First time Diver

Scuba diving was a once in a lifetime experience, here's hoping I do it more than once. As someone who enjoys swimming on a weekly basis in a pool and dependent of taking breathes only above the surface it was intriguing diving with a tank that helped me breathe underwater. After watching Michael Phelps dominate the 2008 Summer Olympics I was inspired to learn how to swim. I doubt starting at the age of 19 was going to help me become a competitive swimmer at that level but seven years later it is still my favorite kind of workout.

            It’s considered one of the best workouts since it works out the entire body and it doesn’t give me body aches as running does. I enjoy runner’s high after a good three to five mile run but my legs feel like Jell-O afterwards. There’s a sense of peace when I’m in a pool, doubt it’s the chlorine but whenever I swim at the pool there’s no need to interact with any swimmers unless there’s a time to circle swim.

One of my issues with running is if I go to the gym and run on the treadmill I have to carry sneakers, shorts, shirt and etc., which brings the burden of having to carry a big bag around. If I go for a swim all I need to carry are my jammers and goggles. My main goal when I go for a swim is shoot for a one mile swim which can take anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes depending on how I change up the styles of swim I go for.  In the beginner class I took I learned the main four strokes of swimming (butterfly, breast stroke, backstroke and freestyle). It’s a bit of a relief that I have swimming as a hobby because most of the people I know don’t swim, I probably sound like the only child I am but it’s refreshing having a hobby/workout to myself.

That leads to my adventure of scuba diving this past summer. Six years before receiving my PADI scuba diving certification I went skydiving and promised myself that every year I would do something different every year. My yearly accomplishments were: 2009 - skydiving, 2010 - trip to a different continent, 2011 – snowboarding, 2012 – move to another state, 2013 – picked up screenwriting and last year I visited a couple of new ballparks.  I don’t have a specific bucket list per se but I have my share of goals I’d like to complete.

Scuba diving was an exhilarating experience being able to dive 60 feet under the surface, seeing a wrecked ship and different kinds of fish. On the fourth and final dive which lasted about 35 minutes, I spent a lot of that dive with constant flooding in my mask. There were a few moments of panic but the great thing about taking classes before being certified is that we are prepared for any kind of scenario. Being able to clear my mask was easy but the fact that it continued to occur was the main concern because at 60 feet that’s a far distance for a beginner to get back up to the surface. Scuba diving is dangerous and extreme sport but it’s also about finding solutions to a problem that occurs. Luckily I was prepared on what to do if my mask was supposed to flood and how to fix it. Dutch Springs is in Pennsylvania meaning that the water is colder than let’s say typical tropical locations people tend to dive in.  Divers have to wear hoods that help assist with the colder water temperature. If I had placed my mask under my hood I wouldn’t have had this situation. I had to clear my mask about every 1 to 2 minutes because my mask wouldn’t stop flooding. I hope this story doesn’t scare people from attempting to scuba dive but if I had panicked it could lead to some problems. Scuba diving is a fun experience but it is also a serious sport and being comfortable in the atmosphere is a must. I can’t wait to go scuba diving somewhere in warmer climates such as Florida, the Caribbean and hopefully at some point Sydney, Australia.