Confessions of a Scuba Diver

We all have done things we are not proud of. In 26 years of being a diver, I can tell you that I have been the actual worst. I have repented of my unregenerate ways and here we are. Now is the time for the confessions. 

I am offering my confessions to the internet for three reasons:

• 1) Confession is the best accountability.
• 2) I want newbies to know you aren't a lost cause.
• 3) I never want people to feel like I'm judging with some of these posts . I've been a pain in the neck, too. But we don't have to stay that way! People who know better, do better. Or we should, amiright?!

Well. Here we go. Come at me. These are my confessions and I might get fired for publishing this.

Confessions of a Scuba Diver

• Not logging dives. Starting off with a soft ball here. I didn't log probably 300-400+ dives, and that's being pretty conservative. I was all kinds of obnoxious about it, too. "I'm not trying to be all hooahh about how many dives I've had. Those people get on my nerves with their 'I've had 2, 473 dives.' No one even cares how many dives you have." {I roll my own eyes at me.}
• While I do believe the quality and diversity of dives is more important than the number of dives, I still regret it. Truly. Now, I'm in the process of being a professional and it is important. You never know what's coming, so log the dives. With computers now, this makes it super easy. This seems like a good time to plug the Shearwater computers. I am a fan of my Peregrine! I didn't know it until the year of our Lord 2022 when I logged my first bluetooth dive right on the app. What a game changer. Because I know you care so much: my reward when I complete my Instructor Certification will be the Teric. But, I digress. Log the dives. Just trust me. 

• Not taking care of my own gear. To be fair, there were many years that while I was packing up kids and getting the house ready, it was my husband's "job" to pack our gear. That's my excuse. It's garbage. The result was that I didn't know how my gear worked and what each hose and connector leads to. I didn't know anything about my gear except that when Mark handed it to me, it worked. And it did. Yay, Spouse! But, I should have been taking care of my own crap. I was not a good dive buddy. Siggghhh, 

Lack of buoyancy control. This comes with experience, and diving a couple of times a year wasn't enough to improve my skills. Neutral buoyancy is super important for several reasons. If you aren't in control of your own body and buoyancy, you are going to be bumping into your fellow divers, floating up and sinking low at a crazy pace resulting in over air consumption and possible ear pain. Arguably, the worst part of lack of proper buoyancy is bumping the coral. See also: let's tuck those arms in. Divers don't use their arms. I know it seems weird, but you're going slow and we want to keep that heart rate down. This isn't (supposed to be) cardio. Anyway, I've done it all wrong before. We were all new at one point!

 Flipping, Turning, & Just General Jacking Around. I was just excited, okay!? I have never not loved diving. (I mean, I definitely like some dive spots better than others, but I do love it.) I would do all kinds of tricks, handstands, flips, yada yada. Especially if I was in a sort of boring-ahem-venue. You know what this did? I consumed gas like a dadgum Ford F-Eleventy-Seventeen-Fifty. Now, my instructor is pretty great about just being okay with people enjoying themselves and he is happy to see people excited to be underwater. However, he is much more gracious with me about this type of shenanigans now that I consume much less air. Back in the day, he'd tell me to calm down the way Ross Gellar asked for quiet and I handled it about the same as Joey & Chandler.

Chasing critters. Look. I've done it and I'm sorry. I just love them and want to take them home, that's all. Is that a crime?! No, but touching them is. Sharks, turtles, balloon fish, puffers...they are so cute!. I promise, in the pic above, I only "air hugged" that turtle. But, man I wanted to hug it for real.

Being a camera jerk. I have done this, too. I've been the camera jerk. I get so focused on my little screen trying to get the perfect shot for this website or socials and I forget that other people want to see the little cutesy thing, too. I hate that I have done this and now I try to get the pic and get out of the way. I also understand much more about stressing the animals and I don't want to do that. 

Now, I know y'all are gonna come at me and I'm prepared. But, for the brave ones, what is one of your "confessions", if you're willing to share?

We’d love to hear from you! 

Living the Dream!