Enhance your diving
Whether it's to work out what is getting in your way or build your awareness, its all about making connections to enhance your diving experiences.
Ready to dive beneath the surface? Let's start with who you are and what you are looking for ...
Our Services
We provide online psychological services to address a range of issues.
In-depth consultation
If you are struggling with a difficulty, getting stuck and not sure what to do next, then it may be helpful to book one or two online appointments to assess the issue and create a plan. This may be useful for divers looking to overcome barriers to diving.
Accessible online courses
Scuba diving is a highly psychological activity. Underwater we are in an extreme environment and experience various stressors. Taking a course can be a convenient and efficient way to learn about the psychological aspects of diving.
Psychological training
If you are looking to upgrade your psychological skill-set, these sessions may be appropriate for you. Depending on your goals, focus on practicing and improving skills for noticing and responding effectively to stressors.
News & Reflections
The first post-lockdown dives of summer 2020
Knowing (or rather not knowing) the risks around Covid 19 and it’s potential implications for scuba diving, like a lot of divers I’ve been pretty cautious about going out for a dive. So, following all the advice to stay home and protect each other, I focused on my work and offering PADI Psychological Diver online. […]
First podcast interview about dive psychology
“Are you a scuba diver? Fancy a brew?” was essentially the message I got from Andy. He’d noticed my Instagram name was laura_scubapsychologist and thought we might be interested in talking about the same things. The focus of Andy’s podcast is mental resilience and wellbeing in scuba diving – whether that’s how diving helps us […]
“If Only … “
Have you been affected by things other divers do? Or forget to do! Do you make mistakes when diving? I’d be very surprised if you said no. I know I’ve made plenty of mistakes as a diver, I don’t know a diver who hasn’t! In reality, most of the time we are lucky. Whether it’s […]
Officially qualified as EFR Mental Health Awareness Instructor
Today this certificate arrived! The course is well within my qualification as a Clinical Psychologist so, having seen the course, I applied direct to teach it. My experience is in working with mental health in the NHS and private practice, e.g. anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, bipolar and psychosis. But I’ve tended to avoid offering services […]
Doing the PADI Psychological Diver course during lock-down
I wrote PADI Psychological Diver in 2015, and created the elearning in 2016. It’s always been that students take the elearning, and then (to receive the PADI certification) must attend in person for the classroom session or optional dives. The course can be completed “dry”. For years divers have contacted me from all over the […]
Talking about calm breathing live on PADI Facebook
With Covid-19 measures being put in place in Europe and the UK in late-March, divers are not only cancelling dive plans, we are also getting used to the idea we may be staying home for a while. PADI organised a series of Facebook Live talks for landlocked divers, looking at how what we’ve learned underwater […]
Does self-isolation feel like a never-ending decompression stop?
A rare guest post, thoughtfully provided by Yvonne Press, Dark Horizon Diving. Yvonne is a TDI Instructor Trainer and Technical Diving Instructor who offers bespoke technical diving and courses in North-East of Bali. Presently following the measures for Covid-19, in this post Yvonne passes the time with a little bit of philosophizing … I regularly […]
Some reasons you want your psychologist diving
There is something I do that I don’t talk about very much, (partly because I’m not allowed to!). I’ve been working with individual divers who have somehow gotten stuck with their scuba diving. For example anxiety or panic at a particular depth, fears or specific phobias and sometimes distressing experiences in diving. Often the issue […]
The Dive Psychology Iceberg
It’s the beginning of a new year and a new decade. I’ve had the iceberg metaphor in mind since the end of December. Fueled by the excitement of what is there to explore and the frustration of communicating it sometimes. This post is simply a wander through some of that and a reflection on dive […]
Course Reviews
I always thought deep breathing meant a big breath. When I started thinking about it, it just caused stress since my buoyancy and trim would change when taking a big breath. This course gives a clear explanation about the actual deep breathing and how to practice it in your daily life, so you don’t have to worry about it while diving. – Charlotte
Deep Breathing in Scuba DivingAn excellent course presenting the important psychological aspects and influencing factors on diving. In my opinion this should be considered much more in diving training as it is done today, because especially diving tends to produce many situations, which cannot be handled solely by physical abilities. There are a lot of feelings and thoughts involved, especially fear, stress, overload of tasks, but also euphoria, wellness and relief. All in all I think the psychlogical aspects affect much more, whether someone enjoys diving or not. I am very happy I took this course, even if it was, due to the geographical distance to scotland, without any practical experience. So please keep on doing this, Laura! – Rolf
Psychology for Scuba DiversInsightful and relevant, a must do course for all divers!
Lots to relate to here and a great overall look at the way panic manifests itself and how to manage it. This is relevant to all divers irrespective of experience and has some very important lessons and tools. All divers should take this course! – Faye
Prevent Panic in Scuba Diving