Dive Into Your Imagination

I am so excited to be able to share my chance to become a certified SCUBA diver with an internet audience! It's been a very demanding process, from learning equipment, to pressure charts, and of course nitrogen level charts, man I had no idea breathing underwater would be so complicated. Annie has told me time and time again how diving has changed her life, and at this point of my journey I am starting to wonder how and why and what it will be like for me. Of course it's going to be different for everyone who does it, but I'm suspecting that my childhood fears of the ocean will be involved.

Coming from the desert, I only had a few random encounters with the ocean habitat and from my extensive childhood knowledge of Portuguese man of wars, giant squid, loch ness monsters, and JAWS....I was never too interested in going in. The few times I had gone out to boogie board, there was usually a piece of kelp that would send me screaming to the shore or a wave that just mutilated me. If you've ever been to the beach with me you'd know I prefer to stay out of the water. Swimming pools were also a scary place for me, besides the traumatization of being pushed off the diving board at one of the most frightening moments of my life...I had also nearly drowned on more than one occasion. I should acknowledge, that these incidents may seem like complete exaggerations today, but as a kid....I was just plain terrified of drowning or getting paralyzed by gelatin and it's that fear that has prevented me from experiencing the ocean any more than being in a boat or walking along the shore. But once I put on that tank and regulator to take scuba diving classes, it's a totally different world. Being able to breathe offers me so much security and it's pretty sweet. Besides, I'm all grown up now and I've learned that if I can't overcome my fears, then I'm as good as dead. Plus, I love to travel and going into the ocean is practically like visiting another planet. So I'm ready for the ocean!