Why do you dive?

[Dive1Dennis]

I'd already bought the dive watch. I figured, what's an additional $4,000...

I like that one....

Many reasons for me, but two of my favorites;
- Wreck diving takes me back in time. It allows me to explore ships that long ago disappeared from the landscape that non-divers live in.
- I also dive to escape the hassles of the real world, a process that starts when I step on board a dive boat, and peaks when I drop below the surface eyebrow

 

[7millimeter]

When I was a kid, I was very scared of the water. We would spend time in the summer camping near a New Hampshire lake and I was afraid to swim in it or to go out in a boat. I had no problem with swimming because I was comfortable in pools, but open water was a nightmare for me. I hated the idea that I couldn't see what was around me in that water.

One summer, my uncle came to the lake with two masks and one snorkel. I tentatively began exploring the swimming area. I could see! It wasn't so bad down there! No giant fish waiting to bite me, no mucky scariness on the bottom! Please, can I have a diving mask for Christmas?

My fears became dreams. I read every book about diving in the school library. I would daydream diving expeditions and plan fantastic explorations. That lake became the location of my childhood fantasies instead of my nightmares. In some ways, it's still in mind when I dive now.

Although I didn't have the time or the money to get certified until I was 32, I always had snorkeling gear around. I knew it was something I would do and I knew that I would love it.

 

[Lonefox]

Because it allows me to experience a psychadelic world legally, without the nasty comedown associated with LSD and 'E'.
And it's one of two things that are both fun and healthy. Although the other thing I've been told I shouldn't do in public places any more.

 

[RedSea]

i dive to hunt fish that i can't hunt in free diving.

 

[tstormdiver]

My first dive was on a cruise in which we called upon the port of Grand Cayman. I went on a beginner's SCUBA diving trip and was absolutely amazed by the wildlife and the beauty of the reef. I was also fascinated by the concept of being able to breathe underwater and the feeling of weightless flight. After that trip I planned another cruise and decided I wanted to be certified, so in Sept. 2005 I took an Open Water course at a local dive shop. The open water check- outs took place in an old abandoned rock quarry (I am quite land locked in Kentucky) that has been converted to a diving park. The open water checks were challenging because the water was very stirred up & murky. The visability was only 10- 15ft. My class passed with flying colors. After the adventures in Grand Cayman & in the Open Water class I was hooked. A month later I took an Advanced Open Water class and did well on all but the deep dive (I had equipment problems that caused me to panic and abort the dive- thank goodness for an attentive, assisting dive master). I looked at the deep dive, not as a failure, but as a challenge. I have since made a couple more deep dives and done well. I went on my second trip and made a couple of ocean dives, 1 in the Bahamas & 1 In Aruba. I've currently had to lay off for a couple of months because of winter (I'm not into cold water).In the mean time I have been getting my own equipment together. Hopefully in another couple months I hope to start diving again. Although I am just a beginner I am planning on pursuing my diving and seeing how far I can go with it.

 

[RumBum]

I dive because life is meant to be enjoyed as the Earth provides, not as Man has made it. I am not meant to spend all my life sitting in a cubicle or a car with the windows up or in a house with the shades drawn. I feel very sorry for people who do live that way. I love to enjoy the natural world.

 

[**ping**]

Zen.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Bonus: see and hear your breaths (yes I dive OC)

A.

You beat me to it...

exact same wording I'd have used.

Closest thing to being a visitor on an alien world.

 

[Cacia]

Lonefox, I agree.

I love the effect on my brain chemistry. Even the color turquoise and azure blue on the way out on the boatride stimulate my neurotransmitters. I always think I can feel it start to happen and often associate it with the visual effects of the color blue.

 

[laivindil]

The open water checks were challenging because the water was very stirred up & murky. The visability was only 10- 15ft.

Psh... my first 2 checkout dives I was lucky if I could see my hand pressed against my mask. Buddy contact consisted of hand-holding.

OP: I dive because skydiving seemed boring.

 

[PaulChristenson]

Lonefox, I agree.

I love the effect on my brain chemistry. Even the color turquoise and azure blue on the way out on the boatride stimulate my neurotransmitters. I always think I can feel it start to happen and often associate it with the visual effects of the color blue.

Can you say Cerebral Hypoxia???....