Remember your first dive?

[Bert van den Berg]

And..... her birthday. lol

I'll never forget her birthday. We were sailing, hit Banco Chinchorro and sank the boat on her birthday. 45 years later we're still married. b.t.w Banco Chinchorro is a great spot for wreck diving.

 

[Guille G]

February 2001 in Varadero, Cuba. I was 16 years old at the time, and still remember the site and boat very well. I felt like James Bond, Indiana Jones and an astronaut all together - it was amazing.

I also remember the Cuban crew taking the piss out of the non-Spanish speaking customers, nodding and winking at me as I tried not to laugh. It was a fun day!

I dove again while traveling to Brazil back then and then didn’t for 15 years. I can’t believe it took me that long to take it up again!

 

[shoredivr]

1998, Anthony’s Key Resort, Roatan. The first open water dive of my OW training. A little sandy beach on the key, near the dock. Gear on. Wade in, fins on, submerge. Then it was all the much maligned kneeling on the bottom style of teaching. So as I’m kneeling on the sandy bottom in 8 feet of water, watching whatever skill it was being demonstrated for each student to perform, I notice a small shell develop legs and begin to move. It was a hermit crab.

I was hooked.

 

[Jake 10]

I was 15yrs old, no certification whatsoever, but my two friends were certified and asked me to tag along in a warm nice Caribbean beach. I went down a good 25ft into a coral bank. Years later when I had the $$$ dough, got my certification!

 

[SlugLife]

Setting aside dives done as part of a class:

I'm on my friend's boat. We both start putting on our equipment. He's faster than me, and gets in the water. About 2 minutes later, he's off beneath the surface and gone hunting for sunglasses. I decided to go ahead with the dive, but stuck to about 15-to-25 feet, close to the shore. He came back with a dive-bag loaded with sunglasses, and I found only one pair.

These days I'm fairly comfy as a solo-diver, but I always stay well within what I could mange solo, if **** hit the fan. While I personally wouldn't leave a brand-new diver like that, I do prefer solo-dives given the absolute terrible visibility. Since then I've also invested in a redundant air supply, and other safety features to be more independent and safe.

 

[cmrangel]

October of 2013. The last dive for my certification. After the skills stuff, we had a little time to swim around led by the instructor. We were at La Jolla Shores and went down the canyon to about 55'. Coming back up the canyon, I see this huge dark mass cruising at the top of the canyon ahead of me. As we got closer, I saw it was a giant sea bass. Did not know what it was at the time but it was the biggest darned fish I have ever seen ... looked 10ft long (of course it wasn't though). Completely hooked after that.

 

[dead dog]

We were sailing, hit Banco Chinchorro and sank the boat on her birthday.

Do you mean your boat??

 

[Saltyhawg]

I grew up watching "Flipper!" and I had always wanted to scuba dive. I hated having to continually come up for air when swimming underwater with a mask. I went to St. Croix for a spring break from medical school with a friend from school. I saw a pamphlet for a day-long course to check scuba out. I signed up. It was on the north shore, near Cane Bay. We had about an hour of "class" at a picnic table under some palms, then did a shore dive during which we descended gradually along the bottom. I still vividly remember the feeling of being able to breathe underwater. Such freedom! I was instantly hooked. We eventually reached a wreck of a Cessna or Piper, then gradually re-ascended along the bottom to the beach, and had lunch. The second dive we went out until we were on a fantastic coral-covered wall, and descended next to it, observing all of the colorful life that lived on it. I have no idea how deep we went, but we ascended in the same way, gradually following the bottom up to the beach. Couldn't get certified until all my medical training was finished, but am so glad I did.

I just got back today from a 2 week stay on St. Croix. Our last dive of the trip was in Cane Bay and sounds very much like the second dive you recalled. Steep wall that drops off to the blue abyss. We went to 115 feet for a short time and did our safety stop on the swim toward shore. Awesome dive site.

Part of the stag coral restoration project going on in Cane Bay now.

 

[TMHeimer]

I just got back today from a 2 week stay on St. Croix. Our last dive of the trip was in Cane Bay and sounds very much like the second dive you recalled. Steep wall that drops off to the blue abyss. We went to 115 feet for a short time and did our safety stop on the swim toward shore. Awesome dive site.
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Part of the stag coral restoration project going on in Cane Bay now.
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That last pic. looks like the game they play on Star Trek Next Gen.

 

[Tripp]

I just got back today from a 2 week stay on St. Croix. Our last dive of the trip was in Cane Bay and sounds very much like the second dive you recalled. Steep wall that drops off to the blue abyss. We went to 115 feet for a short time and did our safety stop on the swim toward shore. Awesome dive site.
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Part of the stag coral restoration project going on in Cane Bay now.
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Thank you so much for the pictures! I have googled for the small plane diving site but can't find it anywhere...