Your very first and most recent dive

[IceIce]

1ST DIVE

Skipping pool. Four years ago.
Nauseous, sea sick. Went down, 5 including DM.

Descend, bad viz, can't see DM, went up, could't see anyone, went down, saw DM chasing after one of the diver, DM disappear. Move up, can't see anyone, buddy out of visibility range. Move down, saw buddy, no DM, no rest of divers. Went up together with buddy, nobody on the surface.
Finally, DM went up with one diver. Another diver thought it was tedious, couldn't equalize, abort without telling.

Threw up. Swam to the boat. Threw up queueing to climb up. Climb up. Threw up again.
Swore to head back to land and never enter water again. But we couldn't go back, still stuck for another 2 dives. Swallow stronger pill, spent the rest of the day without throwing up but carved in the brain "Diving is not my cup of tea!"


RECENT DIVE

Drop-Off, Bali.
Visibility Amazing. Warm water. Went down to the sight unlikely to be appreciated by non diver, sandy black bottom with some rocks. Check out yellow pygmy seahorse, ornate ghostpipe fish, many nudibranch, mantis, one puffer fish was being held hostage by a stone fish, sleeping side by side with the look of horror on its face, cuttest pair.

Near the shore, 7 meters, two black tips checked us up, circled for 10 minutes out of curiosity.
5 meter, found pair beautiful Harlequin Shrimps under the rock, one missing one claw. Gotta get out after one and half hour, otherwise hotel would charge another day.

 

[diverbob]

First dive after Certification was at Bonne Terre Mine in 2004. Bad experience, weighting was way off, couldnt stay down...miserable. I guess looking back, it made me become more independent, and not trust others to help weight me.

700+ dives later...

Last dive was last Sunday, diving in a local cave here in Mid-Missouri called Roubidoux.

 

[shoredivr]

First dive Roatan, 1998, 80F water temp.
Most recent dive, two weeks ago, Georgian By, Ontario, 33F water temp

 

[ScubaSam]

First dive:
Great Barrier Reef, 2006.
I was on holiday and did a Discover Scuba Dive with all rental dive gear in tropical water with 100ft viz and got hooked!! Never expected to see so much life and so much color underwater. Got OW certification the following year.

Most recent dive:
Dutch Springs quarry, PA, last Saturday.
A practice dive running a reel. Strong strong wind and rain, 44F degree water temp, 20 ft viz, kitted up in all my own gear: drysuit, warm Arctic undies, BP/W, doubles, 21 HID light. Big difference from the rental gear at GBR......I love diving!!!!!

 

[tac747]

First Dive.
Open water check out dive
Feb 1976
Location Bodega bay Ca.
Vis 1.5-0.5'
As we rolled of the instructors boat the other student in the class completely freaked because he could not even see his weight belt never mind anything else so the Instructor says to me and I quote, "I have to stay with him but you know what you are doing so just go paddle around a bit. Be back in 30 minutes" .so being young and stupid I went down and paddled around in a big square using my compass and keeping track of time just swiming in a big brown mist. I was an excellent swimmer and on the high school swim team and assumed he thought I could take care of myself because he did it to me again on the last check out dive in monterey the next weekend but at least this time there was 40 to 50 foot viz. Talk about a trust me dive. In all fairness we did do a lot of pool work, 2 hours a night 3 days a week for 2 weeks and I felt completely at home underwater

Last dive March 2011
Dive 4 of my NEW padi Open water Course
Monterey breakwater
Viz 6-12' with a 2-4 foot surge
The instructor took us down and we finished all our skill test. We then proceded to go on a tour of the area. Saw lots of decorator crabs, a few fish and some starfish. After about 10 minutes we headed back toward shore and exited the water. As soon as we went down I remembered why I fell in love with diving and could not believe i stayed out of the water for 35 years. My instructor who was really great as he taught us more than the simple requirement said after the checkout that I was more than welcome to dive with him anytime he goes out. Cant wait to get back in.

 

[tac747]

As a side note I have to say they sure do a better job of instruction and open water student supervision nowadays as compared to back then.

 

[farsidefan1]

First dive Belize. Divemaster went into a tunnel. Everyone else followed and I hung there a moment thinking, "wait, that looks like an overhead environment to me, but my other option was to be left alone in the middle of the ocean and I had no idea where the boat was. I had a light in my pocket so I fololowed the pink fins in front of me. When we came out of the tunnel (quite a bit farther than I had expected to travel) we came out and I saw that I was in over my head - about 93 feet of water. I thought, sheesh, broke the 60 foot guideline and the no overhead environment rule on my first dive, I wonder what happens on the second one?"

My last dive was Blue corner in Palau, Came a long ways baby

 

[MarcvsTheBard]

First Dive: Black Warrior, off Long Island, NY. It was in October, 1988, fresh out of OW certification.

Last Dive: Blue Heron Bridge, West Palm Beach, FL. August, 2010.

There were only *two* dives between them. I need to get out more this year!

 

[TSandM]

Great thread to resurrect, and I really enjoyed the contrast between the 1976 and today dives!

My first dive hasn't changed, but my most recent one was last night, an hour in 45 degree water helping a friend dial in his homemade sidemount rig. Six years and about a thousand dives later, it's still incredible fun!

 

[Searcaigh]

First Dive: 1984, Loch Linnhe, Scotland in a hot water suit, Kirby Morgan Band mask, surface supplied air and a 16L steel bail out bottle on my back.

Most recent dive: Last Sunday 17 April, solo at 15M photographing slugs off the east coast of UAE on NITROX AL80 on my back with AL13 pony