By Jarrod Jablonski

Defining Performance

A performance-oriented approach to diving enables individuals to explore their boundaries safely, comfortably, and efficiently—while underwater and topside.

While different divers’ goals may vary considerably, their sense of accomplishment often aligns with how challenged they felt. Some divers are challenged by recreational, open water excursions; others set their sights on exploration projects.

For both groups, however, understanding their true objective is an important step in focusing their attention, making a game plan, and evaluating their progress.

To some, adopting a structured, goal-setting methodology for a hobby may sound odd. For others, this emphasis feels natural. Regardless of their perspective, I argue that everyone stands to benefit from a process that helps them get the most out of their favorite activities. Few people prefer to do things badly, even if doing those things especially well is not the primary goal. Those inclined to a less structured approach will be pleased to find that even minor adjustments can bring about steady progress and meaningful improvement.

With enhanced competence, a diver becomes more comfortable and, justifiably, their confidence grows. This transition not only makes diving safer, but it can greatly enhance the quality of the experience. Of course, those feeling less dedicated may prefer an unstructured approach; in turn, their progress tends to be haphazard. 

Blending Practice and Fun

In the first article, I talked about mastery learning and hard fun as a useful framework. Let’s apply those concepts to two specific aspects of diving: holding a stable position, and developing horizontal trim. The goal? To merge fun and learning to the point that they become largely indistinguishable.

Consider the value of being able to hold a stable position in the water: We can isolate this skill through endlessly repetitive drills in shallow water; but, when we focus on stability in only one (or a few) particular positions, we risk missing a huge learning opportunity. 

Instead, we can integrate this training into the dive itself. Complementing our shallow training, we can also hover above a sandy bottom and see who can remain still the longest. We might experiment with unusual positions in the water, pushing our limits until we lose position and roll upside down before recovering. We might remove fins and try to maintain control without their support. 

These sessions often turn into something playful, even a bit ridiculous, but they build real capacity: Losing position and then recovering to a stable platform are equally important learning outcomes; both the stable position and the “failure” teach us something.

And they make the learning process fun.

Exercises like these, of course, must be done in appropriate environments and with consideration, but they embody an important point: Practice doesn’t have to be separate from the dive; instead, it should be part of it. When practical skills develop during a dive, this enhances the value of practice. This is true both of specific skills and of the general capacity that builds as one’s diving experience grows. 

The Trim Police

Some divers focus obsessively on in-water position, often referred to as trim. Being more horizontal in the water can greatly reduce drag while improving efficiency. It can also help protect fragile environments and reduce the risk of disturbing bottom conditions. It is, without question, an extremely important skill—especially as divers’ competencies and goals become more complex.

Yet, one should not see a flat, in-water position as delivering some sort of divine state.

Instead, we should see this as an important tool to be used at our discretion when the environment and circumstances change.

There is no doubt: Divers wishing to maximize propulsion efficiency and reduce effort can do so better in a flat position. However, for divers who want to hover in mid-water enjoying the scenery, there is no particular value in being perfectly flat. Also, if they are drifting in a current and raise their head to improve their view, there is little risk to safety and no meaningful performance loss.

If they are aware and appropriately skilled, then they can—and should—adjust their position based on the situation and their priorities. 

Capacity vs. Aesthetics

The concern about being “out of trim ” can evolve into something else: an emphasis on form over function. Being able to remain horizontal is important, but it is only one part of the picture. It is a necessary but insufficient condition for high-performance diving. The real value lies in being able to maintain position without effort. That, critically, frees a diver to perform other tasks without losing control. That is the main reason to practice horizontal position continuously while refining capacity. This is also the reason horizontal position should be emphasized heavily during diver training. A diver should refine their ability to remain flat until the skill is second nature—until it no longer requires any effort. 

During training, an instructor can’t know if a student is out of position intentionally or accidentally and, thus, training should focus upon building that skill throughout the course. Yet, this should not be mistaken for a requirement to always remain in this position, regardless of the circumstances or environment. When propelling oneself through the water or diving in small or silty environments, a horizontal position is often useful and sometimes critical. But there are occasions when it is neither critical nor particularly useful. 

Moreover, it is important to be comfortable and stable while moving out of a horizontal position. Diving happens in three dimensions, not one. A diver should be comfortable adjusting position, recovering from awkward orientations, and working efficiently in a variety of positions. A rigid attachment to one “correct” posture can become a severe limitation. 

Watching new cave divers insist upon a perfectly flat position while navigating a slanted bottom quickly demonstrates the problem with a one-dimensional approach.

Divers must adjust their position relative to the environment, and that sometimes means being in an entirely different orientation and needing to be “out of trim” in order to properly navigate such an environment.

Learning Beyond One Dimension

People who practice obsessively in one dimension tend to improve themselves in that dimension. That is just as true in diving as in anything in our lives. Diving and life require fluidity. Always insisting on a perfectly flat position—when it is neither needed nor useful—risks missing important nuances in skill development. That’s true for divers developing in-water stability and equally true for runners, golfers, and/or academics working to improve in their chosen discipline.

Structured learning environments and ambitious play help identify and marginalize our weaknesses. This sort of development doesn’t just reinforce what we do well, it helps reveal where our understanding or skill is narrow or incomplete. These activities help us see that there is not one perfect way to successfully manage a diverse range of conditions.

Automaticity and Adaptation

One of the key developments in skill progression is automaticity. At first, every action requires conscious thought. A new diver must actively manage buoyancy, trim, breathing, and position. Over time, and with practice, these skills become more natural and spontaneous. Eventually, they require very little or no conscious attention, much like riding a bike or brushing one’s teeth. This shift is powerful. It allows a diver to focus on higher-level tasks—navigation, communication, problem-solving, or simply enjoying the environment.

But automaticity should not create rigidity. Well-developed divers not only learn to maintain stability without effort; they also learn how to adapt to changing conditions. They understand when precision matters and when it doesn’t. They operate comfortably within a three-dimensional space. The same is true for nearly any skill a person wishes to develop.

The Bigger Lesson

This pattern extends well beyond diving. In business, leadership, and daily life, we often confuse looking good with being good. We stay within our sphere of comfort and miss the chance to explore, to learn, and thus to improve.

But performance is not about rigid adherence to form. It’s about understanding context, applying skills appropriately, and adapting when conditions change. The goal is not just to appear capable. It is to be capable. 

Being capable in a variable, multi-dimensional environment requires applying skills and knowledge in a flexible way. This is true while refining one’s diving skills or while operating within a modern, AI-infused future. Dynamism supersedes stasis in both learning and in life.   

Looking Ahead

In this series, we’ve explored mastery, structure, decision-making, and now the nuances in developing automaticity. In the next article, we’ll examine the history of standard gases. I regularly encounter people who have yet to grasp the core utility or inherent shortcomings of this important strategy. Consistency in breathing mixtures simplifies planning and reduces the risk of error but can also become problematic if not properly applied.

As always, I welcome your thoughts. Let’s continue exploring not just how we dive—but how we think.

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Enjoyed this read? Here are more stories that tie into it.

DIVE DEEPER

InDEPTH: Excellence In Performance: Introducing GUE’s New Performance Diver Course, by Ulrik Juul Christensen, Jennifer Thomson, & Dorota Czerny (2024)

InDEPTH: Training, Practice, Experience and Judgement, by Mark Powell (2021)

InDEPTH: Back to Fundamentals: An Introduction to GUE’s Most Popular Diving Course, by Richard Walker (2019)

InDEPTH: Why Expert Divers Might Not Make The Best Instructors. What You Can Do To Improve Your Teaching, by Gareth Lock (2021)

DAN: Mastering Neutral Buoyancy and Trim, by Michael Menduno (2013) 

Royal Society Open Science: The role of deliberate practice in expert performance: revisiting Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer (1993), by Brooke N. Macnamara & Megha Maitra (2019) 

Frontiers in Psychology: Evidence for Skill Level Differences in the Thought Processes of Golfers During High and Low Pressure Situations, by Amy E. Whitehead, Jamie A. Taylor, & Remco C. J. Polman (2016) 

Journal of Vacation Marketing: A review of ecological impacts from recreational SCUBA diving: Current evidence and future practice, by Daminda Sumanapala, Kay Dimmock, & Isabelle D. Wolf (2023) 

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Jarrod Jablonski is an accomplished explorer, tireless researcher, prolific author, and dedicated educator whose projects have taken him to some of the most remote environments on Earth. Trained as a geologist, his expeditions include world-record journeys below 150 m/500 ft, cave penetrations exceeding 15 km/10 mi, and continuous underwater immersions lasting more than 30 hours. He is the founder of Global Underwater Explorers (GUE), Halcyon Manufacturing, and Extreme Exposure Adventure Center. GUE is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing aquatic exploration, conservation, and education. He also served as a principal architect in the creation and launch of Deep Dive Dubai, the world’s deepest diving facility, which offers unique underwater experiences and has provided world-class diver training to thousands of students from around the globe. He remains deeply engaged in international research and exploration initiatives and continues to contribute as an author with dozens of publications, multiple books, and numerous articles to his name.