scubadada

I was certified by the LA County Underwater Unit when I was 16 and living in the Los Angeles area. I was a competitive swimmer and water polo player through high school. I dived actively, mostly shore diving in LA, Orange, and San Diego Counties, with occasional trips to Catalina, for the decade while I finished high school, college, and medical school. I lived in Portland, OR for 8 years before moving to the Philadelphia area. I did not dive for 17 years. I was recertified with my son when he turned 12, we've been diving together for 24 years. My wife was certified with my daughter when she turned 12, the whole family has been diving together for 19 years. We try to dive as a family as much as we can, more often now, it's my wife and me. I also dive by myself whenever I have the opportunity. We've owned a 2nd house in Boynton Beach, FL for 9 1/2 years.

2020 was a tough diving year. I'm grateful I got in 81 dives from my home in Florida

I'm cautiously optimistic for 2021. My wife and I have been fully vaccinated since the end of February. I've been able to get down to Florida four times. I saw a Tiger Shark at Spadefish Point in Jupiter in March and had a great dive with the Lemon Sharks at Lemon drop the same month. I saw a Great Hammerhead in Boynton Beach outside of Clubhouse in March and another outside of Briny Breezes in April. I recently returned from my trip to Malpelo, rescheduled from 2020. It was the best diving I've had, many, many Gallopagos Sharks, a few hammerheads, several Whale Sharks, many Eagle Rays, an incredible number of schooling fish, challenging and changing conditions. I'm hoping to get down to Florida for a couple weeks in September for Goliath Grouper aggregation. My wife and I have rescheduled our two weeks in Bonaire, cancelled in 2020, to October/November.

Good diving to everyone

August 1, 2021