The Wonders Beneath Our Feet

[cichlidman29]

does anybody on this site do scuba diving?
or is anybody padi registered?

if not and you like all things aquatic...your missing out BIG TIME!!!
since a young boy ive always been into keeping fish, everything about fish i just loved.
some call me weird because i like them so much lol.

at 16 i went to college to even study fish husbandry as a college course.
i wanted to make a living from doing what i was passionate about. even if it was fish!

at 18 after finishing college i took a holiday to the canary islands, and while there i decided to try out diving...
while there i saw the most incredible things beneath the waves of our huge oceans...things that you could only beileive if you saw it yourself.
i gained my very first diving qualification while there in the canary islands, and since then ive never looked back!

my number 1 hobby is fish keeping, always will be, but while looking at a fish through a glass tank may be enough for some, diving into our oceans and seeing the fish in there natural habitats doing what they do best in the wild is truely something else.

ive even been lucky enough to dive abroad in lakes and rivers experiancing what the waters have to offer to the unlimited imagination.
ive dived in the canary islands in lake chiyra, rainbow lakes in france, st. clair river in michigan and also lake huron in michigan and the red sea.

im now doing an internship in aquatic photography- if you get good enough pictures...they really sell !!!
so, if you wanna see the world from another point of veiw...take up scuba diving
you may just surprise yourself and even make a great career out of doing it.

it cost me £3,000 to become fully qualified and im now at the top of the diving qualifications.
they are:
stage 1:
padi seal tears
bubblemaker
discover scuba diving
skin diver

SPECIALTIES:
coral reef conservation
aware specialist
digital underwater photography
(for snorkling)

stage 2:
open water
padi scuba diver
SPECIALTIES:

altitude diver
fish identification
boat diver
underwater photography
diver propulsion vehicle driver
dry suit diver
drift diver
emergency oxygen provider
enriched air provider
equipement specialist
multilevel diver
night diver
peak performance diver
national geographic diver
underwater natarulist
navigator
underwater photographer
underwater videographer

stage 3:
adventure diver

SPECIALTIES:
wreck diver
deep sea diver

stage 4:
advanced open water

SPECIALTIES:
cavern diver
ice diver
semi-closed diver
re-breather

stage 5:
rescue diver

SPECIALTIES:
dive master
master scuba trainer
IDC staff trainer
master instructor
search and rescue diver
course director

stage 6:
master padi diver

SPECIALTIES:
master scuba diver


you could just surprise yourself, and for the fish lovers...the career paths are endless!
so take up scuba diving, its awsome fun. it took me a year to complete, though they say people can do it all within just 6 months...
the best hobby a fish lover could do.

 

[Man of fish]

I'm padi certified. It's sooooo much fun. I love it. I've gotta say though owning tanks is a little higher for me. My #1 drawback of diving is the preparation. Once you get down under the water its like nothing you've seen before. I've seen barracudas, blacktips, spotted eagle rays, lemon sharks, green morays, hammerheads, tiger sharks, reef sharks, bunches of stingrays, nursesharks, horseshoe crabs, and my personal favorite, although bad for the reefs, lionfish. Oh and lobster, and this one huge king crab that was amazingly strong and wanted to pinch my arm off. It's really really fun. I'm only a few requirements up. I'm open water, and a few others. It took about 4-6 months for me to get where I am.
Try it everyone!!!!!

 

[Grant1897]

I got my open water and advanced open water when I was in Thailand at the beginning of this year. Without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life. Planning to go back out there and continue with more training up to dive master at some point. Will be doing some of the specialality courses aswell but certainly won't be bothering with all of them

 

[Bugdozer]

I can't do it due to problems with equalising pressure in my ears
I have to take decongestants before and during flying on aeroplanes in order to reduce the risk of my eardrums bursting. Scuba diving would be impossible, sadly.

 

[Salam]

I got my open water. Love diving, it's just amazing!

One experience was a bit rubbish. Went diving in Barbados and went down too fast without equalising the pressure in my ears properly. Eardrum popped, I first went dizzy and then fainted under water. Thankfully the instructor was nearby and he got me safely up again. Blood pouring out of my ear and no more diving or even water for the remaining two weeks It's ok again now and I have been diving since, but that was an experience that could have put me off. But I can't say no to the beautiful ocean, so it didn't hold me back.

 

[Thedoctor]

I live in Birmingham UK so I've never really had the opportunity until my 20th birthday. My girlfriend got a job in Aus and asked me to go over - I was reluctant until she told me she'd take me to the Great Barrier Reef for and on my birthday.
 
We were supposed to just snorkel but we decided to take on boat offers of scuba diving. Amazing - Especially the night dive we took. I didn't have the best experience with the male instructor favouring my girlfriend over me when 10m+ under water - I was never fully aware of what was happening which didn't help my confidence.
 
But on my actual birthday (we spent a few days on the reef) the water was very choppy and only 4 people went into the sea that day...me and my girlfriend were included. Only we were snorkeling. Long story short - I swam behind her because I wanted to keep an eye on her and make sure she was ok. I ended up swallowing a heft amount of water after being hit by a wave and lost my girlfriend. I stayed in one spot losing alot of strength trying to keep above water - Couple this with my breathing becoming more frantic due to the salt water and panic of "****, where is my girlfriend"? After a short while, I could barely paddle any more and I had to wave for help - No one saw me so after another min I had to shout as (very exhausting at this point). My girlfriend came back and I got picked up...but it kind of gave me a fear of the open water I'd never had before.
 
I'd love to scuba again...but it'd be a massive step. Huge shame because I was seriously looking into taking up courses with a career in mind.

 

[DrRob]

Sadly I share similar experiences of Australian instructors, but also some amazing ones. It depends a lot on who you get and it's well worth shopping around for a sensible instructor rather than the best price.
 
I've dived the Maldives, Red Sea and Great Barrier Reef. All were different, all were amazing.
 
Haven't managed to get diving locally yet, despite some good places, but it'll happen.

 

[Man of fish]

I'm padi certified. It's sooooo much fun. I love it. I've gotta say though owning tanks is a little higher for me. My #1 drawback of diving is the preparation. Once you get down under the water its like nothing you've seen before. I've seen barracudas, blacktips, spotted eagle rays, lemon sharks, green morays, hammerheads, tiger sharks, reef sharks, bunches of stingrays, nursesharks, horseshoe crabs, and my personal favorite, although bad for the reefs, lionfish. Oh and lobster, and this one huge king crab that was amazingly strong and wanted to pinch my arm off. It's really really fun. I'm only a few requirements up. I'm open water, and a few others. It took about 4-6 months for me to get where I am.
Try it everyone!!!!! http/www.fishforums.net/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/smile.gif http/www.fishforums.net/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/yay.gif

Since this I've improved to advanced open water so I can now go 60 ft instead of 40! This summer were visiting the Beaches resort in the Bahamas for some diving

 

[dredgy]

Yes I'm PADI registered. have been since high school. Dived around Australia, plus the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Thailand and Lake Malawi. Surprisingly good river diving right near me. When I'm overseas I never seek it out, but if I get the chance to do it I do. Though the best experience in the water I ever had was snorkelling with Whale Sharks and Manta Rays off West Australia - that was when I was 12, so a fair while ago now.

 

[Mamashack]

It's been about 8 years since I went scuba-diving! I got my open water ticket in Tenerife on holiday and did the course over about 5 days. It was brilliant! Haven't been away much since so have had no opportunity to use it. It was a wonderful experience tho and I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who fancies giving it a try.