I finally found my passion, DIVING

[gingerscuba]

My husband got certified a year before me and 'surprised' me with diving lesson for Christmas 2011, with lessons beginning in January 2012 in Seattle, WA. Needless to say I was not too happy. Luckily he did his research and found a dive shop that only certifies in drysuits, so during my ow classes it was raining/snowing but I was ok with it. Once I got certified I was hooked. I now dive at least one time a week (I say it is my 'religion'), we just got back from our 25th wedding anniversary in Aruba where we did 12 dives in 4 days (we would have done more but I got a head cold), and I passed my 100 dives during the trip. We are now planning next year's vacation to Bonaire with our dive club. After getting OW Cert, I waited 9 months and got AOW, and then 3 months later became Rescue Diver Certified. It was the hardest but most rewarding training and highly recommend it to anyone that dives. With diving I have learned how to spearfish (ling cod), we easily 'crab' for dungeness crab and just being underwater with all of the different sea life. I have dove with a few seals that have followed us, seen beautiful strawberry fields of anemonies, and so many other beautiful wonders. I have made some great friends and have told my husband that I will be diving until I die - I will have all of the young guys take my gear when I get out of the water and I will crawl back to my car.

So, enough about me, what about you?

 

[BackBite]

Your post absolutely made me smile! My husband has been certified for over 25 years. This past March he finally convinced me to do a discover SCUBA class in a pool. My main issue was clearing my ears (that issue was in my head, I'm actually really good now!) and I was a little leery of going into the deep end. I walked my way down on my hands, and every other step needed to clear my ears...and I was totally fine with doing the "hold your nose closed and blow" method! I got my OW cert last month and am totally hooked!

 

[DiverAmy]

I, as a single mother, started diving when my youngest son went off to college in 2005. I always knew I wanted to dive and that I would love diving and I was right. Since then I met my diving husband and we enjoy our shared passion together. My sons and their partners got certified, too, and twice we have all gone diving together. I now have over 500 dives and am diving this evening, in a few hours. Your post made me smile. I can relate to feeling so strongly about being a scuba diver. Welcome to SB!

 

[TSandM]

I had kind of the same experience. I wasn't hot on learning to dive to begin with, and had no intention of ever getting in Puget Sound. Eight years later, I have hundreds of dives in the Sound, and love the Eastern Pacific the most of all the waters in the world.

I know you've done AOW and Rescue, but may I recommend one more class for polishing your skills? (And yes, this is a sort of shameless self-promotion . . . ) My husband teaches a "Techreational" class in Woodinville that brings some of the most useful concepts of technical diving into the context of the pure recreational divers. It's like the GUE Fundamentals class you read people here talk about, but with no specific gear requirements. It's an awfully good next step in training, if you want to refine your skills a bit more.