the edge… releasing the rope slowly in my hands while my feet were still on the edge, my body slowly, slowly was hanging in the air till it was horizontal with the top of the mountain, trusting (really trusting) the rope that holds me (F…, what the hell I’m doing here?) and then I kick… letting the rope slide between my hands… I’m in the air… Hold my legs firm, I’m going to hit the mountain side and kick again… a few minutes later I was down at the bottom… Wow! That was great!!!  I released the rope from the harness and started to climb up the mountain for the second time.
When I got up, my friend told me that while I was holding the rope hanging on it at the top, my face was as white as a sheet…

Up to these days, in my normal day to day life, whenever there is something that is holding me back, or anything preventing me from doing something, I have a word, a code which I say to  myself: “Abseiling” and it’s done, I’m passing that barrier.

During one of our summer seasons, an English family came to the dive centre, parents and their elder son, asking about a Try Dive. I gave them the information and the mother said that the other two will do it, she won’t do it… when I asked why, she said that she is afraid to put her head under the water… so the husband said: “You won’t believe it, but she is a swimming teacher”…
Now I was intrigued even more, a swimming teacher who cannot put a mask on her face, and can’t do a free dive in a pool?
In that moment I put my “therapist hat” on and said: “let’s see how we solve this problem”…
So, I gave her few exercises to practice, with a mask, snorkel and then with regulator…
I must say that she dealt with her fears bravely, crying, tears… but she did it, sitting with a mask and regulator on her face, the tears were filling the mask with salty water…
The next day she did the Try Dive… shivering, fighting her fears… but she did it!!!
After the dive the tears were of happiness, able to conquer her fears.

To be able to solve your fears, you need to:
Be aware and accept the situation, because denial won’t help you solve it!
You need to decide that you want to change. If you enjoy being afraid, just remain as you are !
Have a guide to help you change it. You didn’t manage to do it on your own up to now!
Start working towards the change, you are the only one who can change yourself!

Don’t let any fears stop you from diving, and it has nothing to do with your sex, age or size…

I had a guy he came to do Try dive, the guy was huge (those who know me, know that I’m not a small person…) he was big with a deep bass voice and tattoos all over his big muscles… type of person that you would cross to the other side of the street to avoid…
During the try dive, this guy was afraid, shivering, but the way we do try dives in my dive centre is on a one to one basis, holding the try divers hand, giving them all our attention…
That guy was holding my hand crushing it… I felt the pain in my hand for a long time after we finished the dive…

My “Diving Instructor therapist” hat contains all I’ve studied during my life: Sociology, Anthropology, photography, Meditation, Numerology, Healing… add to that almost 35 years of diving experience, of which as an Instructor since 1991 including being an Instructor for the disabled.
That, along with my experience of how to solve fear problems and how to move ourselves forward beyond our boundaries, gives me the knowledge to share with you and help you get over your fears or anything that prevents you from moving forward.

Would you like to join me and explore the amazing underwater world?
For more information call me or send Email.

Jacob Shekrel
Mermaid Diving Moraira