February 28, 2023

This past Sunday I returned back to campus with 2nd Phase from their dive training in Miami. When you think of SCUBA diving, you probably don’t think of mental resilience, yet that is one of our main goals for incorporating dive training into 2nd Phase. SCUBA diving forces the men to face their fears and work through tasks in deeply unfamiliar environments. While some of our diving is in clear, warm water with lots of visibility, much of the diving is in much less inviting circumstances. Some of the canals are so muddy that you can open and close your eyes underwater and not be able to tell the difference. Diving in cold, pitch black water requires a lot of mental resilience, facing your fears, and choosing to press ahead even though the way is not clear. Those three things are incredibly valuable for all of life, not just dive class, which is our ultimate goal in 2nd Phase: developing the men for the rest of their lives.