Browsing through India Black’s socials, you’d find it hard to believe that her first scuba diving experience only happened two years ago. Granted, India has always been an ocean lover and a conservation advocate, but a combination of nerves, a lack of time and a dislike for cold water meant it was always something she put off. Now, in 2026, she’s a certified PADI Professional as well as a PADI AmbassaDiver™.
Black’s story isn’t about being naturally gifted underwater (though buoyancy skills did come to her suspiciously easily). Instead, she’s a walking – or rather, swimming – example of what happens when curiosity meets commitment.
Excitement and Nervousness Are Two Sides of the Same Coin
When India Black applied to become a PADI Ambassadiver, she outlined her passion for the ocean and her efforts in conservation initiatives, but she hadn’t yet done so much as a Discover Scuba® Diving experience. In the time it took to hear back about her application, she made the leap and booked a trip to Cairns, Australia to learn how to dive. The morning of her flight, she got PADI’s email congratulating her on her selection.
“I was like ‘there’s no way, I’m literally getting on a flight to go to Cairns and learn to dive right now.’ So I made sure that I was documenting that process and filming it — the beginning of what was going to be documenting all my diving adventures,” exclaims Black.
Black’s desire to bring people along for the ride is key to her ethos – it’s not just about learning to dive, but building a community of ocean lovers.
Like most divers, her PADI Open Water Diver course was the first step. Unlike most divers, she was lucky enough to do it in the Great Barrier Reef, but that didn’t make it any less nerve-wracking. “I was pretty anxious going into it. I think it’s this funny thing where people forget that there is totally the capability to have both anxiety and excitement coexisting,” she says. Despite her vast list of certifications, she reckons her Open Water Diver certification was the most challenging.
“Overcoming nerves and stepping into the unknown is such a pivotal point in any divers journey, because that’s where you learn. It’s a very different sport, a very different environment, and it doesn’t matter how much you love the ocean, that first breath [underwater]…your body is still like, hold up, we’re not meant to be here!” she exudes. That feeling lasted all of a few seconds, though, since for Black it was love at first sight.
Developing as a Diver Means Developing as a Person
“I remember just being so utterly infatuated with everything that I was seeing and finding it incredibly cathartic at the same time,” says Black. Some skills came quickly, but the personal growth element was a surprise. “[Diving] means learning to trust myself and my gear… being like, okay, I’m good, I can breathe, I can enjoy this — that was a challenge, and it’s one of the reasons why diving is such an empowering sport. You’re in charge of it.”
That sense of self-trust, built over time with each dive and subsequent course, has defined India’s diving journey. Her confidence underwater didn’t arrive with a certification. It was earned.
India Black kept up that momentum. After her Open Water Diver, she pursued Advanced Open Water Diver, Rescue Diver, various Specialty courses and ultimately, the Master Scuba Diver™ rating. Each course presented its own challenges, whether it was the unexpected physical demands and problem solving of Rescue Diver or the navigation requirements for her Divemaster qualification.
Black also discovered something she hadn’t anticipated – the impact that diving had on her mental health. She has long been a mental health advocate online and scuba diving offered benefits that surprised her. “I just have a very active brain… I began to realize that the only time where my brain would genuinely just shut off was when I was underwater… it is a mindfulness exercise within itself,” she remarks.
Going Pro: All the Way to a Divemaster Internship in Hawaii
With India not doing anything in half measures, she set her sights on becoming a PADI Divemaster. She choose Kailua-Kona in Hawaii, a place where she had first connected with the Pacific Ocean years prior for a channel crossing. “It was one of the places that I started to learn about the Pacific and the waves and the water, and it was a really poignant place for my connection with the ocean,” explains Black.
The internship was a massive learning curve for her, between guiding dives, running briefings and underwater skills. But she took comfort in doing it all with PADI Instructors before the responsibility ultimately became solely hers. She tells us, “I definitely learned the most when I was doing my internship, because I had that responsibility. I was practicing my briefings and practicing my navigation… you get that chance to develop your skills, notice where you’re kind of lacking a little bit, build on that and have that real safe environment to do it in.”
Not long after, she found herself back in the Great Barrier Reef where she learned to dive just two years ago. This time, though, she returned as a Divemaster. “I hadn’t spent a lot of time sitting and reflecting on the journey… and then I’m getting on this boat to go film the Great Barrier Reef, and I’m a Divemaster. It was pretty special to be able to have that out-of-body experience and look at my journey and be like, oh wow, I’ve done quite a bit with this.”
Building a Community, One Dive at a Time
India Black’s documentation of her journey has invited thousands along with her on social media. Her DMs are often full of people asking how to get started, and even friends of hers in real life have taken the leap after talking it through with her. She suggested to one of her friends to start with a Discover Scuba Diving experience, especially since she was so nervous.
Black explains, “I was like give it a go. You’ll love it. She went, she dove and I got this string of messages like, ‘Oh my god, this is the best ever. I love it so much.’ And then she went and did her Open Water Diver course.”
Those ripples, where personal curiosity makes someone else curious too, is what grows the love of diving. For India, that sense of community has been just as rewarding as diving itself. “I think sharing these moments underwater, which are profoundly special…it’s been really awesome to open up those avenues. Diving attracts a really cool community of people.”
Advice for Anyone Too Nervous To Take the Plunge
India Black isn’t the kind of person to gloss over the challenges of diving or to pretend it’s easy. She points out, “It’s okay to be scared… sometimes I still get nervous, and I have like 150 dives in my back pocket. That’s okay. Accept it as your own journey and lean into the bits of it that make you really excited, push through the scary bits, because that’s where you grow, and don’t forget, at the end of the day, it’s all about having fun.”
She encourages new divers to know that no two diving journeys look identical – nor should they. You may be attracted to tec diving, wrecks or even coral gardening. And if that sounds oddly specific, that’s because it’s where India Black found her happy place – coral restoration! Wherever you find your joy underwater is your place. As Black puts it, “You’ll find your little diving niche, and you’ll love it. Life’s great.”
Keep up with India Black’s underwater adventures on Instagram and TikTok. And if you’re ready to take the first step, find a PADI Open Water Diver course near you.
