Tried diving for the first time when I was 12. Open Water Certification course in Vancouver with a dive shop that doesn't exist anymore. Heavy gear for a kid, long walks for shore dives with weights, no drysuit and horrible (and terrifying) visibility in Howe Sound...lost interest after second dive.
I'm 46 now and it has always bugged me that I never followed through with it.
Did a Discover Scuba Dive in Punta De Mita, Mexico last February and I was hooked after diving the Marrietas.
Returned to same dive shop and location this October to complete our OW certification. Conditions weren't great but it was nice to learn and experience some adversity in big swells, slightly rough surface etc.
My awesome girlfriend has been along for the ride. Unlike myself she completed her PADI OW as a kid.
Hard to explain it but I'm drawn to diving in a semi-profound kind of way. It's hard to put the world and regular life behind you on land but underwater I'm alive in the moment. Like being instantly on another planet...
I'm back home in Langley. Drysuit Specialty Course is complete. Advanced OW up next.
Looks cold. I can't wait.
JR
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