Do you like diving?

[TheHobster]

I will take the hit for that one...It was my mis-statement and nothing that was advertised by our local YMCA.

Thanks for clearing that one up. It is a pool, and it holds water, and I love being in the water. On Saturday, I was booked to dive the "City of Houston" wreck off Wilmington, NC and it got blown out, then I was going to dive in the quarry, and my buddy couldn't make it, so I just went to the pool.

no need to apologize - I am more upset at the pool builders, school districts, municipalities etc that mislead what they have

NC is such a pretty state I am not sure I would waste it by going to a pool

 

[Diver Dennis]

For me, the process is a means to and end in that improvement in my skills have made me a better photographer. I thought it was great to refine my back finning but it was because I could keep a subject in the viewfinder and compose a better shot. I learned to maneuver upside down to be able to move along a wreck with my head and camera just above the sand looking for an interesting shot. I refined my buoyancy so I can take a very short breath to slowly rise a couple of inches above a rock to take a shot without scaring a subject.

I had pretty good skills before I started taking pictures but photography has definitely made my control in the water better and in doing so enhanced my overall diving experience.

 

[TSandM]

Dennis, that's a wonderful post. The fact is that polishing skills makes diving MORE FUN. You went down there to do something, whether it's float around or look at sea life or take pictures or videotape a wreck. Anything you went down there to do will go easier and be more enjoyable if you have the skills to do it without effort or stress.

But sometimes the skills themselves are just fun. I've sat in front of the other two members of my team and back-kicked along, facing them, and thoroughly enjoyed the simple fact that I can do that.

 

[jeckyll]

... I've sat in front of the other two members of my team and back-kicked along, facing them, and thoroughly enjoyed the simple fact that I can do that.

Show off!

 

[fmw625]

The stress, the struggle, the hussle, the pain, the agony of living all go away once my head goes under water. I love the silence, the solitude, the weightless feeling of being neutral in the water column. I like great viz. I like no viz and everything in between. I like carring my gear to the dive site, it helps me become stronger. I even like cleaning my gear, it lets me know I'm prepared for my next dive. I like the long drives filled with anticipation of just getting wet again. I am usually a loner but love meeting fellow divers along the way. Talking to them, learning from them. I don't think I've ever met a diver I wouldn't like to have as a friend. I like taking pictures underwater so that I can share the beauty of the underwater world with my wife who will never be able to dive. I can't help but smile once my head is under the water. Ever tried to smile with a reg in your mouth and not draw in water? It can be done. I love diving just for the sake of diving. My surface integrals are too long, but one must balance diving, family, work, and life so that all are shared to some degree.

 

[Matthew]

For me, the process is a means to and end in that improvement in my skills have made me a better photographer. I thought it was great to refine my back finning but it was because I could keep a subject in the viewfinder and compose a better shot. I learned to maneuver upside down to be able to move along a wreck with my head and camera just above the sand looking for an interesting shot. I refined my buoyancy so I can take a very short breath to slowly rise a couple of inches above a rock to take a shot without scaring a subject.

I had pretty good skills before I started taking pictures but photography has definitely made my control in the water better and in doing so enhanced my overall diving experience.

And I really enjoyed just watching you do all that.

 

[Wolverine]

Diving is equal to freedom to me. In the weightlessness and silence of inner space, I can relax and unwind. It is my way of getting away from the daily grind of things. Combine that with tropical marine life and photography and places where the blackberry doesn't work.. it doesn't get better than that.

I think I will retire in a diveshop...

 

[JohnnyH]

I do two types of diving. I dive for work and I dive for pleasure. Generally speaking, regardless of why I'm diving, I'm loving the creatures that surround me. I am fascinated by the tremendous diversity and behaviors of all those alien life-forms found underwater.

May sound kinda sappy, I know, but there's so much to see down there that it still blows me away.

Sadly - as I marvel at them I also can see them slowly fading away and can only shake my head at the unbelievable stupidity of our own species...

 

[Diver Dennis]

Dennis, that's a wonderful post. The fact is that polishing skills makes diving MORE FUN. You went down there to do something, whether it's float around or look at sea life or take pictures or videotape a wreck. Anything you went down there to do will go easier and be more enjoyable if you have the skills to do it without effort or stress.

But sometimes the skills themselves are just fun. I've sat in front of the other two members of my team and back-kicked along, facing them, and thoroughly enjoyed the simple fact that I can do that.

Thanks Lynne. You get out of diving what you put into it. I don't think about the actual skills much, they become ingrained after a while, allowing me to focus on the task at hand. Like switching stage bottles, checking air and situational awareness, skills become a smooth action that you do automatically. As you point out, for some divers the social interaction of practicing skills is a big part of the enjoyment they get from diving and I have to admit that I think the choreography of a well coordinated stage bottle switch is pretty cool...

Thanks very much Matthew. You and the rest off the PPD are terrific divers and a pleasure to dive with.

 

[Nailer99]

"Like" Diving? Yeah, sure. Well, actually, I love everything about it. The whole process is amazing and wonderfull to me- I love the gear, the challenge, the feeling of just plain being underwater! All the neat critters are a bonus.