Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
So the first dive you did was a double hose dive with an oval mask without a certification back in 1979, I love it! As long as you knew the basic do's and dont's and were comfortable in a pinch it sounds like you had a great time. Back in the day (way back) that's how a lot of people did it.Cool thats the information I was looking for. Great site with lots of great help.
As for myself. I am a 48 year old diver that did his first dives (uncertified) when I was 18. My brother and I were in Ohau and found this "American Dive Shop" that would take us all over. Looking back was probably not the smartest move for either of us, but we were both competitive swimmers and I was a life guard, so felt very comfortable in the water. We used these cool rigs with a hose over each shoulder and these big round masks. We did a cave dive to a place they called Sharks Cove, although we didnt see any sharks, but the cave was really cool.
Then I had kids. no money followed shortly.
Had my daughters snorkeling when they were 3 and 5, yes we taught them to swim early. People thought we were nuts when we did a trip to molokini (sp?) with these young girls. They had a blast, and shamed a couple of people to getting in the water if a 3 year old could do it. ( she was almost 4)
In 2005 I was certified and was waiting until one of my daughters was interested enough to join me. We are heading back to mexico in 3 weeks and I retook the OWD course with her. We just finished buy all new gear, and cant wait.
Really hoping to get my wife involved with diving. I managed to get her snorkeling, but she grew up without ever being in a pool and with a fear of water and when we got married, she figgured she should learn to swim. I have had her snorkeling, but she is nervous in deep water. I give her a lot of credit, because it is not an easy fear to overcome.
My goals are to do a lot of diving now that I have a partner. Would kill to dive with some whales, have already snorkelled with some way too curious dolphins. Last trip to mexico, I dove one of the cenotes, but much prefer the reefs around cozumel.
There are lot's of people on this board who dive vintage with double hose regulators, me being one of them. It has become quite popular once again with a niche group and has been "reborn" to a degree.
So along with the dork divers, the regular recreational divers, the technical divers, the DIR-GUE-UTD divers,
there are also the the Minimalists and the Vintage divers.
Wow, how diving has fragmented!