I accomplished my first open water dives yesterday. I'm 1 day away from getting Open Water Scuba Certified.
It was quite fantastic.
We reviewed some of the things I learned during the shallow water dives, which had taken me to about 15ft of depth. I flooded my mask and cleared it under water, towed a "tired" diver and made switching from my regulator to my snorkel at the surface a routine.
But what was really cool was getting to explore the lagoon floor 40ft beneath the surface. On both dives, my instructor and I descended to a point where we couldn't see the surface anymore. I thought it'd get dark, but at that depth it was just as bright as the surface.
The highlight was on the first dive, where we saw a big lion fish. They look like fat armoured samuri with a fan of knives protruding from top and sides. This one's body was a little bigger than a basketball, but its spikes came out another 2ft. It was resting quietly beneath a coral ledge.
Next weekend we'll accomplish a few more tasks and explore 60ft down in two dives (the maximum I'm allowed to descend with this certification) and we'll send away for my PADI member card.
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3 comments:
Lots of fun but be very carefull. Always respect the water. It can swallow you up. Happy diving.
Dad
Hi Steve, Christina again, Lison's co-worker and travel buddy. I'm a NAUI certified diver. If you can get your hands on one, get yourself a 'pony' tank, a 30cu, with separate regulator, do so. Comes in real handy if you have a problem with your main tank and regulator. And follow your Dad's advice!
Christina, thanks for the advice. I'm not quite at the point of buying equipment. But I definitely agree that a pony tank is an extra precaution worth taking, especially if I'm with a buddy that doesn't stick close enough.
By the way, I'll myself be PADI certified.
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