Last week on a trip to Bonaire i happened to notice that on May 29th it will be my 40 anniversary of starting my diving adventures. I thought about how it all came about. At the know it all stage of 19 i worked at a fast food place that happened to be next to a dive shop. On my breaks i would go in, look at the equipment and listen to their stories. I was intrigued and signed up for training. I loved it and bought all my equipment, I was state of the art, even sprung for a horse collar bc with a new power inflator ( it did have a co2 cartridge for emergency and a very uncomfortable crotch strap). I dove fresh water every chance I got, even bauxite pits just to enjoy diving. Made the mistake of going on a trip to Cayman Brad after a few year's........never dove fresh water again. Met my future wife, told her if she would get certified i would take her to Brac. At that time it was like Little Cayman is now, a deserted islsnd. To!d my mom if I could live with her for a week there and not kill her i would marry her. I didnt and we did. This year we will have been married 30 years, we just got back from Bonaire and will take an anniversary trip to Raja Ampat. Let's hear your story of how you came to love diving. B
It's my anniversary, what is your story?
- Thread starter wildbill9
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snowdog61
Contributor
Awesome and jealous. Didn't start my adventure until 2010 - was something that a few of my high school buddies were doing back in the early 80's. Wanted to but just never got around to it until after the divorce and met someone new who dove. Really regret not doing it sooner. That relationship didn't last but been actively diving since. New wife loves it just as much as me - proposed to her in 2016 underwater on a SB Invasion trip actually . Been with her on her 300th, 400th, and soon to be 500th dive which may happen on this Invasion to Cozumel (which was our 1st Invasion together)
AfterDark
Contributor
HEY CONGRATULATIONS!!!
My story is 50 years this year, April 1968 with episodes of SEAHUNT still fresh in my young mind, I did my 1st OW dive in the Atlantic Ocean!
One of my Jr. High teachers also co/owned THE only dive shop in the area. The 1st year I had his class I begged him despite of my young age to allow me into the next class. The answer was always no too young. At the time I think 16 was the magic age, I was 14. The second year I guess he couldn't take it anymore and said if my folks agreed and signed waivers he consent. I could've kissed him! I kissed my mother instead when she said ok. I never lost interest but never took it beyond sport diving.
Here's to another couple of decades!
My story is 50 years this year, April 1968 with episodes of SEAHUNT still fresh in my young mind, I did my 1st OW dive in the Atlantic Ocean!
One of my Jr. High teachers also co/owned THE only dive shop in the area. The 1st year I had his class I begged him despite of my young age to allow me into the next class. The answer was always no too young. At the time I think 16 was the magic age, I was 14. The second year I guess he couldn't take it anymore and said if my folks agreed and signed waivers he consent. I could've kissed him! I kissed my mother instead when she said ok. I never lost interest but never took it beyond sport diving.Here's to another couple of decades!
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Congrats on your Anniversary--great story. I've only been at it 13 years. Guess my "anniversary" was that I was assisting an OW course at the site where I got my OW and it happened to be my 300th dive.
Lived my "career" life in Northern Manitoba and had no interest in diving cold dark freshwater lakes. Moved to Nova Scotia and was planning on taking OW anyway, but happened to be in the city taking our RV in for repair. Had hours to kill, so I walked down a hill and right into what's basically the only major dive shop in the area--just by chance. Well, would've found it online anyway, but that's my not so awesome story.
Lived my "career" life in Northern Manitoba and had no interest in diving cold dark freshwater lakes. Moved to Nova Scotia and was planning on taking OW anyway, but happened to be in the city taking our RV in for repair. Had hours to kill, so I walked down a hill and right into what's basically the only major dive shop in the area--just by chance. Well, would've found it online anyway, but that's my not so awesome story.
JamesBon92007
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I'm going to be celebrating my 50th anniverscerty (did I just make a new word?) August, 2019. My first experience was being dropped in about 70-80 feet of water at Los Coronados, just off the coast of Northern Baja. I was 11 years old and instantly hooked. By the time I was 13 we lived close enough to La Jolla that I could hitchhike there every day that I wasn't in school. I manged to buy an oval mask from White Front and a snorkel (still use the snorkel) and I found a Duck Foot on the beach. Eventually I bought a used speargun and started shooting my dinner. It seemed like forever until I finally turned 16 which was the minimum age for scuba at the time (1969). Pacific Diver's Supply in Long Beach had a during-the-week special and for $20 I got certified through NAUI. A friend of mine also took the course and he borrowed his mom's car so we could get to the dive shop for the lessons which were five days a week for two weeks. For Christmas that year my parents bought me a brand new Healthways steel 72, regulator, and backpack. I think they got it for about $85. It got a lot of use.
Somewhere in the mid to late 80s I bought a small boat (18') and took a couple of boating courses and started going to Catalina as well as along the coast here. When the kids started showing up my ex and I decided that we didn't have any business being out in the San Pedro Channel where sometimes you would look up and see water and limited our dives to along the coast. There have been a couple of periods where, for one reason or another, I didn't get much diving in for a year or two (mostly had to work too much) but for the most part I've been diving all along. Now that I'm old (definition: anyone who receives MediCare) I am fortunate to be able to go on dive trips 3-4 times a year to places I'd only dreamed about going when I was a kid reading Skin Diver Magazine. I don't do much shore diving in California any more except at Casino Point once-in-a-while. I'm getting a "procedure" done on my back next month so hopefully it'll be easier to to do the long walks and cliffs again. We might go to Maui soon and the beach diving there is very easy.
I'm not sure where I'm going to spend my anniversary yet but maybe some place I've not yet been. Or maybe Maui.
Somewhere in the mid to late 80s I bought a small boat (18') and took a couple of boating courses and started going to Catalina as well as along the coast here. When the kids started showing up my ex and I decided that we didn't have any business being out in the San Pedro Channel where sometimes you would look up and see water and limited our dives to along the coast. There have been a couple of periods where, for one reason or another, I didn't get much diving in for a year or two (mostly had to work too much) but for the most part I've been diving all along. Now that I'm old (definition: anyone who receives MediCare) I am fortunate to be able to go on dive trips 3-4 times a year to places I'd only dreamed about going when I was a kid reading Skin Diver Magazine. I don't do much shore diving in California any more except at Casino Point once-in-a-while. I'm getting a "procedure" done on my back next month so hopefully it'll be easier to to do the long walks and cliffs again. We might go to Maui soon and the beach diving there is very easy.
I'm not sure where I'm going to spend my anniversary yet but maybe some place I've not yet been. Or maybe Maui.
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Just passed my six year anniversary. I grew up with a couple of friends that were into diving, but they couldn't convince me to dive in the cold waters of Maine. I did a resort course in Hawaii with my wife. She got a double ear infection from it, so that sidelined my desire a little longer.
Around 2005 I got a couple buddies to go on a guys' trip. In 2011, one guy said he wanted to dive with the whale sharks on our next trip. We all got certified in the spring of 2012 and went to Placencia to dive with the whale sharks. I was the only one that did the OW in the ocean and got a "free" dive afterwards. I think that dive was around 80+ feet. My buddies were certified in lakes - shallow ones.
We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Had the economy been better, I am sure the dive operators would have refused our business. As it was, they took us out. Fortunately, all of us were good with buoyancy, and didn't sink into the abyss. It was rough on the surface on our first dive - 15' seas. At the safety stop, one of my buddies got sea sick looking out the side of a wave. He didn't know he could puke through the reg. He took the reg out of his mouth, puked and put it back in. The other buddy mistimed the waves and smashed it leg against the ladder. In the end, we got a short course in advanced diving with all three major dive ops in service at the time (one has since closed). We never did see a whale shark. The buddy that suggested the dive finally got to snorkel with them in MX with his daughter.
What's comical to me is that the buddy that puked through his regulator bought ALL of his gear (except tank and weights) when he got certified. He was a walking Mares advertisement. We have done more dives since, but I am the one that has done the most diving and one more certification. I try to plan vacation around diving. I think he is done with it.
Around 2005 I got a couple buddies to go on a guys' trip. In 2011, one guy said he wanted to dive with the whale sharks on our next trip. We all got certified in the spring of 2012 and went to Placencia to dive with the whale sharks. I was the only one that did the OW in the ocean and got a "free" dive afterwards. I think that dive was around 80+ feet. My buddies were certified in lakes - shallow ones.
We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Had the economy been better, I am sure the dive operators would have refused our business. As it was, they took us out. Fortunately, all of us were good with buoyancy, and didn't sink into the abyss. It was rough on the surface on our first dive - 15' seas. At the safety stop, one of my buddies got sea sick looking out the side of a wave. He didn't know he could puke through the reg. He took the reg out of his mouth, puked and put it back in. The other buddy mistimed the waves and smashed it leg against the ladder. In the end, we got a short course in advanced diving with all three major dive ops in service at the time (one has since closed). We never did see a whale shark. The buddy that suggested the dive finally got to snorkel with them in MX with his daughter.
What's comical to me is that the buddy that puked through his regulator bought ALL of his gear (except tank and weights) when he got certified. He was a walking Mares advertisement. We have done more dives since, but I am the one that has done the most diving and one more certification. I try to plan vacation around diving. I think he is done with it.
Dish
Are you for Scuba?
Congrats @wildbill9 ! I’m only a few months behind. Did my open water off Key Largo in December 1978. Thanks for reminding me that I should pay attention to this around December!
Nick Steele
Contributor
I like that!
My first anniverscerty is coming up at the end of June. I’m at 10 dives right now (weather sucks atm in Florida) and for mine I will be taking a nice long 90+ minute dive at Blue Heron Bridge. Hope to get up to 15+ dives by then when this weather calms down.
First used SCUBA in 1962 but have no memory of the actual date. It was freshwater for seven years. Did my first ocean dive off Catalina on August 24, 1969, so coming up on 49 years of salt water immersion.
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