How Athletes Overcome Adversity: Mental Strength, Mindfulness & Respect through Scuba and Jubilee

For those who don't know me, I'm a professional volleyball coach and a passionate scuba diver. As a certified PADI Divemaster, I've gone through rigorous training to help others explore the underwater world safely, whether they're just enjoying a relaxed dive or pushing themselves on something more challenging. Scuba diving is incredibly rewarding. It opens up a whole new world filled with beauty, mystery, and adventure. It's not without real risk, though, which is exactly why proper training and preparation matter so much for anyone heading beneath the surface.

Coaching college volleyball and guiding a dive have more in common than you'd think. Both rely heavily on teamwork. Communication is everything, clear instructions, real encouragement, honest feedback that actually helps instead of just sounding nice. And before anything starts, there's always planning and safety to think through first. Both demand real attention to detail and a solid plan before the action even begins.

Plenty of experienced divers will tell you that being underwater feels almost spiritual. There's something surreal about slipping into an environment so unlike our own, quiet, weightless, full of wonder. It brings a real sense of peace, awe, and connection to the natural world. Catching sight of a reef teeming with life, or stumbling onto some hidden underwater feature, can leave a mark on you. Moments like that remind you why the effort is worth it.

College athletes can learn a lot about handling adversity and managing stress by stepping outside their comfort zone, and scuba diving is a great way to actually do that. It demands focus, calm under real pressure, and quick thinking the second something doesn't go as planned. It also builds physical strength and endurance that translate directly to performance on the court. Beyond the physical and mental side, diving invites a deeper connection with the world around you. Being submerged somewhere so different from your everyday life sparks real respect for what's living beneath the surface, and it teaches resilience in the face of challenges that are complex and unfamiliar.

Scripture actually speaks directly to our relationship with nature and our role in caring for it. Genesis 2:15 says, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." That's a clear call to care for creation, not just use it up. The message is simple: we're meant to be responsible stewards, protecting and appreciating what God made, not just extracting from it. Psalm 19:1-4 echoes that with real awe: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard." Nature is constantly speaking, showing us the grandeur of God's design, if we're actually willing to listen.

There's a fascinating parallel between an old biblical practice and modern conservation, and it's worth getting the terminology right. Exodus 23:10-11 describes the sabbatical year: "For six years sow your fields... but in the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed and unused." That's technically the sabbatical year, not the Jubilee itself. The Jubilee comes later, in Leviticus 25, after seven full cycles of sabbatical years, the fiftieth year became a bigger reset entirely, debts forgiven, land returned, people freed. But the sabbatical year is where that whole rhythm starts, and it wasn't just about agriculture. It was about renewal, sustainability, and faith. In much the same way, certain dive sites today are periodically closed to give coral reefs time to recover. Those rest periods matter for healing marine ecosystems that have taken a hit from human activity. When divers return to these sites after the closure, they often find them teeming with more life than before. Stepping back can actually move things forward.

By giving nature real space to renew, we gain something too: a deeper appreciation for how beautiful and fragile it actually is. Whether it's a sabbath year on land or a no-access period underwater, the principle holds. For athletes, that lesson matters. Diving pushes them to work as a real team, think on their feet, and recognize that true strength sometimes looks like restraint, reflection, and respect for something bigger than themselves.

In the end, scuba diving does more than strengthen the body. It strengthens the spirit too. For college athletes, it's a powerful way to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally all at once. It offers real moments of awe, challenges that actually test your limits, and quiet space to reflect on where you fit in the world. And just like the biblical rhythm of rest and renewal, it's a reminder that taking care of our environment, land or sea, isn't just good practice. It's part of the calling.

• 

• 

•