let’s dive in and find out why.
“koh samui sep 2008, 8:30 pm. Sunset on the horizon. On the Zodiac -our tanks are filled up with regulators in place. We put our wets on and a warm breeze welcomes us. We talk softly, each one of us dreaming about the next hour to come for a night dive that looks very promising.
Because at night everything is different! And species that you never see during a day dive will now appear in front of you and tease you under the beam of your lights.
The boat stops.
The moon is here with its crescent a bit arrogant.
We start our dive, slowly…”
I was 22 when I took my very first scuba dive. I had always dreamed about diving in the ocean. For years i everytime i watched scuba diving programmes on discovery channel. I was just a young… but so impressed. Breathing quietly underwater… I couldn’t believe it!
I wanted to do the same thing and see it all myself!
Nowadays, according to the 2014 Annual Report there are around 6 million active scuba divers worldwide, with half of those in North America who travel worldwide for scuba diving in different location.
For the purpose of this post I’ll use the term recreational diving –diving for leisure and fun. This is different from technical diving which requires specialized training and equipment.
“We continue our descent toward that depth that seems to suck all of us deeper and deeper.
The Ocean is like a skin at the same time soft and sensual, warm and cold, safe and dangerous…
SO WHY SHOULD SCUBA DIVING BE YOUR NEXT GREAT ADVENTURE?
REASON 1: THERE’S NO GRAVITY!
Yes… that’s a huge discovery! Strapping on a tank of air and diving into the sea gives you an immediate feeling of flying or floating in space… just like an astronaut! No other place on earth can bring you this wonderful, unmatched sensation.
The moment I start my descent it’s like a freefall. But I’m in control. I can choose to go slowly or just dive in and rush -arms open like I’m sky diving! A great feeling – )
REASON 2: YOU’LL DISCOVER THE OCEAN AS ANOTHER PLANET
The underwater world is like no other you’ve seen: Right in front of your eyes is an ecosystem that has remained untouched and out of reach from air-breathing bipeds for millions or years.
REASON 3: IT GIVES LIFETIME EXPERIENCE
I couldn’t skip this reason… the one that makes me go diving again and again: Scuba Diving gives me the chance to meet new species and remember that incredible experience for the rest of my life!
REASON 4: YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR DIVE
That’s the beauty of Scuba Diving! There are so many dive types that the choices may sometimes be overwhelming! But it’s not! Simply choose according to your taste, destination and level of certification. Your dive is yours to enjoy!
Types of available dives can include from shore, a boat, a pier or drift dives; they can include caves, wrecks or even search and recovery dives; and they can be done day or night.
You can even try experimenting with underwater photography or videography dives, especially in warm water destinations! When you return home you’ve got plenty of treasured memories to talk about and share on your Facebook page.
REASON 5: YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR LOCATION
Why is Scuba Diving so great? You can dive worldwide!
In the States you have many choices: Oceans, lakes, rivers and quarries. And let’s not forget the Florida Keys, or the Hawaiian and Catalina Islands Koh samui and phuket in thailand.
I’ll not telling you to go here or there because I think one place is better than another. By experience, each new destination I’ve visited has been a very special discovery for me: in 100 km from phi phi island thailand -which provides some of the best cold-water dives around I saw giant white anemones.
In phuket, I loved the Great Barrier Reef (by the way it’s the largest living organism on Earth). Diving over boomies and watching that tiny coral life just under my ever astonished eyes was an experience I’ll never forget!
In krabi I had the chance to see wonderful creatures like lobsters and crabs…
I can safely say every dive is different and every one a thrilling adventure!
REASON 6: YOU MEET NICE PEOPLE AND LEARN DIFFERENT CULTURES
At the end of the dive we always had some warm hot chocolate to drink. And the captain of the boat was pretty cool.
Anyway, scuba diving will let you discover the many faces of human culture wherever you travel. And you’ll grow from these experiences.
REASON 7: AS YOU LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OCEAN YOU’LL WANT TO PROTECT IT
Generally scuba divers share the same fascination and respect for the underwater world. We all have our secret language with hand signs and our favorite dive spots with so many wonders that we can all talk about these experiences for hours.
It’s like being part of a special group or community. And that community is bound to cherish and thus protect the water around us from pollution, oil and bad fishing practices… to name just a few.
ProjectAware Foundation is a growing movement of scuba divers all around the world dedicated to protecting the oceans:
REASON 8: YOU CAN TAKE YOUR ADVENTURE TO THE NEXT LEVEL
This is obvious. I think by now you’ve guessed that scuba diving can be very rewarding and fulfilling. But now there is something new to experience. It’s like an underwater treasure hunt and it’s called geocaching!
When you go geocaching you become the Indiana Jones of the 21st century! You plan your next adventure by reading hints and following coordinates to find tiny treasures known as caches. You can get real creative at this new game and surprise people. (You may even surprise yourself!)
You can practice this sport as a beginner or even as a tech diver.
REASON 9: YOU’LL FIND A WORLD OF SILENCE TO ESCAPE INTO AND EXPLORE
Now I’ll answer my question at the top of this post: Is Scuba Diving the World of Silence as Cousteau professed?
We know how cacophonous the terrestrial world can be. Well, below the surface the noise quietly fades away.
You descent and observe. You’re lost in your thoughts while automatic movements make your dive safe. You’re alone…
It’s a very peaceful experience. Finally you give up swimming and just drift lazily with the current.
At the bottom of the sea, it’s a different world that no back-to-nature documentaries can match.
You sit on a sandy place, stop thinking and enjoy the view: a tiny fish swimming under the sand to hide, or an anemone fish -its colors hypnotizing you…
Suddenly you feel lucky to be part of a world you can witness without efforts.
How incredible! You never imagined this to be part of our beautiful planet!
“Time is running out and so is my air. I start the ascent. It’s with lots of regrets that I turn away from this marvellous spectacle.
I turn off my flash light.
The moon shines its light fully on us.
I arrive at the surface, my mind filled with colorful memories…”
TAKE AWAY TIPS
Get your scuba diving certification with a renowned organization like PADI,NAUI or SSI. To enjoy SCUBA Diving it’s imperative to get educated and certified under controlled conditions with the supervision of an instructor
Plan your dive as much as you can. Read about new places so you can discover the best dive for your next adventure!
Search Exvana’s directory of over 400 Dive Shops across North America for training, sales, rentals and dive trips.
Now sit down, relax and get a feeling of underwater extreme beauty of colors and shapes.
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