coralreefer_1
Contributor
Hello to all. First, I would like to say thanks to ScubaBoard for providing this forum. I had been interested to get involved with some related forum, and was glad to see that this community is active and posting regularly. I look forward to diving into ( pun intended) the resources and threads available over the coming weeks and months.
I guess the best way to introduce myself other than what I wrote on my profile would be to tell about how I came to be here at ScubaBoard.
It all started for me in Dec. 2011. I was walking down a beach in the middle of winter with my gf at the time, revisiting the place we had our first beach trip. As we walked down toward the end there was a rocky outcrop that could be reached by land as the tide was low. When I walked out to the farthest point and looked down, it was like a bolt of lightning! Being from NC, my only experiences with the ocean had been endless beaches of sand, and sandy bottoms. I had never seen rocks, plant life and colors as I witnessed when I gazed into that cold water. I was shocked and taken aback that it was possible to see 3 meters down and see plant life and such swaying in the current.
I went back to my gf and said "Next summer, I'm going to take a diving class and dive here"!
In April of 2012, I tore ligaments in my foot while doing Capoeira, and it sidelined any chance to take a class or get into the water. The year went on with my doing rehab mostly and otherwise holding on to that dream.
Finally 2013 came, and I was all excited to get into the PADI program. However in March of that year, I began a government program to secure a residency visa in South Korea, and part of that program had me taking Korean language classes. And of course as my luck turned out, the class that was nearest my home ran on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am-2pm right through the whole summer! In June, the girlfriend I spoke of (then fiancé) and I separated. My world was coming together (finishing my masters, getting a highly coveted visa) and falling apart at the same time (separating from the woman I was doing all of that for).
So in July of that year, I had a week long vacation from work. I hadn't planned on doing anything in particular, but a few days before the vacation began, I impulsively (and rather defiantly) decided I was going to get into the ocean around those same rocks no matter what! I went out at 10pm to the local hyper mart and bought a cheap mask/snorkel and fins, and began making plans. I knew I was gonna be camping down on that beach alone, nursing my heart and head...so i downloaded some Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley videos from youtube, converted to mp3, and plugged it into the portable speaker.
That Friday I drove down to the beach in the evening after work, and arrived around 9pm. After an hour of setting the camping site all set up just off the beach, I headed down to the waters’ edge for some fishing and cooking. I was so excited about the coming morning and a chance to finally experience the ocean as I had never done before.
The next morning finally came, and I tried to control myself from getting into the water at first light. I think I managed to hold off until around 10:30am before I went into the water. And when I say went into the water, I mean I walked the 30 or so meters from my tent to the water with mask on, snorkel clipped and in mouth, and fins on my feet! LOL
The moment finally arrived. I had never snorkeled before so I took a few minutes to become accustomed to (trust) the equipment before heading off into the direction of the outcrop. As I went around and between the rocks marveling at such simple scenery, so many emotions and feelings stirred inside of me. I felt vindicated that I had done exactly what I said I would, but scared when the floor dropped off beyond sight. I was eager to swim down the narrow passageways, but afraid to let the plant life make skin contact (I was only wearing a speedo). Mostly, I was overwhelmed at the spectacle of this whole other world, but sad that I was experiencing it alone.
Over the next three days I camped and snorkeled on that beach and another nearby (where I found 50 bucks on the ocean floor) pretty much the whole time. I spent so much time in the water that in the evenings when I would lay down I would feel seasick from a day riding on top of the waves.
Vacation ended and I left what felt like my own little private beach to return to the real world. Over the rest of the season I returned to the same beach whenever I could, but otherwise didn’t venture to any other spots. As the winter loomed I began missing that short window of time where I felt like a castaway on an island, alone with the ocean. I filled my winter with watching old Magnum PI episodes and planning for the next summer.
2014 came and I began purchasing slightly better gear. I bought a decent mask and snorkel, a couple of disposable underwater cameras, and even bought a wetsuit (which to me was a real splurge as I never spend that kind of money on myself). Over the course of the year I traveled to many other beaches for snorkeling…mainly on the Eastern shores. The last trip I took was over a holiday here in September to the northern parts of the country where the water is said to be wonderfully pure and clear. In that spot I got into the water and it was indeed much more clean that the other places I had been snorkeling down south. On that last trip, I swam with a pod/squad/group of squid that seemed not too afraid to let me hang out with them. Those squid, and the much larger fish I had seen there convinced me that it was time to take the next step: Scuba!
Come 2015 and I invested in the GoPro, and took the plunge and signed up for the PADI open water course. There are options to take the courses in English here in South Korea, but not in my city. My Korean is decent enough that I was able to take the course with a local shop literally 2 minutes from my home. I really enjoyed the classes, but thank the heavens PADI has those old OW videos on youtube. Those were such a great resource to me!
On my first confined water dives, I left the pool somewhat regretful that I had spent the money for this course. I wanted to dive, but after that first day I was surprised and disappointed. I had no idea the amount of gear standard for diving. When you see people on tv or in a movie diving, it doesn’t seem to be all that much. When I began getting strapped in (I use that expression because I felt like an astronaut that first time) I was overwhelmed. In the water I was disturbed by the noise! Snorkeling was so quiet and peaceful. Just me and the ocean mingling together. With scuba I felt it was me, then another me in astronaut gear, and then the ocean. I mentioned it to my instructor who shut up my whining with the following insight: You will come to feel comfort in that noisy sound of exhalation, because it means you are alive and breathing!
I continued on with the second set of confined dives, and then on to the open water dives. I guess like many others, that initial experience can be overwhelming,..but after a few chances, and with the spirit of the Korean divers that took me in like the pet foreign bloke, I began to see the positives rather than the negatives and found joy in scuba that had initially turned me off.
So here I am present day. Fresh with the OW certification, and scheduled to start the AOW in 2 weeks (after the vacation) which I plan to spend beach diving in many of the same spots I have snorkeled in previously, mainly to just go slightly beyond the experience snorkeling gave me in those places, practice buoyancy control that I have problems with, and otherwise immurse myself in a different level of a familiar environment.
My first stop? That same beach where it all began for me in 2011! Time to take this full circle~
Happy diving to all of you, and apologies for what is surely not a “short” introduction! Please moderators delete the previous thread posted by accident.
I guess the best way to introduce myself other than what I wrote on my profile would be to tell about how I came to be here at ScubaBoard.
It all started for me in Dec. 2011. I was walking down a beach in the middle of winter with my gf at the time, revisiting the place we had our first beach trip. As we walked down toward the end there was a rocky outcrop that could be reached by land as the tide was low. When I walked out to the farthest point and looked down, it was like a bolt of lightning! Being from NC, my only experiences with the ocean had been endless beaches of sand, and sandy bottoms. I had never seen rocks, plant life and colors as I witnessed when I gazed into that cold water. I was shocked and taken aback that it was possible to see 3 meters down and see plant life and such swaying in the current.
I went back to my gf and said "Next summer, I'm going to take a diving class and dive here"!
In April of 2012, I tore ligaments in my foot while doing Capoeira, and it sidelined any chance to take a class or get into the water. The year went on with my doing rehab mostly and otherwise holding on to that dream.
Finally 2013 came, and I was all excited to get into the PADI program. However in March of that year, I began a government program to secure a residency visa in South Korea, and part of that program had me taking Korean language classes. And of course as my luck turned out, the class that was nearest my home ran on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am-2pm right through the whole summer! In June, the girlfriend I spoke of (then fiancé) and I separated. My world was coming together (finishing my masters, getting a highly coveted visa) and falling apart at the same time (separating from the woman I was doing all of that for).
So in July of that year, I had a week long vacation from work. I hadn't planned on doing anything in particular, but a few days before the vacation began, I impulsively (and rather defiantly) decided I was going to get into the ocean around those same rocks no matter what! I went out at 10pm to the local hyper mart and bought a cheap mask/snorkel and fins, and began making plans. I knew I was gonna be camping down on that beach alone, nursing my heart and head...so i downloaded some Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley videos from youtube, converted to mp3, and plugged it into the portable speaker.
That Friday I drove down to the beach in the evening after work, and arrived around 9pm. After an hour of setting the camping site all set up just off the beach, I headed down to the waters’ edge for some fishing and cooking. I was so excited about the coming morning and a chance to finally experience the ocean as I had never done before.
The next morning finally came, and I tried to control myself from getting into the water at first light. I think I managed to hold off until around 10:30am before I went into the water. And when I say went into the water, I mean I walked the 30 or so meters from my tent to the water with mask on, snorkel clipped and in mouth, and fins on my feet! LOL
The moment finally arrived. I had never snorkeled before so I took a few minutes to become accustomed to (trust) the equipment before heading off into the direction of the outcrop. As I went around and between the rocks marveling at such simple scenery, so many emotions and feelings stirred inside of me. I felt vindicated that I had done exactly what I said I would, but scared when the floor dropped off beyond sight. I was eager to swim down the narrow passageways, but afraid to let the plant life make skin contact (I was only wearing a speedo). Mostly, I was overwhelmed at the spectacle of this whole other world, but sad that I was experiencing it alone.
Over the next three days I camped and snorkeled on that beach and another nearby (where I found 50 bucks on the ocean floor) pretty much the whole time. I spent so much time in the water that in the evenings when I would lay down I would feel seasick from a day riding on top of the waves.
Vacation ended and I left what felt like my own little private beach to return to the real world. Over the rest of the season I returned to the same beach whenever I could, but otherwise didn’t venture to any other spots. As the winter loomed I began missing that short window of time where I felt like a castaway on an island, alone with the ocean. I filled my winter with watching old Magnum PI episodes and planning for the next summer.
2014 came and I began purchasing slightly better gear. I bought a decent mask and snorkel, a couple of disposable underwater cameras, and even bought a wetsuit (which to me was a real splurge as I never spend that kind of money on myself). Over the course of the year I traveled to many other beaches for snorkeling…mainly on the Eastern shores. The last trip I took was over a holiday here in September to the northern parts of the country where the water is said to be wonderfully pure and clear. In that spot I got into the water and it was indeed much more clean that the other places I had been snorkeling down south. On that last trip, I swam with a pod/squad/group of squid that seemed not too afraid to let me hang out with them. Those squid, and the much larger fish I had seen there convinced me that it was time to take the next step: Scuba!
Come 2015 and I invested in the GoPro, and took the plunge and signed up for the PADI open water course. There are options to take the courses in English here in South Korea, but not in my city. My Korean is decent enough that I was able to take the course with a local shop literally 2 minutes from my home. I really enjoyed the classes, but thank the heavens PADI has those old OW videos on youtube. Those were such a great resource to me!
On my first confined water dives, I left the pool somewhat regretful that I had spent the money for this course. I wanted to dive, but after that first day I was surprised and disappointed. I had no idea the amount of gear standard for diving. When you see people on tv or in a movie diving, it doesn’t seem to be all that much. When I began getting strapped in (I use that expression because I felt like an astronaut that first time) I was overwhelmed. In the water I was disturbed by the noise! Snorkeling was so quiet and peaceful. Just me and the ocean mingling together. With scuba I felt it was me, then another me in astronaut gear, and then the ocean. I mentioned it to my instructor who shut up my whining with the following insight: You will come to feel comfort in that noisy sound of exhalation, because it means you are alive and breathing!
I continued on with the second set of confined dives, and then on to the open water dives. I guess like many others, that initial experience can be overwhelming,..but after a few chances, and with the spirit of the Korean divers that took me in like the pet foreign bloke, I began to see the positives rather than the negatives and found joy in scuba that had initially turned me off.
So here I am present day. Fresh with the OW certification, and scheduled to start the AOW in 2 weeks (after the vacation) which I plan to spend beach diving in many of the same spots I have snorkeled in previously, mainly to just go slightly beyond the experience snorkeling gave me in those places, practice buoyancy control that I have problems with, and otherwise immurse myself in a different level of a familiar environment.
My first stop? That same beach where it all began for me in 2011! Time to take this full circle~
Happy diving to all of you, and apologies for what is surely not a “short” introduction! Please moderators delete the previous thread posted by accident.
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