WetLens
Contributor
Sea Hunt - Mike Nelson - has to get the credit for getting the fire started although my facination with my Grandfather's National Geographics must have had some play in it. I was already hooked by the time Jacques Cousteau's Undersea World came on the air, but it continued to fuel the fire.
My YMCA swimteam coach was the lifesaving instructor and a scuba fanatic/instructor (I believe he is still diving somewhere in Florida - Ed Striesel). After taking lifesaving, I hung around for the scuba lectures. When I turned 16, two fellow swimteam members and I joined the full class - that was in 10th grade. I took the class again (just for fun) in the 11th and 12th grade (actually taught a couple of lectures in the class) and finally earned enough money to afford equipment the summer after graduating from high school.
A Healthways Scubair J, a USD 71.2 steel tank, a Nimrod 3-window mask, a speargun - all ordered from New England Divers - and I was ready to dive.
Made my first dive on the wreck of the "North Carolina" on October 5, 1969. What kept me in diving was participation in a local scuba club - the Aqua Amigos - in Euclid, Ohio. Can't say enough about the great years I had diving, teaching, and most importantly - learning - from a great group of divers. Even though I moved from NE Ohio 28 years ago, I still travel and dive with the friends made while an active "Amigo."
My YMCA swimteam coach was the lifesaving instructor and a scuba fanatic/instructor (I believe he is still diving somewhere in Florida - Ed Striesel). After taking lifesaving, I hung around for the scuba lectures. When I turned 16, two fellow swimteam members and I joined the full class - that was in 10th grade. I took the class again (just for fun) in the 11th and 12th grade (actually taught a couple of lectures in the class) and finally earned enough money to afford equipment the summer after graduating from high school.
A Healthways Scubair J, a USD 71.2 steel tank, a Nimrod 3-window mask, a speargun - all ordered from New England Divers - and I was ready to dive.
Made my first dive on the wreck of the "North Carolina" on October 5, 1969. What kept me in diving was participation in a local scuba club - the Aqua Amigos - in Euclid, Ohio. Can't say enough about the great years I had diving, teaching, and most importantly - learning - from a great group of divers. Even though I moved from NE Ohio 28 years ago, I still travel and dive with the friends made while an active "Amigo."