I did scuba diving for a few years before I started flying. I found it parallel to the flying in many ways, but it didn't quite push my buttons the same way....partly because here in New England, the visibility in the water is rarely over 15 feet or so, partly because the water is cold here (Although I did go diving a couple of times in January off Marblehead, MA and York Beach ME wearing a 1/4" farmer john wetsuit...for taking pictures), partly because I wasn't in real good physical shape and would therefore be totally exhausted after two dives, and partly because I felt panicky at times when I thought about being underwater (My biggest fear is and always has been not being able to breath, suffocating or drowning are near phobic for me). Nevertheless, I think scuba diving, for someone who gets "addicted" to it, is about the same as flying is for someone for whom that is the drug of choice.
