Learning to Scuba Dive
Learning to scuba dive is one of the best gifts I’ve given myself. Scuba diving taught me that I can face my fears, retrain my brain, and fall in love with the ocean in a whole new way.
I became PADI certified in April 2015. I was always interested in learning to dive, but I never pursued it before then because, let’s face it, breathing underwater is not normal.
My boyfriend, Matt, and his family are avid divers who have been diving for over 10 years. When they asked me to go diving with them on their yearly dive trip to Bonaire, I didn’t overthink it and immediately said “sign me up!”
Getting PADI certified is a commitment, but it’s completely worth the time and energy. I signed up for my PADI certification at the local dive shop near Matt’s hometown in Northwest Indiana. Since Matt and I live in Chicago, we planned weekend trips to Matt’s parent’s house during the times I had my PADI classes.
During my PADI training, I first had to study the academics of scuba diving to learn techniques, safety skills, and scuba gear and equipment. I enjoyed going to local Chicago coffee shops to cozy up with a good coffee and my PADI study book. I had to giggle when I saw other people at the coffee shops studying for the GMAT and there I was studying for PADI.
After finishing my coursework, I moved on to the pool training where I learned to use basic scuba gear, including my mask, snorkel, fins, regulator, buoyancy control device, and tank. Since we knew the instructor, Matt was able to take a refresher course and join me in the pool training. I recommend getting certified with a buddy if you can, since it makes it more enjoyable and comfortable.
I’ll never forget the feeling of breathing under water for the first time in the pool. It felt unnatural, yet unbelievable! I remember thinking “I’ve been underwater for like 10 minutes!” The hardest thing for me to learn was equalizing my ears underwater, but I finally got the hang of it. When I successfully shared air with Matt by removing my regulator out of my mouth, signaling to Matt to “share air”, and putting Matt’s extra regulator in my mouth, I knew I was going to be able to do this!
I completed my final open water training at the beginning of my first dive trip to Bonaire. Rather than taking my open water training in a murky quarry in the middle of Indiana, I was able to have my first open water experience be in a diver’s paradise. Now I was able to experience everything I trained for within the freedom of the Caribbean Sea. As you would expect, training in the ocean is a completely better experience than training in a YMCA pool. My trainer, Francisco, took me out on my first open water dive and I was amazed at the vibrant colors and sea life that surrounded me. I’ve watched many high res underwater videos, but what you see in those videos is completely different than what you experience when you are diving under the sea. I felt like I was floating in space, a sea space that is!
It took me a few dives to begin getting comfortable with the fact that I was 60 feet underwater. By dive 4, I stopped overthinking my breathing and started absorbing the beauty I was experiencing. We packed in 12 dives during our Bonaire trip. I was addicted! Now that I am PADI open water certified, I can’t wait to explore the world’s oceans.
If you haven’t learned to scuba dive, you should. It turns out diving isn’t as scary as it may seem. The rewards of diving are worth all of the hard work to get certified. You just need to find the courage to try it and once you try, you’ll be hooked! Go scuba dive.