Diving is a Big Part of Your Life If...

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Cart loaded with Dive Rite O2ptima closed circuit rebreather and 
gear for a 142' dive in Buford Sink. Yes, the walk is well worth it!
Photo: Fred Stratton

by Fred Stratton
fred@hydrosharks.com
Instructor, Technician
No matter your level and experience, all divers share a love of breathing blissfully buoyant in a state of underwater weightlessness. Recreational or technical, closed or open circuit, no stop or decompression doesn't matter. We are all kindred spirits devoted to adventure and exploration. Land lubbers passively watch Shark Week on TV. Divers seek close encounters with these toothy predators. Beachgoers relax on the sand during their holiday. Divers view the beach as an entry platform for shore diving.

I gave up skydiving after discovering scuba diving in 1987. After meeting the beautiful woman who later would  become my wife, I taught her to swim and then to scuba dive (of course). 

How has diving changed your life?

Diving is a Big Part of your Life if...

- You park your vehicles outside because your garage is filled with dive gear.

- Much of your wardrobe consists of exposure suits, undergarments and T-shirts emblazoned with sharks, turtles and your local dive shop's logo.

- You have more scuba certification (C) cards than credit cards.

- Your spouse has given up on keeping your dive computer and logbook off the dining room table.
- Instead of an expensive anniversary dinner out, you cook at home because you bought that new Shearwater Teric dive computer your loved one has been drooling over at your dive shop.

- A corner of your kitchen counter is devoted to charging dive lights and camera batteries.

 - Your children count the days until they can get certified as Junior Open Water Divers.

 - Your only Christmas wish is for Santa to bring you a new _____. (Fill in scuba gear item of your choice.)

 - You "borrowed" your children's pool noodles to make a cylinder rack for your vehicle.

 - You have more buoyancy compensators than suit jackets.

- You are keen to make the nearly mile-long round trip walk to dive in Buford Sink to see what's down there.

Adventure and Fulfillment

Diving fills my life with beauty, history, excitement, knowledge and joy. I feel peace when a dive goes as planned and adreline when an issue arises to challenge my education, training and experience.

Take a few minutes to reflect on what has diving done for you. We'd like to hear from you. Tell us your story in the comments section or on our Facebook page!

Coming in March

Ice Breakers: "How many dives do you have?"

Comments

  1. BrianKJuly 11, 2020 at 3:05 AM

    Here's a few more:

    - You pack your dive gear when you travel for business (local weather permitting), stay over the weekend, and of course go diving.
    - Your dive gear takes up almost as much space in your extra-large walk-in closet as your wife's shoes.
    - Your vacations are spent diving.
    - You've scoped out all of the good dive sites near your family and friends so you can go diving when you visit them.

    Who's got some more?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fred StrattonJuly 12, 2020 at 2:49 AM

      LOL! Good additions, Brian. Thanks for adding.

      Delete

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