“Diving is my therapy.” You have probably seen this phrase in diving spaces. As a diver, I understand the feeling, and I share it. Diving can be calming, absorbing, connecting, and joyful; there are many ways in which it is therapeutic. As a Clinical Psychologist, the phrase also makes me a little uncomfortable, and I want to explain why.

Reasons Diving is not therapy

Reason 1: Therapy is therapy.
Therapy is a distinct process in its own right. It uses structured methods to help people understand what is going on for them, work it through, and make change that lasts. When we call diving “therapy,” there is a risk of minimising distress, as if scuba diving could serve fully as support for mental health conditions. Not that there is not alot to say for building life around the activities and places that bring joy and purpose, we need that as a foundation. Even as a provider of therapy, I can argue diving does more for psychological health than therapy! Its just that its not the same thing.  We sometimes have issues that get stuck, and it can be that, in diving, we are getting away from those issuees, masking what is underneath rather than addressing them. It can slide into avoidance: getting temporary relief and not facing the difficulties that keep showing up.

Reason 2: Blurred boundaries.
The phrase blurs the line between activities that support wellbeing and times when healthcare support is appropriate. It can also blur personal and professional boundaries in the diving community. Instructors are sometimes asked to support divers who are clearly dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, or other psychological issues. Adaptive diving matters, and increasing access is important.  And there are limits. Instructors can end up placed in the role of a therapist without any of the training, insurance, guidance, supervision, or pay that would make that safe and ethical for everyone involved.

Reason 3: Safety.
Diving is a high-risk environment. In safety language it can be Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH). None of us are at 100% all the time, and many divers find real benefits in getting in the water. If diving becomes a way to cope with significant difficulties, we can end up putting issues into a really risky environment. Avoidance in this context can increase risk for the diver and for the team. Clear assessment, appropriate support, and a culture that encourages help-seeking make diving safer for everyone.

“Most equipment problems begin on the surface, sometimes well before the dive, and we then take that developing problem into the water with us.” (Mark Powell, TDI/SDI blog https://www.tdisdi.com/sdi-diver-news/breaking-down-your-buddy-checks/).

The same can be said for psychological issues. What shows up underwater often begins at the surface. These can be long-standing difficulties, life stresses, or self-generated pressures or doubts about self-worth. Sometimes the challenges we meet underwater, even very real problems, are ones we have brought in with us in some form. Diving can feel therapeutic and can give relief. At the same time, it can also become a way of avoiding problems that are already present. That avoidance can create risks. For example, defensiveness or low self-confidence might make it harder to communicate clearly with a buddy or to call a dive when running low on air. These are common human vulnerabilities, and recognising them is part of what keeps us safe.


And Diving is therapeutic!

Diving can be profoundly therapeutic in many ways. Research on “blue spaces” shows that being in or near water is linked with reduced stress and improved wellbeing, and the concept of “blue mind” describes the calm, focused state many people experience around water. Ecotherapy and related approaches highlight the benefits of being outdoors, paying attention to our surroundings, and connecting with nature. All of these are things that diving offers in abundance. Physiologically, immersion itself can influence the nervous system, slowing heart rate and encouraging a shift into a parasympathetic, restorative state.

There are also psychological processes at play. Diving demands concentration, which helps anchor attention in the present moment. Skill development is another powerful factor: noticing what we cannot do yet, then practising, improving, and growing. Over time this can build confidence and resilience. Diving is also social. Community, shared experiences, and the sense of belonging that comes with a dive team all contribute to mental wellbeing.

We often don’t know where our psychological blocks and barriers are until we encounter them. Scuba diving, because it is such a challenging environment, can mean that we encounter those psychological blocks and barriers much more often. If we feel safe enough, we can accept and acknowledge them, bringing them to the surface and processing them in whatever way makes sense for us. That might be by talking about them with people around us, or simply reflecting and considering what we might want to adapt. However, when we don’t feel safe, our defences go up. As a bit of an aside, I think this is one of the reasons why we sometimes see rigid or ego-driven behaviour in diving. When psychological safety is low, it becomes harder to acknowledge our own blocks, and instead we protect ourselves even more. Alongside the very real physical risks in diving, there are also risks in the way our minds respond.

One of the most common places I see divers encounter these blocks is with skills, particularly the delayed surface marker buoy (DSMB). It is a very visible skill, and for many divers it triggers old difficulties. Sometimes these come from earlier experiences of education or training, especially when those experiences involved judgment or criticism. Sometimes they are linked to individual challenges, such as dyslexia, where certain aspects of theory or study create real barriers.

In a psychologically safe environment, with an instructor who provides containment, hitting a block can actually be therapeutic. Safety allows us to acknowledge the block and then find a way through it. I have seen students who genuinely believed they could not learn discover in real time that they could. For them, the process of working through a block in diving became transformative, not just in the water but in their wider lives and careers. These are moments where diving becomes more than a sport; it becomes a way to build confidence and growth.

We cannot move through our blocks without the right conditions. Psychological safety is one of them, and so is knowing what to do when a block shows up. Sometimes the next step is to take those insights into therapy, to process the experiences that created the block in the first place and begin to put them down. At other times, there are more accessible practices we can use. Simply logging a dive and being honest about the psychological challenges that came up can be valuable, even as a private reflection. Structured reflective exercises or meditative practices can also help us sit with discomfort and start to move through it.

Not every block requires the same level of support. Some can be worked through independently after a dive with thoughtful reflection. Others are more stuck and may need more guidance. In those cases, a guided practice, coaching, or professional therapy may be the best option. The important thing is recognising the block, creating the right conditions, and choosing the right level of support to move forward.

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Sometimes we find relief underwater, and sometimes we take our problems in with us. Recognising that difference is what keeps us safe, and what makes diving such a powerful complement to wellbeing and growth.


If you are interested in these topics, I have written alot about the therapeutic aspects of diving over on the PADI Blog. Some of the articles include:

How Scuba Diving Calms Our Busy Minds
Be Confident, You Can Breathe Underwater!
How to Face your Fears in Scuba Diving
Mental Health and Scuba Diving: Questions and Answers
How Scuba Diving Can Change the Way You See Things
Find a New Version of Yourself in Scuba Diving
Become a Scuba Diver and Belong to the Dive Community
Diving for Deeper Connection
How to Create the Right Mindset to Start Your Diving Adventure
Six Ways Scuba Diving Motivates Healthy Living
How Psychology can Enhance our Experience of Scuba Diving
Be a Scuba Diver and Do What Matters
Improve Your Scuba Skills From Your Sofa
Ways to Tackle Obstacles on Your Diving Journey
Returning to the Water After a Break
Finding a Way Through Difficulties and Discomfort in Diving
How To Seize Opportunities in Scuba Diving
Leading the Dive and Leading Divers

You can find the full list of my PADI articles here: https://blog.padi.com/author/laurawalton/