Why do you dive?

[Littlerayray]

I learned to dive because I was frustrated with the limitations of snorkeling I continue to dive for it is a wonderful world underwater that only a liter few of us actually get to experience and the feeling of being suspended ie: neutrally buoyant is one of the most amazing experiences

 

[ldeleon68]

I do not know why; but, I love caves. I always imagined myself floating, reaching every place, trying to find out what I could find at the end of a tunnel; then, cave diving was the answer.

 

[Skeptic14]

she to do her jazzercise class while I played basketball with the boys. Now when you're in your late 40's and trying to keep up with a bunch of young bucks half your age, there's a tendency to push yourself a little too hard at times ... especially when you're basically shaped like the basketball ... and so I'd frequently come out of the gym limping, or with some other condition needing medical attention. ...

that was nearly 15 years ago and I haven't touched a basketball since.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Kinda similar for me, since high school my main hobby has been basketball. In college I played 10 hrs a week probably. After college I continued playing pick-up games on weekends and playing in leagues. I'm only 33 and even though it's gradual I see the writing on the wall... endurance, speed, jumping and recovery... I'm not 25 anymore... And it's frustrating... knowing "what you once could do"... Heh I guess that'll only get worse!

Snorkeling introduced me to the serenity of exploring the underwater world and so it was inevitable at that point to take it further and get SCUBA certified. At first getting certified was to be able to better explore reefs and the underwater world looking at cool critters. Now though... it's just fun for the adventurer of it. Where we did our cert class is a cave and during one of the dives we watched a group of cave divers head into the cave and I thought they were crazy...

Now with only 11 dives under my belt, I'm thinking I want to get cavern certified next...

My basketball playing days are probably numbered

 

[Lakediving]

Before I started diving I could barely swim one pool length, and I couldn't reach the places I wanted Snorkeling. I always got cold and things like underwater logs and darkness scared me. When I started diving it felt more free to go wherever I wanted and now I love taking in my surroundings. I also had no interest in pictures or videos until I started carrying a camera on every dive. I dive because it's really interesting.

 

[dmaziuk]

So Why did you start to dive?

I swam competitively (or at least trained to) as a kid and snorkeled and dived whenever I could. I loved the idea of scuba diving but that was pretty much unobtainable back there and then. And then I developed "other interests", fast forward 30 years, we're on the Big Island in HI renting a kayak to go across Capt. Cook's monument. My better half didn't want to rent the 2nd set of snorkeling gear because "we can take turns". Turns out, she never snorkeled before -- and I never thought to ask: back when we lived in Perth she'd go swim every morning, she had a pool membership before we moved down under, so I assumed she must've tried the mask and snorkel on before. Doesn't everyone who swims?

So I said no, we're taking two sets, no turns. For those who don't know: capt. Cook's Bay is one of world's top 3 snorkeling spots. Or maybe top 5.

When she got out of the water she was hooked. We got OW certs the following winter. Well, the pool and classes: the OW dives were in a lake in May in 7 mil suits. A bit of a change from Kona.

And that's why I dive: because I'd've never got my behind off the sofa if my wife didn't have that epiphany.

 

[Belzelbub]

It's pretty much in my blood. I grew up near water. Always had a pool, and we lived very near the beach as far back as I can remember. I got my parents to get me a snorkeling set when I was 6 or 7. I tried the breathe from the hose trick, but that didn't work. Soon, however, I'd get tired of swimming in the pool. Aside from girls in bikinis, there wasn't much interesting to look at. Beach wasn't much better. Water was cloudy and there really wasn't much to look at by the beach (excluding the aforementioned GiBs). So, I'd get bored quickly, but I'd keep going back. I was drawn to the water, though the reasons were unclear to me at the time.

I remember spending lots of time at the springs (rainbow river, salt springs, etc.) While this was quite a bit more interesting than the pool beach, it really wasn't all that fascinating. So, I'm still drawn to the water, but get quickly bored when I'm in the water.

Fast forward a few years. I'm now 14. We took a vacation to Key Largo. I spent as much time as possible under the water. The time when I was above the water, I was around the water or looking at the water. My parents' booked a snorkeling trip for all of us. That pretty much did it for me. The clarity of the water, the amount of life really made it clear why I was continually drawn to the water. I was not bored at all. We went to Pennekamp Park, and I spent as much time as possible underwater. Saw a bunch of lobster, and just really had a blast. Went to several dive shops, which piqued my interest in scuba diving.

By the next summer, I convinced my parents to let me get certified. That was in 1990. Went through a few dry spells over the years, due to poor initial instruction, lack of gear/funds, but the call of the water has always returned. Now that I've got a boat, my own gear, several dive partners, I try to get out as much as possible.

 

[Diver0001]

So Why did you start to dive? Why do you dive now and has your reason for diving changed? I'd love to hear your story

I initially started diving because my uncle encouraged me to try it. He was a marine biologist and diving was both occupational and recreational in his case.

30 years on, and I dive because I have a busy life and I need the mental down time to just go out with a buddy and do something together without having to talk the whole time. My job involves a lot of talking and listening. Diving is a way to "do" without all that. It gives me a great sense of relaxation.

R..

 

[seeker242]

To observe the beautiful animals that live underwater. Watching them on TV is nice, being there in person is way better!

 

[Kairoos]

I started diving about a year ago, and sometimes I ask myself this same question...mostly when my alarm clock goes off at 5AM on a Saturday/Sunday and I know if I don't get up I'll miss the dive boat. I picked up diving just as a hobby to try, and I've always liked the ocean; I've been keeping reef tanks for a few years now. A friend and I were going to get OW certified at the same time, but he had to bail out just before it started because he needed the money for his car. I ended up sticking with it, partially because I felt bad cancelling as well (I wanted to do it with a friend), but I know how important it is for local mom & pop shops to get business, and I also hate going back on my word (I committed to it). I'm glad I stuck with it though.

Being in the water is so relaxing, and drift diving here in Palm Beach can be so serene. I'm thinking about picking up spearfishing/lobstering soon for fun. I don't eat either, but it sounds like an enjoyable experience and a motivator. I know that someone on the dive boat will be ecstatic to take home whatever I catch.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I had never even snorkeled until I was 28. My first wife grew up in the Nevada desert watching Sea Hunt and always wanted to dive. It took several tries before it finally clicked but I taught myself to free dive. After holding my breath for nearly half my weekends I saw a bat ray and leopard shark on day. I went to the library to find out if they were dangerous. I used to spend more time in the library than the water. This was before I'd heard of the interweb thing and I have always been an infomaniac.
After finding out that most of the animals I saw were relatively harmless I knew I wanted to spend more than thirty seconds at a time with them. I've been certified for 26 years now and still marvel at the discoveries I make on most dives. Although I am able to identify the animals much faster now it is still the sense of discovery and thirst for knowledge that keeps me diving. I enjoy diving even more now than I did all those years ago.