I just realized that I have a few posts that allude to scuba diving, but I never wrote about how I actually became interested in this incredible activity.  I wish I'd started doing this earlier on in life, but nevertheless, I thought it was a great time to talk about how I became a diver.

I owe my zeal for diving to none other than Royal Caribbean, actually. I had my first experience with diving while sailing on Anthem of the Seas for my birthday back in June of 2017.  I had participated in an onboard activity called a "Try Dive", which was a basic pool dive in which a certified instructor assembled the scuba unit and gave a basic tutorial. He helped us put everything on, then get into the pool, and we swam around underwater for about 15-minutes. We didn't see any exotic aquatic life, but I did get my first taste of being able to continuously breathe underwater and I absolutely loved it.

Swimming in 6 feet of water in circles for 15 minutes is about as riveting as it sounds, but it was enough to pique my interest to take things to the next level, which I did on my next Royal Caribbean cruise. I was on Oasis of the Seas in August of 2017 and I booked an excursion with my cousin to do something called a Discover Scuba Dive. The main difference between the Discover Scuba Dive (DSD) and the Try Dive is that the DSD is actually an "official" first timers dive, as recognized by PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors), as opposed to the Try Dive which is specific to Royal Caribbean. The Try Dive took place in a pool, the DSD took place in the open water.

I did my DSD in St. Maarten, where the water was incredibly clear, and there was plenty to see. We dove down to about 40 feet an were down for around half an hour or so. We saw lots of fish, a downed helicopter and airplane, and a few other fun surprises.  This dive is what sealed the deal for me and got me super hooked on taking it further. I loved being able to be down below and see lots of aquatic life, but also see things that nobody else could see (that wasn't on the dive with us, I mean.) It was after this dive that I knew  I wanted to pursue this further.

The rest, as they say, is history. I walked in to a dive shop here in town, and was instantly welcomed into the local diving community. I've made some incredible new friends, and have pursued my dive education further.  As of this writing, I've logged 40 dives (the Try Dive doesn't count since it didn't meet the minimum requirements to be an official logged dive) and currently am certified to dive up to 130 feet, and hold 6 specialty diver certifications:

• 10/22/2017 - Underwater Pumpkin Carver

• 11/29/2017 - Enriched Air Diver/Nitrox (Max 40%) Diver

• 12/18/2017 - Peak Performance Buoyancy

• 1/20/2018 - Dry Suit Diver

• 4/24/2018 - Digital Underwater Photographer

• 5/31/2018 - Boat Diver

So what's next? In the long term, I could see myself becoming a diving instructor. I've been enjoying the experience so much, and would love to combine my love for training with my love for diving. In the short term, I've got my sights set on the Rescue Diver certification, which will help me be able to respond in the event of an emergency while diving.  Once I've logged 50 dives, and I have my Rescue certification, I'll have earned PADI's highest award for recreational scuba diver, their "Master Scuba Diver" rating.Am I planning on hitting 50 dives and then stopping? Not at all. I'm just getting started.