Think you’re not fit enough for adventure sports? Scuba diving is as wide open as the waters

Fitness standards have seen a huge shift. From being inspired by Bruce Lee or the Karate Kid movies to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone’s body types in The Terminator and Rocky or Rambo to today’s activity-based style, fitness has become more inclusive. You could be fit today if you are not ripped but regularly run, cycle, do Pilates, or swim. One could play a sport twice a week. Pickleball has opened racket sports to all age groups and is easy on the joints.

Then comes adventure that could make you fitter: hiking, climbing, surfing, and for those who really want to push the boundaries, scuba diving. The most advanced (and possibly the most expensive) of these adventures in terms of risk and reward seems to be the most inclusive one too. Scuba does not discriminate when it comes to fitness levels or body types, and has the widest age range. The minimum age for open water diving certification for both PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and SSI (Scuba Schools International) is 10 years. There is no maximum age limit as long as the instructors feel the person is fit enough.

But what is “fit enough” is completely different when it comes to diving standards. “It is more about medical fitness than physical fitness itself,” says Bengaluru-based Mia Raghavi, a PADI staff instructor who has been teaching diving for over six years. She says instructors must be able to trust what a prospective diver tells them about their habits (eg. smoking), health issues and limitations in a questionnaire which has more than 40 queries on overall health.

“It’s unlike skydiving where they check if both my arms are strong enough. This is more about knowing if you can swim back if you surface slightly farther from the boat and how comfortable you are in water,” adds Raghavi, who is currently training for a triathlon scheduled this month. Even serious injuries and issues can’t keep people away from diving if they really love it. Natasha Kapadia, 39, a Goa-based entrepreneur, had a spinal surgery in March 2025. As soon as she was better, she was off diving again. She did her first dive post surgery in late November, completing 45 more dives in and around Egypt till mid-December. This took her total to over 400 dives ever since she first went diving 17 years ago in Malta.

She agrees that people say one doesn’t need high levels of fitness to dive, but the equipment, including the oxygen cylinders, weighs 20-25kg. Even though instructors help, it is worth getting used to lugging that around surfaces that might be slippery or sandy. “I had to be careful not to strain my neck at all post surgery so I strategised differently. I’ve made it a point to get comfortable putting my gear on while on the smaller boats (also called zodiacs) rather than get ready on the bigger boats and then jump on to the smaller ones. When I’m diving off-shore, which is straight from the beach, I get ready while I’m in the water, with help of the buoyancy,” she says.

In fact, scuba can be so inclusive that you can do it if you don’t know how to swim. “We have variations of what each individual is looking for—is it a one-time experience or do they want to continue diving—this is one of the first few questions we ask,” says Vinod Bondi, who is the PADI regional manager in India and is also certified in emergency first- response instruction. He also helps shape training programmes and is no stranger to saying ‘no’ to people who have not passed the health assessment. “Some people might want to dive regularly but only in shallow water while being taken care of by somebody. This kind of programme will limit the depth to a maximum of 40ft underwater and can be done by anyone regardless of their ability to swim,” he says.

Three people I know went diving over the past two months (the best months to dive are November-April). Goa-based Yogesh Diddee and Yashmita Singh went to two spots in Bali, and were prepared only for a basic course. They loved it so much that they did three more days of the advanced course on Gili Islands in Indonesia. The couple, in their mid-30s, are moderately fit, but stress on the fact that this is more of a mental test than a physical one. “It can’t be compared to anything you do on land because the muscle memories you make and the body motions you use are completely different to any sport or adventure you have experienced before,” says Diddee. The brand strategist has played sport all his life but says this was unlike anything else. “On land, you know your limits. Under water, you don’t. This is a mental fight where panic can cause trouble. So as someone who loves competing with himself, this was a different kind of goal-setting.”

Yashmita’s goals fit perfectly into the mould of a first-time diver. “It was easier when I learnt how to ski and surf, but scuba is under the water and breathing is different and the body feels different. It was more daunting—and you wonder what could happen because you are dependent on equipment. But when I came back up, the smile on my face was just different. It becomes addictive,” says the marketing professional who also creates content.

It always comes down to the afterglow—adventure sport and fitness needs to have a tangible after-effect that makes one keep going back to it. For Shreya Katyayini, 34, who has over the past year incorporated gymming, running, cycling and playing football into her routine, diving was the final frontier she wanted to cross before 2025. She went to Koh-Tao, a popular diving destination Thailand, and made sure she got her open water certification. “The state of mind underwater is difficult to achieve over water. You learn the buddy system—you never go diving alone. You look out for each other. There is no pretence underwater. The first dive I got lost and surfaced away from the boat and then swam back. But all this taught me who I am. You have no language down there,” says the filmmaker and part-time chef based out of Goa.

As Raghavi says, the dopamine rush and experience of achieving something that is so unique is wonderfully married to how many people can actually do it. From those who use a wheelchair to those who might have never lifted a dumbbell or completed a run, diving is as open as the waters. “It is one of the most meditative things you can do. The weightlessness, the limitless feeling, and the difference of every dive. It’s beautiful, because it makes you feel like your best self, like you’ve never felt above water before, and it’s amazing how many people can do it, irrespective of general fitness standards,” says Kapadia.

Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator and writer.