When I was 5 years old I almost drowned in water I could stand up in. I learned how to swim because of that. But I’ve always been afraid of the water.
As my life has become a series of challenges I need to meet head on before I die, conquering the deep is an obvious step.
A gorgeous hunk of a man by the name of Greg Shives, became a certified scuba diver oh so many years ago. He would talk about his adventures and I would listen to him droll on about excitement under the sea and just how cool an aquifer really is. This past June he talked about needing students for a class he was going to teach on Open Water Diving.
I jumped at the chance.
This was an opportunity for me to face this fear head on and to have a little fun doing it. After all, if a bowl of ice cream is life and fun is the hot fudge syrup you pour over it, time spent with Greg is a banana split topped with a mask, fins and snorkel instead of a cherry.
Greg is a wonderful reminder that if you are enormously passionate about something, you’re also incredibly successful at it too. I felt incredibly safe because that cool cat was always around.
Meeting this challenge is not without some struggles. One exercise is to go down about 10 feet and pull your mask off, put your mask back on and blow all the water out the mask using your nose. This is fear personified for me. If I hadn’t technically done it once in the course of the weekend I wouldn’t be certified.
But this process for me wasn’t about becoming a certfed scuba diver, it’s all about conquering a fear. And if we’re honest, we all have work to do. The real certification is the life you’re able to lead because of the challenges you’ve been able to meet.
July 29th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
way to go! I’m not a very good swimmer. When I was in grade 3 my best friend & her 2 brothers drowned. 3 little coffins. So sad. Plus Dad thought it was funny to swim under water & pull my leg trying to pull me under. So I would just stay out of the water. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I taught myself to swim. Never in a lake, only in a pool. And I try to keep my face from getting wet. If your face is dry you can’t drown. Right? Plus I’m blind as a bat without my glasses which is kinda scary for me in the water.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Now that your certified you have to take a trip to Bonne Terra Missouri. Its a flooded salt mine. The diving is AWESOME! I took a dive trip there last year. YOu can read about it on my site. All of the post are under the heading Dive Weekend on the right side of the site.
Its a good time!
July 30th, 2008 at 3:47 am
I’ve always wanted to learn to scuba. I did it once in Cozumel on one of those pud resort-type dives. I figured that would be a good way to see if it was something I would like to invest time and money into learning. Aside from the bad pain in the ears from the pressure, I loved it.
Whenever I’ve made plans for lessons, life gets in the way. Sadly, I’ve not become certified…which is sad because I’m returning to the Caribbean for my 4th trip this fall, and no scuba certification.
Does Greg have a place he offers lessons? How long did it take you? If you could email me more info, I think that would be SUPER, and I would be forever showering you with gratitude (or something like it).
July 30th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I’ve heard about Papua New Guinea, Florida and Fiji to be great dive locations. I would suggest for beginners to try a saltwater divespot with a warm water profile first while avoiding thermocline and of course the dive of below-recreational levels. Also invest in a durable wetsuit of say 3mm thickness or just 2mm if you don’t want to pursue cold water. But do get a good diving regulator set. It would take some time to find one that suits you. FOr diving lessons, scuba equipment retailers usually offer or have tie ups with scuba instructors who can give you training from the basic OW to specialty, recreational diving.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Congrats man! I know facing your issues was the big thing for you, but I am a little envious. Getting a scuba cert is one of those things (like learning to ride a motorcycle) that has been on my wanna do list for years.
July 30th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Facing fear….I am deathly afraid of heights and I ski. I think it makes the experience more exhilarating and rewarding.
Rock on with your bad self Banky. Mazel Tov!
July 31st, 2008 at 10:02 am
Banky, Banky, Banky…who you kiddin? You only wanted that cert because you know how HAWT you look in scuba gear!
Major props to you! I am very proud of you!!!!