Rebecca McGowan, a Team GB Taekwondo athlete, shares her post-Olympic journey into the world of scuba diving. Alongside her partner, Bradly, the couple took a much-needed dive holiday in Thailand to reconnect with a sport that has become a key part of their lives beyond athletics.
You know how some people dream of lounging on a beach, basking in the sun for weeks, with nothing on the agenda but relaxation? Yeah, that’s not us. As athletes, staying still has never been our strong suit. Even on holiday, we crave adventure. So, after the whirlwind that was the Olympic Games, we decided it was time to get back into one of our favorite escapes: scuba diving.
In the lead-up to the Olympics, life was a constant blur of training, strategy, and mental focus. Every waking moment revolved around the Games. But we needed something to help us decompress, something to shift our thoughts away from that relentless pace. That’s how our post-Olympic dive adventure in Thailand came to be. And trust us, it was exactly what we needed.
We had always planned to dive in Thailand, but then an incredible opportunity popped up: completing a PADI Specialty course. It was as if everything aligned perfectly. The PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver course, with its flexible eLearning, turned into a daily ritual. Just an hour a day, diving into something completely different, was our way to mentally unwind and refocus. Learning about enriched air not only broadened our diving knowledge but also gave us something to get excited about as we counted down the days until we could explore Thailand’s dive sites.
Diving has this incredible way of giving us new goals. As athletes, we’re hardwired to always aim higher, and diving fits perfectly into that mindset. From earning our first Open Water Diver certification to setting our sights on becoming Master Scuba Divers, scuba diving provides an outlet for our ambition beyond sports. It’s about achieving personal wins, challenging ourselves, and continuing to grow. We’ve made it a mission to explore the underwater world as often as possible, and we’re even on the lookout for a dive club in Manchester to keep pushing towards our goals.
Since getting PADI certified in 2019, we’ve added some pretty amazing experiences to our diving resume. We started with Open Water Diver in 2019, followed by our Advanced Open Water Diver in 2020, and made it a habit to explore both cities and oceans wherever we traveled. Diving is our balance. In the high-pressure world of elite sport, everything feels fast-paced and intense. But underwater? It’s a different universe—calm, peaceful, and awe-inspiring. It’s exactly the contrast we crave.
Our Thailand adventure was a chance to dive deeper, literally and figuratively. We took on the Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver course and did six unforgettable dives with Mr. Tee from Fun Divers Phuket. Mr. Tee, our Divemaster, took us to several unique sites, including two shipwrecks and several reef and pinnacle dives. Each site offered something different, and it felt good to be back in the water, making the most of our time off.
We try to maximize our diving experiences on holidays, even though we only have limited time off each year. Thailand gave us a chance to see a range of marine life and dive environments. Every dive brought something new, and despite our tight schedule, we felt like we got a solid glimpse of what Thailand’s underwater world has to offer.
Diving continues to be more than just a hobby for us. It’s a way to step back, reset, and find joy in a world that’s the opposite of our usual grind. Whether we’re setting new diving goals or simply soaking in the tranquillity of the ocean, scuba diving keeps us motivated and grateful. And honestly? We can’t wait to see where our next underwater adventure takes us.
Article written by Rebecca McGowan, a Team GB Taekwondo Olympian athlete
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