Why do ya' do what ya' do?

[Dive-aholic]

But this week, I got in the caves, and I think all is lost . . .

Do tell. I'm anxious to hear the stories...

 

[DiveMaven]

I'm fascinated with all the marine critters underwater. I like wrecks enough to have a trip to Truk booked for next year, but I think I'm equally interested in the marine life ON the wrecks as the wrecks themselves. I am definitely fascinated by the history of Truk Lagoon, and those wrecks interest me much more than the artificial reefs sunk on purpose.

Caves hold very little interest for me, but I do understand their fascination.

 

[ibaun]

I dive for the sport of diving, not so much to see the underwater world (not that I don't find it great when I'm underwater, but it's not the reason I go under).

 

[Walter]

A single approach to diving - fish, wrecks, etc. is wonderful if you don't dive much. If you dive a great deal for a long period of time, that approach will eventually result in you getting tired of diving.

I love.......

Wrecks!

Coral reefs!

Collecting fossils!

Sharks (most of the time)!

Fish ID!

Sponges!

Hunting!

The feeling of weightlessness!

The caress of the ocean!

Walls!

Eagle Rays!

Exploring new sites!

Diving with old friends!

Diving with new friends!

Diving with experienced divers!

Diving with new divers!

There's always something new to keep me interested.....

 

[texspeleo]

It's the closest to flying under my own power that I'll ever get. Every aspect of the aquatic world fascinates me and has since I was a kid. I can have as much fun in 2 ft viz in a Texas lake watching loggerhead turtles, perch, and catfish as I have in 80 feet of crystal blue off of Isla Mujeres lost between giant coral heads. Or just cruising along a sand bottom watching rays and seeing all the current and wave made ridges and riffles in the sand gives me a charge. Finding places where no one (or very few people) have ever been is getting harder and harder to do. Seeing dozens of rays lifting out of the sand almost like a flock of birds around Oaxaca is like no other experience. You can't see the underside wildness of surface ice anywhere else. How did I get passed up when they were handing out gills?

 

[kamfan]

I have only just got my certification dives in, but I will say that wreck diving is what hooked me into this wonderful sport/hobby. I have spent considerable time above the water on various ships/boats so am facinated with what causes the wrecks. On my last certification dive for open water, we did a dive on the Riv Tow Lion in Nanaimo BC and it was everything I imagined. Just incredible seeing parts of the ship that you can identify and have used in the past. I really hope be able to find the funds to be able to keep this up and continue my experience and education to be able to consistantly and safely dive on other wrecks, (maybe eventually working up to penetration dives, but I will not rush that) and at this point my next goal for a wreck will be the Saskatchewan in Nanaimo as I have actually spent time on the vessel before it was decommisioned. My big goal at this point is to spend time in Truk Lagoon as well. Being from Kamloops, there is a ship with that namesake in the great lakes that I would like to eventually dive on as well.

 

[Charlie99]

One pattern is pretty clear. People take advantage of what's available to them.

I got into diving to watch the pretty fishies. I wanted to stay down and up close longer than I could while freediving and snorkling. As I got to know and recognize the various types of marine life, I started noticing and learning about more subtle behavior and interactions. Kind of like peeling layers of an onion, each set of discoveries led to more insights and more questions.


As Walter points out, many experienced divers start branching out. The fish nerd gets into photography. The cold water wreck diver starts taking trips to Cozumel. The openwater diver starts checking out caves.

There's a lot to do down there.

 

[highlandfarmwv]

What a difficult question! I love the physical feel of being in the water, I love looking at and photographing the sealife, and night dives ARE wonderful. But the wrecks off Hatteras are amazing, too. Just don't know yet, maybe later when I have thousands of dives under my belt....

 

[J.R.]

Thanks to all who responded... for myself... I liked texspeleo's observation about flying... that's the same sense that I get and have never gotten over. ... and then there's the "cute fishes"... I've just recently gotten into photography and between the wildlife, senery and the occasional 'dramatic shot' that can occur... it's a 'target rich environment'... everything changes every second.

My better three-quarters is also into fish and coral... so, it works pretty good.

To me wrecks are photo-ops... great backdrops for pictures...

 

[SteveDiver]

Wrecks here!!! seen enough of the reefs, sealife etc....after awhile one gets bored on the reef however, I live for wreck diving....