wcj786
Registered
Hey all,
I am, of course, new to the site, but not only that, I am new to the entire diving adventure. For the last 24 years (I am 42), I have wanted to get certified, but never took the time to jump in. Finally, on my last vacation, I went to Thailand and got certified.
Man, what a rush. It was quite a sight, seeing all of these people diving, and not one of them taller than 5'10" and all of them in good shape. (For a little perspective, I am 6'7" and have quite a bit of excess flotation material around the waist, which I am looking to donate to a needy individual. If you know of anyone who is interested, let me know.)
Now, as you can tell from the title, I live on the beautiful, tropical island of Diego Garcia, part of the British Indian Ocean Territories (BIOT). Unfortunately, what I didn't tell you is that we have gorgeous, colorful reefs and untold numbers of underwater species. This would be a divers paradise, but for one little problem. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SCUBA DIVE. You don't know how much that hurts to say, after spending just one hour snorkeling around the island.
This island is a U.S. Navy base, so they have the final say on anything that can be done on the island. Nobody is allowed on the island without the Navy's permission. I believe the reason they do not allow diving is that there is not a full medical facility here, just a clinic. There is apparently no hyperbaric chamber, either. They did used to allow diving here, but apparently stopped it about 5-8 years ago.
Well, I just have to take vacations off the island in order to go diving. Luckily, the Navy flies us to Singapore when we leave the island and from there, some of the best dive spots in the world are only 5-8 hours away by plane. I am also lucky in that I get 6-7 weeks a year for vacation, so I can break it up and get two trips a year.
Well, sorry for the rambling, but it is almost time for me to go on vacation again (11 days), and this trip is to Cancun/Cozumel, Mexico and Florida (my permanent residence). I can't wait to get down there and Dive Cozumel.
I am, of course, new to the site, but not only that, I am new to the entire diving adventure. For the last 24 years (I am 42), I have wanted to get certified, but never took the time to jump in. Finally, on my last vacation, I went to Thailand and got certified.
Man, what a rush. It was quite a sight, seeing all of these people diving, and not one of them taller than 5'10" and all of them in good shape. (For a little perspective, I am 6'7" and have quite a bit of excess flotation material around the waist, which I am looking to donate to a needy individual. If you know of anyone who is interested, let me know.)
Now, as you can tell from the title, I live on the beautiful, tropical island of Diego Garcia, part of the British Indian Ocean Territories (BIOT). Unfortunately, what I didn't tell you is that we have gorgeous, colorful reefs and untold numbers of underwater species. This would be a divers paradise, but for one little problem. WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SCUBA DIVE. You don't know how much that hurts to say, after spending just one hour snorkeling around the island.
This island is a U.S. Navy base, so they have the final say on anything that can be done on the island. Nobody is allowed on the island without the Navy's permission. I believe the reason they do not allow diving is that there is not a full medical facility here, just a clinic. There is apparently no hyperbaric chamber, either. They did used to allow diving here, but apparently stopped it about 5-8 years ago.
Well, I just have to take vacations off the island in order to go diving. Luckily, the Navy flies us to Singapore when we leave the island and from there, some of the best dive spots in the world are only 5-8 hours away by plane. I am also lucky in that I get 6-7 weeks a year for vacation, so I can break it up and get two trips a year.
Well, sorry for the rambling, but it is almost time for me to go on vacation again (11 days), and this trip is to Cancun/Cozumel, Mexico and Florida (my permanent residence). I can't wait to get down there and Dive Cozumel.