So last year February 2010, I travelled off to the Caribbean with some old friends I had reunited with at a reunion in the summer of 2009. Now my good friend Dave likes to dive, and had learned his trade in the military while serving with the navy. His wife Linda likes to travel, and have been travelling for a few years, and they try and go places where my friend Dave can dive. Here is where I come in, so rewind 18 years ago, I took a diving course in Mombasssa Kenya while on R&R there from Somalia. I had almost 18 days off, so it made sense to take the 4 day long course and get my diving certification done. I dove in the Indian ocena and it was amazing and a feeling I have never felt before. My first dive I think I used a tank up in like 15 minutes. My second dive though I was more relaxed and able to spend almost an hour in the water. I enjoyed doing the course and doing the dives. Unfortunately the address they had on fiule for me was for NB where I lived many years ago, and this Dive Center was based out of Germany(Baracuda). I never did receive my Dive card from them, then again, in 17 Years I never went diving again. I do have a reason why, which I won't get into. Fast forward 17 years. So I like to to travel. SO I headed to Curracao in the Caribbean with my friends last february. My current addiction, is golf. Well golfing in the tropics is not fun as taking a day off work and going at home. So I decided to do some snorkling and the resort 4 hour intro to diving. It involved an hour in teh classroom and hour in the pool and then we then did a shore dive. Well I was hooked, hook line and sinker! So I went out the next day diving. I was able to go with the minimal training as long as I had my own dive master. This also meant paying for me and her to dive. This could get expensive,so I decided I would get my certification again. When I returned to home I immediately signed up for the online PADI elearning Open Diver Course course where I could do my classroom stuff at home, and then the pool and open water dives later on when I had time. Fast forward a year,107 busines trips later, I just didn't find the time. (I didn't even do the online stuff at all!)
So now I am working in Houston TX and we are heading off on another vacationg this time to Dominican Republic in 1 week. I booked my course, did my online course last weekend and just finished my first night in an outdoor pool last night. Now my Canadian friends are thinking, "Lucky bastard, in an outdoor pool in january". Anyone that lives down here are saying, "are you out of your mind, swimming in January!" To my Canadian friends and family who arecurrently in a Deep freeze of --29+ deg C , this week is the coldest week in Houston and last night the air temperatures was 2 Deg C when I was diving(it actually was -8 the night before) and the pool temperature was 87, (thats a hot tub back home)
I have my second night of diving at Rice University and tonight we wear a wetsuit. The airTemperature will be a balmy 4 Deg C when I am diving and the water temperature in the rice University Pool will be a cool 75 Deg F. Our weekend open water dives will be done at a lake here in Houston this weekend. the nice thing is the Temepratures will be all the wy up to 17 Deg C, but the water temeperatures will be around teh 60-65 Deg F mark. I am looking forward togetting this course out of the way. In less than a week I will be diving again in the tropics where it ie beautiful and warm and clear.
I think this is all worth the money and time and I would suggest to anyone that likes to outdoors, likes nature, likes peace and tranquility to take up diving. I know people have a lot of fears, but once you take this course with teh instructors, you gain the confidence to handle any situation. the instructors love diving, they love their job, they want you to enjoy it to. They work with you until you get it anad are comfortable with every aspect.
When your under the water, breathing, floating along, seeing things that 99 % of the world never gets to experience it is amazing. You hear sounds around you, but mostly very peaceful, you feel weighless as you swim along at the various depths along the bottom or along a reef. You watch the fish and the plants and the coral and see how beautiful being underwater is, especially the ocean floor is. Even if you only dive for tropical trips, the first time you go, trust me you will be hooked. Its my new cocaine! I will let you know later how cold it was, and hopefully post some pictures next week from my trip to Punta Cana
