Fear When Learning to Dive

I am experiencing fear when learning to dive. How can I remove my fear when I dive?

The fear associated with diving usually comes from the fact that you are attempting to enter the water head first from a physically higher position. Therefore the water seems further away, and diving in head first is completely unnatural.

First and most importantly of all, ensure that the water you will be diving into is safe to do so. Is it clear, and can you see the pool floor? Is it deep enough, or is the water shallow? Diving into water that is not deep enough is extremely dangerous.

The ideal diving depth is your height with your arms extended above your head.

A shallow dive (a dive across the surface of the water) is safe in most cases, but only after it has been practised and with adequate supervision and guidance.

To remove your fear, start with a sitting dive. Sit on the pool's edge with your feet back against the wall. The safest diving position is with your arms stretched out in front, and your head tucked between them for protection. Aim for your fingertips to enter the water first, followed by your head, and keep it tucked between your arms.

Starting with a sitting dive will remove the fear of diving from a height and get you used to enter the water head first.

You can then progress to a kneeling dive, diving from kneeling on one knee. This is a little higher and will help build your confidence to dive from standing up.

When diving from standing up, bend your knees and start very low down, almost as low as your sitting or kneeling dives. Then as your confidence grows, your diving will become fearless!

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