Wanting To Dive

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Hey I have a question, iv wanted to do scuba diving since I was a little kid you could say its one of my dreams and iv always wanted to do it despite being a lil scared, I would just love the feeling of being under the water in such a peaceful place beyond in my view humanity (humans are not supposed to well be able to breath underwater) however I have always wondered if I would be able to or not because of my AS, some the question is dose having AS mean I wont be able to learn? Or people will not teach me?

Thanks and btw I have Asperger's so high functioning etc (as I guess that would make a difference because I want to learn to dive independently)

I'm a certified diver, not the training nor the activity caused any special distress.

Maybe because diving is an ultimate isolating experience. Definitely can't do much talking. =)

Thanks for the reply and that's cool to know that you can become a certified diver, however I was just wondering did you ever have to tell them about your AS like as a part of the medical information etc? (not that I don't want to tell them just wondering).

I don't see diving for the isolation preferably I would like to dive with others, I see it more as being in a different place untouched by humans (for the most part) somewhere peaceful but also its the thill of it.

If you can train yourself to hold your breath longer. you might try free diving. I like free diving over scuba diving because you don't have the noise from the bubbles and breathing, plus, you don't have all that heavy equipment on you. all I use is a mask and fins. Free diving is like being peter pan and the water is never land. Plus , learning to hold your breath longer requires that you learn to put you mind and body into a low power state and that alone enhances the surreal felling of it.

Another reason why I like free diving over scuba is that when you dive down deep, you get to feel the pressure of the water on you body. It's like getting the perfect bear hug. it's a very pleasant felling, like sleeping under the perfect weighted blanket. You have no idea how good that feels. The reason why that works is because when you take a breath at the surface, your taking in air at 1 atmosphere pressure and when you dive down to around 30-40 feet, you double the pressure around you and it's that difference in pressure that create the perfect bear hug. The problem with scuba diving is that regardless of what depth your at, you're still breathing air at the same pressure as the depth you're at and that cancels out the bear hug effect.

I have looked into free diving yes, but I can't hold my breath for ages and I don't personally think it would be as relaxing for me anyway, I just want time to be able to swim slowly and take it all in. Thanks for the suggestion though dose sound good

I've been scuba diving with my family while on vacation. I had fun until my ear started hurting. That ear has a weirdly small canal. Like, child size. I had to remember to ascend slowly. I've never thought of going for classes, but I don't see any reason why they wouldn't work out.

Diving is a pretty safe sport and not hard to learn, especially when you have the passion and urge to explore underwater. Aspergers itself is definitely not a problem for diving. The sorts of problems people could have that might make it hard are - asthma; ear problems; bleeding problems or certain medications; panic attacks.

Actually it could be a good activity for us with AS if we like to escape people. Personally I have done 30 dives and found many of them boring, unless they were in a truly magnificent reef etc. I also find that diving takes up a huge part of a day and it's just not worth it for me, so I haven' done it for about 5 years. t never wanted to dive - I did it for my partner.

RE learning - You wouldn't have to tell them you have AS, BUT if you find that at other times your teachers or tutors don't understand your learning style or how you interact with others, you might have to help the instructor understand your different needs. Most people don't know what AS is so rather than just stating your diagnosis, you could tell them exactly how you prefer to learn and socialise.

RE "Independent diver" - you always have to go with a "buddy"; you will never be "independent" under the water, unless you become extremely advanced. So, get used to the idea that you must take a friend, or meet someone at the diving shop/school and work with them.

Yea I know most of the facts I don't think i would ever even consider diving alone as 1. Its Dangerous, having a buddy is vital to safety and I would feel insecure if i knew I did not have somebody watching my back and 2. I would want some company and somebody to experience it with. Also I would not finding it boring as well its been one of my life long dreams so far and I would want to plan the places that I'd dive as apposed to diving for diving for instance I'd love to do some wreak diving.