KIRSTYANDREWS
Curiouser and curiouser
Curiosity underpins much of what we do as divers , says Kirsty Andrews , who finds that it comes in different guises
Curious Kirsty finds a rare shrimp in a kelp forest
Recently I found myself on a training course , lauding the benefits of curiosity as it applies to my working day . The ice-breaker question was to name something you ’ ve been curious about recently . Well - where to start ?!! Questions flooded my mind , such as … What really causes nitrogen narcosis and what does it do to my brain ? When will the cuttlefish start their mating aggregations this year ? What is the ultimate kit configuration for shore diving ? Why do the scientific names of nudibranchs keep changing ? I ’ m not sure these are the questions our trainer had in mind , but I had plenty more , I assure you .
Albert Einstein has many regularly quoted sayings about curiosity , including “ I have no special talents . I am only passionately curious ” ... and if it ’ s good enough for him , it ’ s good enough for me . I ’ d debate the first part of his statement as it applies to Einstein , but I am firmly convinced that natural curiosity is something to be cherished and nurtured . It ’ s also something that we divers possess in spades . I mean , why else would we throw ourselves into a relatively unknown element on a regular basis ? We see the water and we have the irresistible urge to explore it , to conquer it , to understand it .
Curiosity about the sea ; how we can survive in it ; how pressure affects our bodies ; what wildlife inhabits seven tenths of our planet . The drive to discover has pushed our sport forward over decades , from the earliest pioneers to the cave divers and wreck explorers of today .
Turning back to my training course , I gather ( from esteemed psychologists Kashdan , Disabato , Goodman and Naughton ) that there are five dimensions of curiosity ( bear with me , you may just recognise yourself here ). The one most familiar to me is what has been termed ‘ joyous exploration ’ – the desire to seek out new knowledge , and the joy of learning and growing . After decades of SCUBA , I can happily say that my favourite pastime continues to inspire my curiosity , fill me with joy and the opportunities to learn and grow . Lucky me !
Believe it or not , curiosity can also manifest as ‘ deprivation sensitivity ’ which is perhaps the most emotionally charged type , linked in some ways to anxiety , and relating to the need to solve problems and reduce gaps in knowledge . Have you come across a diver who has challenged themselves to learn diving skills or progress their qualifications , perhaps to overcome their anxieties and push themselves ? I certainly have , and bravo to them . The next dimension is ‘ stress tolerance ’ and this also rings some bells in the diving world - the willingness to embrace the stresses that arise from exploring new , unexpected , complex events . An underwater cave system , perhaps ? A new technical equipment configuration to master ?
There is a ‘ social curiosity ’ of wanting to know what other people are thinking and doing . I possess a good sprinkling of that , and within our network of BSAC dive clubs there ’ s plenty about . Finally , the ‘ thrill seeking ’ mentality : the willingness to take physical , social and financial risks to acquire varied , complex and intense experiences . Most certainly . In fact , for many , that is diving in a nutshell . Our sport is not usually a high adrenaline one , but I ’ d say it provides innumerable opportunities to satisfy our need to joyfully explore as well as our thrill-seeking curiosity . �
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