Any Bubblers here?

[DevilAlumna]

Are there any other SCUBA divers who read here?

I just started a year ago; and find it to be a very peaceful experience, though it's still a definite workout. Talk about getting to see rare and special things! My grandma's comment, on viewing a picture of me swimming with/among a couple reef sharks, "Oh, so that's what the bottom of the ocean looks like."

My favorite dive to date (out of about 25 now) was a drift dive along a river delta channel and out through a break in the reef wall, on the Coral Coast of Fiji. Great viz, beautiful water colors, a regenerating (from a bad typhoon) reef, and several sharks & turtles along the way.

Anyways, just looking to see who else might share an additional enthusiasm (beyond Duke BBall, that is.)

[AtlBluRew]

I love SCUBA. I started in 2003 and now have 65 dives, all in the Caribbean. In fact, I iam off to Bonaire on July 7, and I really can't wait. I like drift diving too ... but wait until you're caught in a really fast current! I was in St. Lucia in September (loved it!) and one of the dives was in a very fast current. The dive master thought it was 7 or 8 knots. All I can say is that as I was ripping along I was always comforted to look around and see the other 7 in my group ripping along in the same direction. I figured that you never hear about a group of 8 divers disappearing, it's always that one who got separated from the group.

For some great dives on an island that is off the beaten path, try Saba, not too far from St. Maarten. I was there in February (for the 2nd time) and spotted a seahorse and a frog fish! Seeing the small things may even be more fun than seeing the big ones.

[dukestheheat]

devilalumna,

on scuba, i did that one time, after being trained, and i just found myself worrying more about getting the bends and getting BIT by a biiiiiiiig fish and/or basically not being able to get out of the water fast enough to avoid 'those' fish, and then the pressure thing with the atmospheres at 33 feet and all that...so i just said bag it. plus, my ears hurt a lot when i went down appreciably, and when my ears hurt, life ain't so much fun. and at least when i'm kiteboarding i can outrun any fins out for my rear end.

dth. sorry for the no-caps but i'm typing this in total darkness and this is just less work. haha.

[DevilAlumna]

I figured, DTH, that you might be a diver, with your fondness for on-the-water activities. Personally, I'm much less afraid of the big fishies when I can see them; it's the "not knowing" where they are that spooks me out of the water otherwise.

As for locations, the husband and I are thinking about doing a trip to Roatan (Honduran island) this fall; the Caribbean was a possibility, but Honduran weather seasons are better for when we want to go (less chance of a hurricane, basically.) But yes, we do want to hit some hotspots like Bonaire, Cozumel and Belize as well.

At our wedding last August, we found out we knew so many Duke divers, plus had a certified boat skipper (merchant Marine academy grad) in the midst, we were half-seriously considering chartering a yacht and doing our own version of a Caribbean dive liveaboard. Ahhh, a girl can dream.

[Chard]

I thought this was going to be a thread about bongs!