How old were you?

[fire_diver]

Well, when I was a toddler, my family went to the local pool on the air force base to swim. When I was about 3 (according to my folks) I decided I was ready to swim and jumped right into the deep end where my dad was, and had to be promplty rescued by him.
I had a mask and snorkel before my parents had a pool installed in our back yard (about age 8), and they couldnt keep me out of it. My entire family used to comment that I must be half fish just from being in the water so much. I always wanted to scuba (neighbor across the street had gear I drooled over) when I was growing up, but couldnt afford it. Finally, after years of working crappy, low paying jobs I found a good paying career with LOTS of time off! (I work 10 days a month on average )

Now, If only I lived closer to something other than black water!

FD

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I started my OW class on my 49th birthday ... completed my OW class on March 9, 2001 ... and by this March 9th will have logged over 1,400 dives (currently at 1,373).

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[mjh]

Wanted to dive since seeing my first Jaques Cousteau special as a child. But my family were skiers no money for diving. Took it as a PE course, age 19, in college. Class was 3days per week for 3months, cost US$50.

 

[spstar]

Started playing in the pool @age 13 on vaction to Ft Lauderdale to vist my Uncle Watched Jaws movie and took his boat to Bimini for a great vacation I was hooked
got certified back in Iowa @University of Okoboji in '78.
I then forgot about it for a number of years.
But I am back as of a few years ago, I have Three daughters 11-7-4 who are lovin' the sport and are now wondering where the next tropical vacation will be.

 

[Coldblue]

Grew up in a house 20 mts from the ocean/beach.

By the time I got certified at 14, I had many, many more dives logged than my certifying instructor. I think he learned a couple of tricks from me ;-)

 

[TSandM]

I was 18 when I got to snorkel off Oahu for the first time. I was enthralled with swimming in the ocean -- water that MOVED. And I was fascinated with the colorful fish and coral. I snorkelled enthusiastically anywhere I could after that.

But I was 51 when I first went under the water to join that world. Why did I wait so long?

 

[SCUBA_Morg]

I have been swimming and boating at a young age. I have been introduced to many sports and recreational things at very young ages so I am sure I was around 2-3. I was skating on ice at the age of 2.

I got OW certified at the age of 12. I still have my PADI photo ID card in my wallet and it looks funny because I think that was my first photo ID card. I was breathing compressed air just to test it out when I was in Hawaii. Me and my sister were just floating and breathing compressed air.

I haven't been diving in a while but I plan on keeping up on it. I always had problems with the compression. I also came up from a 15-20 foot dive and spat blood .

I will be doing a lot more diving this spring / summer thanks to this board. Now I know and can ask questions to help with the compression

 

[surfbummer]

Been scuba diving since I was 13, mostly offshore spearfishing at rigs, but didn't get certified until I was in my 30's.... I was one of those "experienced divers" seeking a real certification (mainly because I was tired of bumming tanks and air off of friends), and quickly realized I was doing most everything wrong. Ended up taking the full course, and boy what a difference it made in my diving!

 

[MSilvia]

I took swimming lessons without much success at age 6, and at 7 was reluctant to jump in the deep end with a life jacket on. A week later, I was given a pair of swim goggles, and by the end of the summer I was picking pennies off the bottom and swimming in the ocean north of Cape Cod (in cutoff jeans). I tried scuba for the first time at age 14 when my Boy Scout trrop visited Mass Maritime Academy. I convinced my dad we should get certified together the following year.

 

[DivePartner1]

43