Where was your first OW dive?

[markusde]

My first OW dive was in an Austrian mountain lake - Wolfgangsee. It was December 28 and way below the freezing point, even though the lake wasn't frozen. We had DIR dive equipment and drysuits which made it quite comfortable for a winter dive!

My first dive in the sea was in Curacao --> i have posted lots of pics on my homepage!

 

[rstofer]

First 5 checkout dives were at Pulau Hantu Bay, Singapore, February 1988. First 2 leisure dives were at Pulau Biola, Singapore.

Did I mention how much I like Singapore?

Richard

 

[jed+4]

Genny Springs Fl. was were I did my checkout dive I hope to be taking a trip with my wife and oldest son this may it will be the first for them to

 

[kathydee]

My first OW dive was in Tulemben, Bali - did 7 DSD's before signing up for OW! I still love it there!

 

[RPD106]

Aruba - Pedernales. Nice but not as interesting as the Antilla.

 

[vndoc]

My first OW dive was in Grand Cayman in June a few years ago.
121' deep, which is still my deepest dive. But the water was so pristine, it seemed like the surface was a couple of feet away.

 

[drbill]

I don't count my freshwater diving between 1961 and 1969 as open water (although some was in reservoirs and lakes). I count my first real open water dive as occurring on August 24, 1969, at Arrow Point, Santa Catalina Island. That was the day I arrived on Catalina from Boston aboard the dive boat Golden Doubloon (the boat carried me from the mainland to the island, I drove from Boston to Chicago and took the train from Chicago to Lost Angeles).

The one thing that stands out most vividly about that dive, other than it being my first in a giant kelp forest, was the shovelnose guitarfish that joined me near the surface and lead me down to the bottom before swimming off.

 

[Teamcasa]

LA Harbor, 1968 yuckky, but I passed.

 

[AlabamaSusana]

All the Pensacola shops used Fort Pickens for OW dives before Hurricane Ivan closed the road (that was in 2004, the road is still not open; rumors are that it will open sometime in 2009). It's not a bad first OW dive, but certainly not worth a boat trip. A couple of months after those dives (September-October 2000) we were in St. Croix for two weeks. The first time I jumped off the boat in the Caribbean was at Salt River East Wall. It was SO amazing. Luckily my husband and dive buddy thought so too. Since then every vacation penny has been spent on travel to great diving locations.

 

[neruaL]

Kapalua Bay, off Maui HI. What a great place to dive!