How you met scuba diving

[KeithG]

I watched Cousteau docs as a kid and was fascinated by the abundant and colorful fish. But I did not really like the water much (still don't, only time I go in I have scuba gear on...)

Years later I started dating a girl who had just returned from Bonaire on her first scuba trip. She made it very clear that "our" first trip was going to be to Curacao so she could scuba dive some more. I could either learn to dive or sit on the beach.

25 years later she still has 13 more dives than me.

 

[dive_turkey]

It was 1993, I was 12, and I honestly don't remember what the motivation was. A close family friend was an instructor and away we went. At 12 years old my first OW dives were off the coast of Puerto Rico. Life happened and I didn't have the means to dive for several years. Now I'm finally back at it.

What got me in may be lost, but I can certainly tell you what's got me hooked now. 1) I'm a "geardo", I love the equipment. I can't wait to take some courses on servicing and maintaining. I've always been a tinkerer in everything I do, and diving just happens to be a niche enough sport that the equipment is fascinating. 2) The physiology is incredible. It's just so much fun for me to know what's going on in my body, and to continually learn about, and overcome, the effects of pressure on the body is just really cool. 3) The peace. I just love the relaxed and totally clear mind that I experience when diving. The only sound is my own breathing. The only thoughts are of what I'm currently doing. I'm not thinking about my taxes, my job, my car, my responsibilities... I'm only thinking about the dive.

I doubt those three factors (well, maybe the gear) mattered to that 12 year old kid 21 years ago, but I'm sure glad something pushed me to do this. Even right now I'm spinning in my own head wondering when my next dive will be!

 

[edwardjohnson]

Wow Cousteau was alot more influencial than I though! I guess the "old" generation was mostly influenced by them, then they influenced the next generation leading them to diving and today it´s like a new thing that many wants to try out ^^

 

[Rich Keller]

I was always a water rat as a kid so when my older cousin wanted to get a boy scout merit badge for scuba he asked me to do it with him. We bought tanks, regs and a book on how to use them. He made a few dives and then moved on to something else but I stuck with it for 44 years so far.

 

[DennisC]

When I was a kid, my mom, dad, aunt and uncle all dove. I always wanted to learn. Then as I got older I couldn't afford it until college when I started to study marine science. I got into the shipwrecks and stuff again. I joined my schools scuba club got certified with a groupon lol and now I cant get enough! Im even reading books about scuba diving!

 

[lemke]

My mom was a marine biologist when I lived in Hawaii, and worked at the marine institute on Coconut Island in the middle of Kaneohe Bay. During the summers I would go to work with my mom, and just wander the labs, docks, etc. One day one of my mom's co-workers (coincidentally a DI) asked if I wanted to learn to scuba dive. Thirty six years later, still diving.

 

[Donnah]

Loved Sea Hunt, and was fascinated by anything u/w. However, I couldn't really swim except for a dog paddle which let me keep my glasses on and hair dry! Didn't like being on the water. Went to Hawaii one year and snorkeled. Loved it as long as I wasn't over my head. Husband and teen-aged daughters got certified. I went to Cozumel with them and was bored stiff waiting by the pool for the tired divers to return. By that time, I had the dive book memorized and was fascinated. My youngest taught me how to swim in the hotel pool. Took me 2 days to learn how to do a duck dive and touch the bottom of the pool in 4 feet of water. I also learned how to do a side stroke (pick the cherries and throw them away). I'm sure I provided lots of amusement for the hotel guests.

Got certified, helped much by prescription goggles. Open water in Isla. Still diving 30 years later!

 

[Scared Silly]

Growing up in the 70s I watched Cousteau and a bit of Sea Hunt as reruns but neither were that much of an influence. But in college one had to have 3 hours of PE, so I took mountaineering (I was already climbing), scuba diving, and badminton. Badminton by far was the hardest of the three.

 

[phoenix31tt]

Always loved the ocean and knew i wanted to dive... just couldn't figure out when i would get the time to do it... then my fiance bought OWD as a Christmas present ... you best believe i found the time

 

[Aquabot]

I actually got started because of my dad. I even remember as a kid playing around in the pool with his gear and him holding under......and then he shut off my air hahaha

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