OP
Captain12Pk:
Paradise is defined as a place where temperatures under 65F are considered a sign of the apocalypse.
What got you into diving?
- Thread starter undefined
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Paradise is defined as a place where temperatures under 65F are considered a sign of the apocalypse.
rottielover
Contributor
My story differ's a bit from most posted thus far...
Born and raised in a land locked state in the middle of the country, my only real experiance with water was in swimming pools as a kid. But every summer we'd beg mom and dad to buy us those cheap mask/snorkle combo's from the local mega store, you know the ones they cut your mouth up and leaked as though they had 100 holes poked all over. Each summer my little brothers and I would see who could swim the length of the pool underwater on one breath.
Fast forward about 20 years, I'm married and got into saltwater fish tanks. About a year after getting my first reef tank running, my wife and I were sitting there watching it when we got to talking about how we've never taken a "real" vacation (our honeymoon was going to a local [yes local] hotel and doing some shopping!). So we started talking about, where we could possibly go, and once there, what on earth would we do?
So sitting there staring at the fish tank, I started thinking about my childhood pool days, swimming underwater, imagining I was a frogman, so I threw it out there, "what would you think about diving?" I said.
A few weeks later, we went shopping at the local "old town" place that just about every town has, and while wandering around, we end up in front of the LDS, so of course we poked our heads in, just to see what was involved with all this stuff.
I have to give full credit to our first instructor, who was working the LDS counter that day, she answered all our very stupid questions, and got us signed up for a private discover SCUBA session.
Well, we stayed in that pool for our discover session soo long we actually got cold in the 85 degree pool water! We were completely hooked and the wife and I could talk about nothing else for weeks following. Needless to say, we signed up for classes and got certified that summer.
Even though "vacation diver" seems to be a "bad word" here on Scuba Board, that def. how I would describe my wife and I, we're in it for the exotic vacations
, though you'll find us at the local quarry in the warmer months (spring -fall).
So, if you forced me to answer "what got you into diving" in a single sentance... "My fish tank."
Born and raised in a land locked state in the middle of the country, my only real experiance with water was in swimming pools as a kid. But every summer we'd beg mom and dad to buy us those cheap mask/snorkle combo's from the local mega store, you know the ones they cut your mouth up and leaked as though they had 100 holes poked all over. Each summer my little brothers and I would see who could swim the length of the pool underwater on one breath.
Fast forward about 20 years, I'm married and got into saltwater fish tanks. About a year after getting my first reef tank running, my wife and I were sitting there watching it when we got to talking about how we've never taken a "real" vacation (our honeymoon was going to a local [yes local] hotel and doing some shopping!). So we started talking about, where we could possibly go, and once there, what on earth would we do?
So sitting there staring at the fish tank, I started thinking about my childhood pool days, swimming underwater, imagining I was a frogman, so I threw it out there, "what would you think about diving?" I said.
A few weeks later, we went shopping at the local "old town" place that just about every town has, and while wandering around, we end up in front of the LDS, so of course we poked our heads in, just to see what was involved with all this stuff.
I have to give full credit to our first instructor, who was working the LDS counter that day, she answered all our very stupid questions, and got us signed up for a private discover SCUBA session.
Well, we stayed in that pool for our discover session soo long we actually got cold in the 85 degree pool water! We were completely hooked and the wife and I could talk about nothing else for weeks following. Needless to say, we signed up for classes and got certified that summer.
Even though "vacation diver" seems to be a "bad word" here on Scuba Board, that def. how I would describe my wife and I, we're in it for the exotic vacations
, though you'll find us at the local quarry in the warmer months (spring -fall).So, if you forced me to answer "what got you into diving" in a single sentance... "My fish tank."
- Messages
- 1,844
- Reaction score
- 520
- # of dives
- None - Not Certified
I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau doing his documentaries, which in part is the reason why I work in the TV industry now... I always wanted to do what Cousteau was doing, but water and I never mixed very well.
I always thought I belonged on top of the water not under. So boating and fishing always interested me, and that desire to see what Jacques Cousteau was talking about at least once never really went away. Yet, my lack of affiity for all things under water never faded either.
Fast forward 20 some odd years of telling myself that I would fail a SCUBA class due to the extreme negative buoyancy qualities I have. And enter, my wife into the equation... She believes I can do anything! So she convinced me that I could do it despite my own believes.
It turns out she was right, I have finally seen what "Commander Cousteau" was talking about and I love it.
I always thought I belonged on top of the water not under. So boating and fishing always interested me, and that desire to see what Jacques Cousteau was talking about at least once never really went away. Yet, my lack of affiity for all things under water never faded either.
Fast forward 20 some odd years of telling myself that I would fail a SCUBA class due to the extreme negative buoyancy qualities I have. And enter, my wife into the equation... She believes I can do anything! So she convinced me that I could do it despite my own believes.
It turns out she was right, I have finally seen what "Commander Cousteau" was talking about and I love it.
polysemous1
Contributor
Sea Hunt and Thunderball...I always wanted to cut somebody's airhose as a kid, thought it would be cool...that, and step out of a wetsuit with an impeccable, dry tuxedo on underneath...
cowdog77
Contributor
My son said, "Why don't you get certified and start diving with me?" I replied, "Sure, sounds fun" (like as in, some far away fuzzy day in the future.... maybe). The very next weekend he had me enrolled in my OW class and I've never looked back.
1_T_Submariner
Contributor
Cell phones work on a golf course but not underwater....
dry heat diver
Contributor
It was something I've wanted to do since I was a teenager but never got around to it. This past September we had occasion to go to Australia for our nephew's wedding. I decided I would not travel nearly half way around the world and miss the great barrier reef so at age 63 my wife and I got busy last spring on the certification. We did our OW in a local lake with no viz (well maybe 2' - 3'). Our first ocean dive experience on the Agincourt Reef out of Port Douglas, AU just blew our minds, a total paradigm shift. Now we're really hooked and will be headed to Honduras next month for a solid week of diving and the AOW certification. Wish I hadn't waited so long.
Buoyant1
Contributor
Got a day?
Hmmm Let's see....originally it was the diving scenes in The Deep. (and a certain white T-shirt...err....wrong board....) But I was a kid then, and it wasn't gonna happen...(well except for the mask and snorkel in the back yard pool for a few years) I could see my parent's letting my get certified....yeah right!
Then I got really out of shape, and smoked like a fiend....After realiziing I was slowly killing myself, I quit, and started working out, etc...Just to be more healthy...
fast forward a few years....
Anyway...We were going to Key West for a year or so since a friend moved there for military reasons, and on one of the trips, we took a glass bottom boat out to the reef, and checked things out...I thought it was cool, and my friend said that you could take snorkel trips out to the same place...well heck, why didn't you tell me that sooner! So on the next trip down (which happened to be my 40th birthday) I bought myself a mask, fins, booties and a snorkel, and we went snorkelling out on one of the reefs...while out there, I saw a few guys down below diving, so I thought, I could do that, I'm already in 30 feet of water, so its not a "depth" issue...So after a few more snorkelling occasions on that trip. I went home and started looking into the activity.
Thankfully I had a friend that worked for my company that I spoke to a lot on the phone who was a dive instructor, and she set me up with an old manual, and some Dive Training mags, etc. to pique my curiosity.... Since she lived several hours away, and didn't really have access to a pool, we had a hard time finding time to train together, but I found a local shop that just opened and things worked out that way So in September of 2004 I got certified, did a little diving on 2005, and last summer I doubled my diving from the year before, and have the same goal and desire to get my AOW, and possibly rescue this coming year.
Hmmm Let's see....originally it was the diving scenes in The Deep. (and a certain white T-shirt...err....wrong board....) But I was a kid then, and it wasn't gonna happen...(well except for the mask and snorkel in the back yard pool for a few years) I could see my parent's letting my get certified....yeah right!
Then I got really out of shape, and smoked like a fiend....After realiziing I was slowly killing myself, I quit, and started working out, etc...Just to be more healthy...
fast forward a few years....
Anyway...We were going to Key West for a year or so since a friend moved there for military reasons, and on one of the trips, we took a glass bottom boat out to the reef, and checked things out...I thought it was cool, and my friend said that you could take snorkel trips out to the same place...well heck, why didn't you tell me that sooner! So on the next trip down (which happened to be my 40th birthday) I bought myself a mask, fins, booties and a snorkel, and we went snorkelling out on one of the reefs...while out there, I saw a few guys down below diving, so I thought, I could do that, I'm already in 30 feet of water, so its not a "depth" issue...So after a few more snorkelling occasions on that trip. I went home and started looking into the activity.
Thankfully I had a friend that worked for my company that I spoke to a lot on the phone who was a dive instructor, and she set me up with an old manual, and some Dive Training mags, etc. to pique my curiosity.... Since she lived several hours away, and didn't really have access to a pool, we had a hard time finding time to train together, but I found a local shop that just opened and things worked out that way So in September of 2004 I got certified, did a little diving on 2005, and last summer I doubled my diving from the year before, and have the same goal and desire to get my AOW, and possibly rescue this coming year.
Elevatorguy2
Contributor
- Messages
- 142
- Reaction score
- 1
- # of dives
- 100 - 199
I also grew up with Jacques Cousteau and those National Geographic specials in the late 60’s, early 70’s. Later in life I learned of a wreck in a local lake that I had to see. My only regret is I waited too long to take up the sport.
Similar threads
