Who or What Inspired You to Dive?

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my husband
 
knotical:
Cousteau’s 1953 book “The Silent World”.

Later reinforced by Lloyd Bridges as Mike Nelson in “Sea Hunt”.
I just read "The Silent World." It's wonderful, a real must read. If you'd problems finding it in the past, National Geographic has been re-printing "classics." I saw it at the book store over the weekend and it's easy to find on Amazon.
 
I wanted to see the shipwreaks.
 
As a child I watch "Sea Hunt" and any Couseau special I could find. Being in a place where there is nothing but mud holes, I never got around to it. Then came marriage and kids. Money was tight. I always loved talking to divers and would imagine being a diver. Every summer we'd go to Pensecola, FL. Loved the water hated the sand (it gets everywhere). Last summer I went on a cruise for our 30 wedding anniversary in Early May. I wasn't real thrilled so my wife encouraged me with the promise of a discovery dive while on the cruise. Didn't happen, wasn't offered. I was so disappointed. Made the best of a bad situation and loved the cruise. When we returned I discussed with her the option of taking an OW course before our July trip to Pensecola. I took the OWcourse and was certified in late June just before leaving for Pensecola. Did three shore dives off jetties at Fort Pickins. Had a blast. Was planing to return again this year before the hurricanes almost blew Pensecola Beach off the map. Since we couldn't return to FL this year we and most of her family decided to take another cruise. This year I will get to dive Cozumel and Belize. I will probably get 3 or 4 more dibes in between April and May this year in the lakes in Arkansas where I now work.
 
Step-by-step progression for me and my wife:

1. Like swimming
2. 10th anniversary first Caribbean cruise ==> like cruising and snorkeling
3. Later cruise ==> drift snorkeling by Cozumel we looked down at the divers and thought "Now THAT'S cool!"
4. Found OW class at home in Chicagoland, got opportunity for Cozumel trip with our LDS/instructors for OW cert even ... full circle to being the divers under the snorkelers ==> hooked!
 
My answer to your question about why I got into diving isn't as inspirational as all of those others. The first day of my OW course the instructor asked each of us "Why did you decide to dive?" My answer was simply,"Because my husband made me". You see, my husband and I had a Caribbean cruise scheduled for our 20th anniversary. He had been certified since the days before the advent of BC's and regs with octos., although had hardly dived at all since we had been married. We had recently moved to Florida and he got inspired to dive again. Anyway, he told me that since we were going to be in all of these great dive places on the cruise, he was going to dive. If I wanted to spend time with him I would learn to dive, otherwise I would be free to go to all of the tourist-trap/tee-shirt shops by myself. Put that way, I decided to give it a try. I am now the one that drags HIM to all of the dive places.A vacation isn't a vacation if it doesn't involve water. I am totally addicted to it and can't get enough. My friends who don't dive think I've gone off the deep end (so to speak) with this passion for diving.I get all of the dive magazines. I've got 3 different U/W cameras and walls filled with my U/W pictures.Coffee tables and shelves are filled with U/W books.I read Humann and DeLoache's books on marine life ID like spellbinding novels. There is NOTHING like the beauty of the underwater world. My endorphins get kicked into high gear everytime I'm there. So, a few hundred dives later, I am very thankful for that ultimatum my husband gave me 9 years ago. We BOTH love it and it is a wonderful activity for us to share and spend time together doing.The only thing that would make him happier would be if I shared his passion for golf!
 
ShakaZulu:
I was sitting on the beach, starring into the blue abyss, when all of a sudden a mermaid appeared. She was stunning, long curly blond hair, and the bluest eyes. She asked me to join her on her travels......never seen her since.

Alchol will do that to you.
 
Queen:
Hiya Skull, don't know if we know each other...I'm in Urbana and went through my classes back in '79. Did some diving with Brad and the gang at MSC. Most of my "hometown" diving was ESDA (yuck!), I dove Kickapoo and enough borrow pits that Midwest diving has lost it's allure. :wink: Now I'm a warm water diver...I go to the Keys as often as I can.

Try Haag Quarry in Kankakee. Early and late in the season the vis is good for the midwest. Mid summer there is a lot of algea. They have a lot of colorful fish - Hey' brown and grey are colors. At least they have a lot of fich. I have seen three foot Northerns many times but have yet to dee the six foot paddle fish.

Tina Haag does a great job of keeping the place clean. For the Midwest 4 stars.
 
At 48 I've spent the last 40 years intrigued by the sport. I was a "Sea Hunt" kid and enjoyed snorkeling in the North Atlantic (Maine) as a kid. Then I went through about 25 years when I forgot what swimming etc was! What the heck was I thinking.

About 10 years ago We started snorkeling here and there on camping trips. I remember the first time I piked down, it was like I had never stopped. Last year I went nuts with skin diving and soon my wife was with me. I ended the season with 91 dives. By then we had also both done Discover Dives decided to take up scuba. We're in OW class now and if the pending snow storm doesn't mess thngs up (which it will) tomorrow night will be pool sesion number one. Yipee!

What do I like? The freedom of being a 3 dimensional creature is liberating. We spend our days existing on a plane walking, sitting. If we want to go vertical we must climb and be on another plane. Under the water we can dive and swoop, barrel roll and move anyway we want with fluid grace. The exercise, beauitiful sights, neat creatures, refreshing feeling when done and amazement of other when we get out of the ocean and they ask "aren't you cold?" are also part of the fun. Being an engineer I do find the gear neat too.

I can't wait to get down as a scuba diver and not be such a fleeting visitor. It won't be long but the wait is feeling like forever!

Pete
 

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