Ask someone why they’ve never learned to scuba dive, and you’ll usually get one of the same handful of answers. Sharks. Danger. “I’m not fit enough.” The trouble is that most of those reasons are myths — and they keep people out of the water for no good reason at all.

So let’s clear a few of them up. Here are the scuba diving myths we hear most often at the shop, and the honest reality behind each one.

Myth: sharks are waiting to attack you

This is the big one, and it’s almost entirely Hollywood. Sharks are not interested in eating divers — we’re not on the menu, and to most sharks a bubble-blowing diver is something to avoid, not investigate. The vast majority of divers who do see a shark describe it as a highlight of their diving life, not a scare. Encounters are usually brief, distant and completely peaceful. If anything, experienced divers spend money and travel a long way hoping to see sharks, because they’re magnificent to watch.

Myth: scuba diving is really dangerous

Any activity in the water carries some risk, and we take safety genuinely seriously — that’s the whole point of training. But diving done properly, within your limits and your training, is a remarkably safe, calm activity. The entire certification process exists to teach you how to manage risk: how your gear works, how to plan a dive, what to do if something goes wrong. Divers aren’t daredevils. Good divers are careful, methodical people who follow their training, and the sport rewards exactly that temperament.

Myth: you have to be super fit or athletic

You’d be surprised how gentle diving is when it’s done well. Underwater, the goal is to move slowly and breathe calmly — thrashing around is the opposite of good technique. You need to be reasonably comfortable in the water and in decent general health, but you don’t need to be an athlete, and divers come in all shapes, sizes and ages. If you have specific health questions, a chat with a doctor familiar with diving sorts that out; for most people, ordinary fitness is plenty.

Myth: you can’t dive if you wear glasses

You absolutely can. Masks can be fitted with prescription lenses, and plenty of divers wear contacts under their mask instead. Needing glasses has stopped exactly nobody from becoming a diver. The same goes for a lot of “but what about…” worries — there’s usually a simple, well-established solution, and we’re happy to talk through yours.

Myth: it’s wildly expensive and you have to buy everything

Learning to dive is more affordable than most people assume, and you certainly don’t need to buy a full kit to start. Early on you own a few personal items — mask, fins, that sort of thing — and rent the big-ticket gear while you figure out what suits you. It’s an investment, but it’s a manageable one, and it buys you access to most of the planet’s surface. We walk new divers through the sensible order to do all of it in.

Myth: you’ll run out of air without warning

You won’t be caught out. You dive with a gauge or computer showing exactly how much air you have the whole time, you’re taught to monitor it and turn the dive with plenty to spare, and you and your buddy carry a shared plan for the unlikely event of a problem. Running out of air by surprise isn’t something that just happens to a trained diver paying attention — managing your gas is a basic, constant part of every dive.

The reality is better than the myths

Strip away the misconceptions and what’s left is this: scuba diving is a safe, accessible, endlessly rewarding thing that far more people could do than think they can. If one of these myths has been holding you back, consider it busted.

Got a specific worry we didn’t cover? Have a look at our frequently asked questions, read about how we approach training, or just come talk to us. And if you’re ready to stop wondering and start diving, here’s how to get certified. The water’s better than the stories.