SCUBA diving is one of those “hobbies” that’s really more of a lifestyle. And for me, there’s no better way to put it than a lifestyle. SCUBA, like I’m sure it has for many others, changed my life in ways that I didn’t know or understand until much later.
Read more: Happy Women Divers Day!Ten years ago this September, I joined the SCUBA club at the University of West Florida where soon I would embark on my journey into breathing and being underwater. This would also be, funnily enough, where I saw my husband for the first time at the podium in a random biology classroom talking about the club and his interests in front of at least 150 other people. That’s the start of how SCUBA changed my life, and it just continues on from there.
Being a woman in SCUBA diving is not always easy. Most of my classes and instructors have been men, and some of them were not exactly the easiest to work with. I was fortunate that my first experience with SCUBA was with a wonderful and caring female instructor who even though the situation wasn’t ideal for first time learners, she took the time to make us feel comfortable being in the water and with our gear and with out buddies.
At my open water I lived for the underwater experience. I could’ve just sat underwater and breathed forEVER. It was magical and wonderful and it was meant for me. The springs and beach dives made me giddy with excitement, and honestly I was situated in the perfect place for it where every spot had something amazing to look at and experience.
Quickly, I wanted to do MORE. So I took my Advanced Open Water certification, doing my first boat dive off a wreck miles off the coast. And then my Rescue Diver Certification and Nitrox Certification, where I learned how to save my fellow divers in an emergency. I even spent time with scientific diver courses through my courses at UWF, where I learned research skills underwater.
As years go by I have seen and experienced amazing things I could only do while diving. Like swimming with fish that treat you like part of the school, with sharks that swim close to you to check you out, or sharks that swim away as soon as you spot them. I’ve swam with sea turtles, spotted camouflaged octopus, and been inside bait balls. Nothing is like being a part of the sea you’re in without having to come up for air.
I’ve experienced aquarium diving with manta rays and whale sharks and sea turtles that blows the world away because you can really SEE them, and they want you to see them too.
One of the ways my life was altered with my SCUBA certification is the fact I met and found people that got to help me with getting married underwater! While the visibility that day was really bad, we got to spend our wedding day sharing our vows with hand signals and sharing a regulator kiss. (it was ADORABLE)
I’ve seen hard things too. Pollution and fishing line wrapped around reefs, traps for crabs left behind and managed to bits. I’ve seen wildlife harassment from diver’s who don’t know how to be with other animals. I’ve seen the reefs at the Keys slowly become less colorful and alive as the waters get warmer and warmer every year.
Being a diver means being an advocate for the world under the sea. We see what others only view in documentaries and magazines and on the internet. Being a diver should also mean being an educator to those that prefer to stay above the waves. This is one of my goals for my future, to bring education from the sea into classrooms and bring the classroom to the sea. My hope and goal is to become a SCUBA instructor and create curriculum and guides for divers and those wanting to dive that could bring more awareness and joy to the natural world under the waves!
With that, thank you PADI for celebrating and inspiring women divers all over the world!
