How research shows that diving and snorkeling at Wakatobi can enhance your mental well-being

Are we healthier and happier when we are around or in the water? There is an emerging school of scientific thought that supports this idea, and the concept of the “blue mind.” This phenomenon is described as a mildly meditative state of calm unity, and a sense of general well-being that is created when humans are near or in water. This hardly comes as a surprise to those of us who dive and snorkel, especially when we do so at beautiful locations such as Wakatobi.

Research shows that the human brain prefers the color blue to all others, and that proximity to water increases the brain’s ability to focus. Photo by Glen Cowans

The brain on blue

The phenomenon known as the blue mind was first popularized by marine biologist Dr. Wallace Nichols. After devoting much of his career to sea turtle research and conservation, he has shifted his focus to the study of what he feels is a deep connection between humans and water”especially blue water.

“There are numerous cognitive and emotional benefits that we derive every time we spend time by water, in water or underwater,” Nichols says. We are drawn to water, because we come from, and are still largely made of water, he adds. In fact, the human body is about 60 percent water, and the brain is 75 percent water. “When you see water, when you hear water, it triggers a response in your brain that you’re in the right place.”

The view from Wakatobi’s Jetty -at any time of day or night- can trigger cognitive and emotional responses that suggest “you’re in the right place,” according to Dr. Nichol’s research. Photo by Warren Baverstock

Scientists have known for years that the atmosphere at a beach or on the ocean contains elevated levels of negatively charged ions. These ions cause the brain to release mood-enhancing serotonin, and to reduce blood lactate levels. Now, as neurologists and psychologists turn their attention to the effects of water environments on the brain, they are finding scientific evidence that validates Nichols’ concepts of the blue mind. Using imaging techniques such as CT, PET and MRI scans, researchers have shown that proximity to water will increase the levels of certain “feel-good” hormones such as dopamine and oxytocin within the human brain. At the same time, levels of the stress hormone cortisol drop. Equally interesting are indications that the human brain seems to prefer the color blue to all others, and that proximity to water increases the brain’s ability to focus. Additionally, being in or near the water amplifies the calming effect that is associated with all human contact with the natural world.

The underwater world, in general, provides a predictable, calming setting, which induces a state of relaxed blue mind. Photo by Steve Miller

The pleasures of red and blue

In contrast to the relaxed condition of the blue mind, brain study has also identified an alternate state known as the red mind. When a person is in a state of red mind, they produce higher levels of stress hormones, and place the brain on a higher state of alert. There are times when the red mind state is desirable, as it heightens survival instincts, and provides the motivation needed to address demanding and difficult situations, or to adapt to new and unfamiliar environments. What Nichols and other researchers find most interesting is that the interplay between blue mind and red mind states can occur when a human enters the water. In general, the underwater world provides a predictable and calming setting, which induces a state of relaxed blue mind.

Just a brief surge of what is known as the ” red mind” can cause the brain to release dopamine, which creates a sense of surprise and novelty. Photo by Steve Miller

But as all divers and snorkelers know, the underwater realm is also an ever-changing realm where the unexpected can appear at any given moment. Even in a relaxed state, some part of the brain continues to look for the unexpected. Unexpected events will trigger a brief surge of the red mind, causing the brain to release dopamine, which creates a sense of surprise and novelty.

“This is regularity without monotony, the perfect recipe for triggering a state of involuntary attention in which the brain’s default network essential to creativity and problem solving gets triggered.”

In a recent interview, Nichols describes the interplay of red and blue mind that takes place near water. “In or near water, there’s a high degree of predictability,”he says. “The background we see is fairly controlled, which allows part of the brain to relax. Against that consistent background, the brain continues to search for something that wasn’t there before, since the essence of survival is the correct interpretation of things that don’t fit in the landscape. Because bodies of water change and stay the same simultaneously, we experience both soothing familiarity and stimulating novelty. This is regularity without monotony, the perfect recipe for triggering a state of involuntary attention in which the brain’s default network essential to creativity and problem-solving gets triggered.” This dreamy state of involuntary attention is a key characteristic of the blue mind.

Many guests suggest the blue mindset begins even before our charter flight lands, as our guests fly over the island of Onemobaa toward our landing strip and the resort. Photo by Didi Lotze

Blue minds at Wakatobi

Can a visit to Wakatobi create a state of blue mind? The comments and memories that our guests share in many ways mirror Dr. Nichols’ findings. “When I’m drifting with the current on a reef at Wakatobi, I feel relaxed and at peace with the world,” says guest Chim Carlson.  Kathy Beech agrees. “The reefs and fish come in all colors of the rainbow, and surrounding it all are the blues, which come in every shade -from the deep indigos of the depths to the cobalts of the sky and turquoise of the shallows. That’s what comes to mind when I close my eyes and think back to a dive,” says Kathy. She has traveled to Wakatobi two times from the United Kingdom, most recently on her honeymoon with husband Jim, sharing memories that mirror the mixture of red and blue mind that occurs when diving. “At Wakatobi, you can switch off mentally and relax in an aquarium-like environment, but then there’s also the excitement of seeing an unusual creature you’ve never seen before, or one behaving in a memorable way.” An ongoing theme of her time at Wakatobi was the experience of being both delighted and surprised by the sheer variety of interesting life that you find at what looks, from the surface, like a perfectly unassuming location. “The muck diving sites such as Asphalt Pier we visited from Pelagian were filled with unexpected discoveries that filled my dive logbook. It reads like a shopping list.”