Turtles, Mantas & BMW – What Scuba Diving Can Teach Us About Success in Business & Life
- Aug 28, 2025
- 3 min read
Suzanne Rath is an Executive Health Coach & speaker who gives people their vitality back. She does this through empowering them to take back just 20% more health for more purpose, productivity & prosperity.
I’ve been a scuba diver for the last 9 years, and luckily, when I met my husband, he is too. We take a diving trip or two each year, the perfect chance to relax, reconnect with nature, and see awesome things.
One habit we notice in a minority of divers when we travel is a tendency towards BMW: bitching, moaning, and whining. They can’t descend, the gear isn’t good enough, there’s too much current, there’s not enough sharks/turtles (insert other ‘big drawcard creature’ here), the visibility is poor.
Now, sometimes dives are a little bit miserable. Cold, choppy, etc. But a bad day’s diving is better than a day at work, right?!
Key points that would keep the miserable dives to a minimum
1. Be accountable
As a qualified scuba diver, you’re actually expected to be able to do a basic check of your own gear, be aware of your buddy, know when there’s a problem, and only dive to your limits. Yet so often I see people blaming the dive guides and the boat for every little thing.
2. Take action
Don’t know something? Want to be a better buddy? Go and learn it! I certainly don’t think I’m the best diver in the world, but the best courses I’ve done have included my rescue and self-reliant diver courses. They taught me to be more safety aware and to think of others. Without those, with a husband who was a dive instructor in a previous life, I could develop a serious case of learned incompetence. But where’s the fun in that?! As the saying goes, if we’re not growing, we’re dying.
3. Be appreciative
Nature is its own entity. Turtles don’t show up on demand! The more I dive, the more I appreciate the smaller things. My new love is octopuses.
There are pretty dire consequences in life and in business to not embracing these three traits, ranging from poor culture and morale to disaster and failure. If we’re accountable and take action, we’re more likely to come up with contingency plans and take steps to mitigate any problems quickly rather than throwing our hands up in helplessness, blame, and excuses. In scuba, a recent loud air leak in my tank underwater had me quickly step into action: making sure I was near my buddy, while closely monitoring my air supply and my depth. If you fail to be accountable and take action in your own life you can put not only yourself at risk, but other people too.
Want to inspire accountability, appreciation, and action-taking in your team? Contact me for more info on my Summit Thinking Keynote, workplace workshops & extended high-performance programs.
hello@suzannerath.com.au | +61432346325
Read more from Suzanne Rath
Suzanne Rath, Executive Health Coach & Speaker
Suzanne Rath is a leader in the health and leadership field. A multi-award-winning Allied Health professional and health entrepreneur whose clinics are at the forefront of innovation and multi-disciplinary health care, her mission is to inspire a million people to take back control of their own health. Having thrived after a life-changing accident which sapped her vitality and later suffering leader burnout, Suzanne aims for participants in her programs to reclaim their vitality, becoming more purposeful, productive & prosperous through taking back control of just 20% more health.
