One of the most common questions I get asked from bystanders when I exit the water after a dive is “What did you find down there?” My response is always, “I found myself”. Yes it sounds preposterous and maybe even a little elitist, but in fact it is true. At some point on every single dive with out fail, a little bit of me is revealed to myself. Every. Single. Dive.
This is because for nearly 30 years I have practiced meditation with every dive. Maybe I didn’t label it like that, maybe it wasn’t always a moment of mindfulness, but at some point, I learned something new abut me.
Since you can practice underwater meditation either indoors or outside in nature, the area doesn’t have to be very long since the goal is not to reach a specific destination, just to practice a very intentional form of underwater swimming where you’re mostly retracing your path. I recommend having someone available as a safety to observe for you and keep you out of any potential hazards that might arise. I often will have 4-5 participants doing this exercise as I or one of my coaches observe for safety.
Find a swim lane and align with the tiles or if outdoors find a shallow spot about 8-15 feet deep. Have an area that that allows you to fin or pull yourself back and forth for 4 to 20 feet depending on your comfort level with the exercise.
The area should be free of current if outside or other divers/swimmers. Pick a place that is relatively peaceful, where you won’t be disturbed or even observed. Swimming/diving meditation can look strange to people who are unfamiliar with it. For the most part no one will know what you are doing and thinking you are just practicing your scuba skills or observing aquatic life.
For indoor pool meditation like I do or have my participants practice, swim along the lane you’ve chosen, feeling each tile. I often do this without a mask on, use a blackout mask, or just close my eyes. Pause and breathe for as long as you like. It’s tempting to feel only the tiles that are in front of each other, and this puts you in a situation where you are moving forward. Its easy to think this exercise is about moving to the end of the pool lane, when its more about being in the moment and not having a destination. Take time to move left and right, back and forth feeling each tile.
When doing this outdoors in a pond, lake, or ocean area I will find a small area that has rocks or debris I can touch. One of my favorite spots is an area that has underwater springs, and I can move along the spring feeling the difference in hot and cold spots. Another area is a floating dock where I move down the chain to the anchor point, across the cable that links to another anchor point, and then either return to the other anchor or move up the chain to complete the exercise.
The underwater swimming meditation involves very deliberating thinking about and doing a series of actions that you normally do automatically. Breaking these steps down in your mind may feel awkward, even ridiculous. But you should try to notice at least these two basic components of each movement are:
- The feeling of one hand moving across the tactile surface of rock, tile, sand, etc.
- A slight kick of the fins to move forward or adjust alignment
When you’re ready, turn and move back in the opposite direction to the other end of the lane, where you can pause and breathe again.
You can move at any speed, but Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program that is designed for walking meditation, each movement is slow and involves taking small steps, so during this exercise we want small deliberate fin kicks.
As you swim, your attention should be focused on one or more sensations that you would normally not notice. Focus on your breathing pattern, each breath coming in and out of your body and the sound the bubbles make. Notice the movement of your fins both when you propel or they are stationary. Do they cause your feet drift upward or are they in contact with the bottom. What do the bubbles from your exhalation through the regulator feel like? Focus on the feel of each tile or rock your hands touch.
Your mind will want to wander. When it does refocus on the tactile surface or your breath. With time your focus periods will be longer and longer.
You can integrate this practice on every dive you do. I will often add this in to my routine when I am setting the anchor point for a dive float for a class or setting up an underwater event. Your safety stop is a perfect time to incorporate this practice. You have 3 minutes where if on a shot line you can feel the texture of the rope or close your eyes and focus on your breath.
This last year in Roatan when finishing up a fantastic dive, my safety stop allowed me to stop and just breath. I deployed my SMB at 15’ and gently held on to the finger reel that was tethered to it. As I was holding the line, I closed my eyes and focused completely on the feeling of swaying in the water as a combination of my breath and surge of water rocked my body. When my mind would wander, I would refocus my breathing. I completed the dive and boarded the boat with only what I could explain was an out of body experience. I literally was watching myself hanging on to my SMB.
Learning to meditate underwater and become mindful during the dive at some point enhances the experience and allows you to grow as a diver and a person.
Great Resources (on Kindle to reduce clutter)
The Neptune Warrior 
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