No matter where your at in your journey of diving- whether it’s before you’ve decided to get certified or you’ve been diving for twenty-plus years- you can always learn something from hearing about someone else’s experiences.
Let’s look at those who have any amount more tenure and experience diving than I have- I’ve only been diving for about three months, so I would say that would probably be the greater majority of my audience. What would you have to gain from reading about my diving experiences? Maybe you could have an occasion to laugh and poke fun at my expense. So far with only twenty dives, I’ve made some pretty laughable mistakes; like leaving my dive computer on the hood of my car, after a night dive, and driving off only to discover- quite a ways down the road- my mistake and how impossible it would be to find! Maybe you could reminisce on your own “firsts” as in the first time seeing a cuttlefish; watching the coral spawning reducing visibility to that of a blind person and, within seconds, seeing with perfect clarity the beautiful colors of the ocean floor; or even your first time diving from a boat down to ninety-five feet of water to see the effects of nitrogen narcosis and how colorless everything becomes.
You might also use these articles as a platform on which you can open up a dialogue with other divers. When you’re diving with lesser experienced divers, you might find it easier to identify with them and understand what thoughts are going through their head throughout the dive trip. This knowledge sharing is what I believe to be one of the most valuable contributions to any dive community. By sharing what we learn, we help strengthen each other to be better, more conscious divers.
Let’s address the rest of you, the ones who are also “newba divers” (I know, I know, I can’t let it go though. I’m going to make it stick through repetition- keep reading!), what do you have to gain? Well, essentially the same- comic relief, a moment where you can say “That happened to me too!”, an opportunity to reinforce some of the learning you’ve had, as well as something to expand on your own experiences. You can read what I’ve experienced, and when you come across the same thing- as in finally learning perfect buoyancy- you’ll be able to feel more confident in your skills and your ability to master them. You can also follow along in my search for volunteer opportunities and chances to assist with marine conservation. Lastly, since every dive I have I tend to learn or experience something new, you might be able to avoid making some of the same mistakes that I make by reading what I learned post-dive. Again, this might reinforce some of the information you probably learned in your certification courses, but not everything can be covered in a class and stories have a way of helping these lessons stick.
Am I forgetting anybody? Oh yes! Those in my audience who have not yet taken “the plunge” into diving. Those who are curious, but unsure if it’s for them. These articles might help to put you at ease. I plan to cover my journey from your exact position- going back to the days when I was terrified of the ocean, really I was! You can also follow along and see if it’s enough to live vicariously through my articles or if you too have the itch to get wet. Dare I say it? These articles might be what seals the deal and encourages you to become a “newba diver” yourself! (That’s three, I think I need to say it five more times before it will catch on: newba diver, newba diver, newba diver, newba diver, newba diver!)
