From Nervous to Certified: How Rebekah and then Christine Became Confident Divers

I began my journey into Scuba as a very nervous participant. I did not consider myself a very adventurous person and was coerced by a significant other to try Scuba. I was living in the pacific Northwest. Surrounded by cold and mysterious salt water bays, sounds and canals. 

I was fascinated by everything about the underwater world except going into an environment inhospitable to human life.

When I finally was convinced to sign up for an open water scuba class I was terrified. I read the PADI manual cover to cover twice before the first class (this was before eLearning existed) 

I was sure there was so much technical skill and memorization I’d need to master to make it out alive from my first dive. 

The night before my first session I called the instructor to tell him this just wasn’t for me. I was terrified and I was pretty sure I did not have the ability to survive the pool session the next day. He asked me to please give it a try. He didn’t want to break his record of no student quitting on him and would I just get in the pool and see what happens. No pressure to continue after that. 

I reluctantly agreed. 

I over thought every skill in the pool and awkwardly made it through the skills development sessions. My instructor kept reminding me “relax this is fun”.

So far to me the stress of getting it right was over shadowing any fun to be had. 

The weekend finally came to do the open water check out dives. We were going to a popular “easy” shore diving spot called Illahee state park. 

It was a pebble beach with a long wooden dock with tall tar covered pilings with muscles and seaweed growing off of the stretches exposed from the low tide. 

It was early fall so air temperature was mild but still we poured ourselves into double layer 7mm farmer John style wetsuits to keep warm

In the frigid 44 degree water of the puget sound. 7 mm hoods gloves and boots and I no longer felt, looked or moved like a human. 

Our class of 5 waddled towards the sea fins in hand following our instructor and his assistant. 

As we donned Fin’s and defogged our masks I was mildly panicking trying to reenact everything I’d learned and imagining (dreading) going below the black surface of this frigid water. 

The plan was to start descending near a piling for reference. We did our buddy checks. BWRAF which of course I’d memorized from my panic studying. The other students raised their deflators. And carelessly dropped below with the dive pros. 

I added more air to my BC and started to cry. The assistant instructor stayed below with the other comfortable divers and my instructor re emerged from below.  Did you forget which button to push to release air he asked? 

“No” I said “but I think I’m pretty cozy right here. Did you see how pretty the sky is today? Up here. Where we can breathe air? Without monitoring it? “

He laughed and asked if we could just put our regulators in and hold the pier and just let our heads go under. See what it’s like down there. No pressure. We can come right back up. 

Well ok I could handle that. 

As I released the air from the BC I found I didn’t drop out of control like I’d feared. In fact I could control it by exhaling. I was still pretty wide eyed and in my head but it was ok. Then Jim my instructor pointed at the piling. 

There on a slimy black mound of algae was the most fluttery, colorful nudibranch you could imagine. Just slowly sliming his way along the pier. He had spiral spikes coming from his head and soft feathers coming from his back. I’d never seen anything like it. I moved closer and saw scattered below that was starfish in multiple colors laying over each other in a kaleidoscope of colors. Below that anemones opened and closed as they swayed in a gentle back and forth motion. 

Keeping to his word Jim gave me the thumbs up to signal we could kick back to the surface from the 8 feet we’d descended. Before I could even get the regulator out of my mouth I was babbling about how cool the slug was and did he see the starfish and what was that soft sock looking thing with tentacles. I was giddy. He just smiled. 

Want to join the others for open water dive one. YES. 

Once I got out of my head I enjoyed every minute under water. The sinking descent controlled by an exhale. The tiniest touch to your Bouyancy device allowing you to position and stay weightless. The ease of sipping just the air you need without thought. The sound of bubbles that take over the chatter from above. I’d found my happy place and I’ve never looked back. 

Fast forward 25 years later and I own a PADI 5 star dive business on the big Island of Hawaii. I’ve worked as a dive instructor for my entire career and now get to provide an environment for other budding instructors to live their passion and bring more new divers into the world of SCUBA. 

To this day my favorite part of teaching diving is to those that it doesn’t come easily to. Bring me your terrified, your nervous, your overthinking land lovers that are curious about what it’s like beneath the sea and willing to try something they are scared of. 

When my good friend Christine expressed interest in giving diving a try I was drop jawed. Since I’d known her she could barely get on a boat. Swimming in a 4 foot swimming pool conjured up fears of the megaladon for her. Perfect I thought. I’m always up for a challenge. 



Her drive to learn scuba was to be part of her family’s adventures since they were divers. Also she wanted to prove to herself she could face her fears. For many fear of deep water runs deep. 

Since it’s my passion to help new divers overcome fears and find peace underwater I wanted to learn more about where these fears come from. 

Here are the main reasons people fear deep water:

🔍 1. Fear of the Unknown

• We can’t see what’s below us. The ocean’s vastness and darkness trigger anxiety—our brains tend to imagine what we can’t see, often in negative or threatening ways (e.g., sharks, sea monsters, drowning).
• Unpredictability of the water’s movement, weather, or currents heightens this feeling of not being in control.

🧠 2. Evolutionary Survival Instincts

• Humans aren’t naturally aquatic. From an evolutionary standpoint, large, deep bodies of water posed a survival risk, especially without flotation or swimming abilities.
• The fear of drowning is hardwired into many people, especially when there’s no visible bottom or land in sight.

💬 3. Media Influence & Cultural Narratives

• Movies like Jaws, The Meg, or even Titanic have made deep or open water feel dangerous.
• News stories about shipwrecks, drownings, or marine attacks reinforce the idea that the ocean is unsafe.

🚫 4. Lack of Control & Vulnerability

• When you’re in deep or open water, you’re often dependent on gear (scuba, flotation devices), boats, or other people.
• Many people feel helpless or disoriented, especially if they can’t swim well or panic easily in water.

🧒 5. Childhood Experiences or Trauma

• A bad memory, near-drowning experience, or being taught that the ocean is dangerous can stick with someone for life.
• Even secondhand stories or being overly warned by adults can create lasting fear.

🌊 6. Depth Perception and Imagination

• Deep water gives the brain very little spatial reference—no floor, no walls, just an endless drop.
• This triggers claustrophobia in open spaces—a strange blend of feeling small, trapped, and exposed all at once.

To overcome these very real fears we at Kohala Divers make it part of our culture to teach with empathy, and understanding and to meet each diver where they are at. Here are the tools and tactics we’ve implemented in our training to help all divers thrive as they learn to take in new challenges and possibly face life long fears. 



Our certified, experienced dive team is trained not only to guide you safely but to help you feel comfortable, informed, and confident every step of the way.

Here’s how we help nervous beginners:

• We start shallow.
  You’ll begin in a pool, where you can stand, breathe, and practice before going anywhere near the deep. Give it a try. See what happens. 
  
  
• You’ll always have a trained guide at your side.
  We never rush you. Our team checks in with you constantly and stays close — you’ll never feel alone.
  
  
• We explain everything clearly before you get in.
  Knowing what to expect can erase half the fear. We walk you through the gear, the dive plan, and how to communicate underwater.
  
  
• Our gear Supports you in the underwater environment 
  You won’t be “sinking” into the deep — you’ll be floating, gliding, and able to surface at any time.
  You will also have an understanding of how your equipment functions along with alternative options in every situation. 
  
  
• No pressure to do more than you are ready for 
  We don’t measure your success by achieving certification as fast as you can. Some divers breeze through their course in the minimum required times. Others come back for extra sessions at their own pace. If you are excited to be trying something new you are successful. 

To set Christine up for success on her journey to face her fears and become a certified scuba diver we started in the pool for a discover scuba session with no pressure to go beyond that. After explaining some very basic instructions on how the gear worked and what she could control and how, we agreed to sink below the surface and just try breathing underwater. 

After a few minutes of success we agreed to swim to the 10’ section of the pool and take some time feeling the sensations and just being underwater. 



When we surfaced after successfully breathing and experiencing weightlessness for a bit I saw a bit of relief on Christine’s face. “I did it” she said. 1/2 her fears had been put aside. 

That was enough for the moment and we didn’t try to push further that day. 

After she let that session sink in a few days she reached out to say she was ready for more and wanted to enroll in our certification class. 

I was able to pair her with one of our amazing instructors who used the techniques mentioned above to help ease Christine into diving at her pace. 

She completed her certification and now has 70 dives under her belt. She’s been able to join her family on dive vacations to Bonaire, Fiji and to spend quality time underwater here in Hawaii with her friend, me 😊

Christine says to this day the fears occasionally return to mind, such as the time a white tip shark was following close behind our dive group one day, but she focuses on what she’s learned and as soon as she gets underwater it’s like she’s an entirely different person. Underwater Christine has dropped the limitations holding her back and can feel peaceful and connected underwater. When she’s gliding along a reef, watching glimmers of sunlight light up the coral and listening to distant whale songs she knows she has found her happy place too.