photohikedive
Guest
Was there one discernible point in your life that you remember saying "I want to scuba dive!" I imagine for some, it was more of something they got into. They happened to be on vacation, and wanted to do a local activity. But for others, I am sure there was a moment when it was just obvious, that THIS is something I am going to do.
As for myself, I was living in FL, and our local "swimming hole" was at Vortex Springs. It is more than just the cavern and caves that are usually written about on here. There is a camp site, and cabins, they have a recreational area for swimming that includes a giant rope swing, and a platform, that must have been about fifteen feet above the water. (It's been a while since I was there last, so time might have made it taller for me.) Well, I left the regular swimming area late in the afternoon. The sun was low, and I decided to snorkel over the main basin area. Looking down I was amazed at the clarity of the water. I could see individual stones, 40 feet below me, as if there was nothing between me and the ground but air. Then a couple scuba divers passed into view. They were flying. Suspended in the air, they floated along, bubbles trailing up past me. They descended down into the cavern, and I was in awe. It was at that point, I decided I wanted to do what they were doing. Free from having to surface for each breath, they had achieved something amazing.
Well, it took me a few years. I moved back up here to MA, and got busy with life. Each year saying, well, maybe next year I will do it. Until one day, driving past a dive shop I passed just about every day for those few intervening years, I decided to go in. There was one course left that year. I took it. A few weeks later, I was certified. Sept. 19, 1999. I joined a local club, and dove just about every day. Certainly every weekend. I was able to join the group for an ice dive. Did the New Years Day sober up dive, and another in February, that was so cold, when I got out, I had lost feeling in my hands and feet. Summer returned, and I used up even more compressed air. I took a trip to FL, and visited my family. I was able to go back to Vortex, and completed the circle. I made it back to that place where I decided diving was for me. I secretly thanked those divers I saw that day, even though they didn't know it, they introduced me into this wondrous activity.
So, I am curious, was it like this for any of you? How did you decide to get involved in this? What was that moment? Is it something you still feel? I will be looking forward to hearing the stories.
As for myself, I was living in FL, and our local "swimming hole" was at Vortex Springs. It is more than just the cavern and caves that are usually written about on here. There is a camp site, and cabins, they have a recreational area for swimming that includes a giant rope swing, and a platform, that must have been about fifteen feet above the water. (It's been a while since I was there last, so time might have made it taller for me.) Well, I left the regular swimming area late in the afternoon. The sun was low, and I decided to snorkel over the main basin area. Looking down I was amazed at the clarity of the water. I could see individual stones, 40 feet below me, as if there was nothing between me and the ground but air. Then a couple scuba divers passed into view. They were flying. Suspended in the air, they floated along, bubbles trailing up past me. They descended down into the cavern, and I was in awe. It was at that point, I decided I wanted to do what they were doing. Free from having to surface for each breath, they had achieved something amazing.
Well, it took me a few years. I moved back up here to MA, and got busy with life. Each year saying, well, maybe next year I will do it. Until one day, driving past a dive shop I passed just about every day for those few intervening years, I decided to go in. There was one course left that year. I took it. A few weeks later, I was certified. Sept. 19, 1999. I joined a local club, and dove just about every day. Certainly every weekend. I was able to join the group for an ice dive. Did the New Years Day sober up dive, and another in February, that was so cold, when I got out, I had lost feeling in my hands and feet. Summer returned, and I used up even more compressed air. I took a trip to FL, and visited my family. I was able to go back to Vortex, and completed the circle. I made it back to that place where I decided diving was for me. I secretly thanked those divers I saw that day, even though they didn't know it, they introduced me into this wondrous activity.
So, I am curious, was it like this for any of you? How did you decide to get involved in this? What was that moment? Is it something you still feel? I will be looking forward to hearing the stories.
