Wassup. I'm SSI certified AOW, but I've also done DIR-F with GUE (twice; once with Mike Kane and once with Dan Mackay). Dive in the northeast US; mainly the Hudson, coast of Maine, Mass, and NJ, and the St Lawrence and Lake Ontario in Canada.

Great idea for a group. Just earned my Rescue Diver last month. Part of what motivated me to refocus on losing weight and getting back in shape was getting my "a***" kicked on the open water rescue.

Hola fellow divers!!! I've been a diver since I was 14. I love it I've dived Mexico mostly, Himalaya Bay (its not on the map but trust me it there ), Cancun and Hawaii. Shark diving is on my bucket list and I would love to dive the blue hole!! Diving is the best thing ever :happy:

Hi all!! I have been diving since 2007 and have my PADI open/advance certs! I have made the decision just recently to get my dive master cert and soon will begin that process. I do have to get my Rescue cert first and that will come this summer for sure!

I live in Oklahoma so really I have only dove in lakes and man made scuba parks. The hubs and I are wanting to go down to Cancun and dive down there and spread out our adventures with that starting point. Hopefully within the next year or two we will both have the time to take off for a 2 week vaca down there!!

Hope everyone has a great day! And can't wait to hear about the awesome dive stories to come as the season warms up!!

Stefanie :bigsmile:

Hey everyone! I live in the Florida panhandle and I grew up around diving. My dad and brother got certified when I was about 6 years old (1990ish), I couldn't wait until I was able to dive too...but as I got older I thought there was no hope because I did not think I would ever be able to clear my ears. I thought I would always be confined to snorkeling. Then in 2009 I was on a trip to Bonaire with a local dive shop and dive club. My husband, my mom, and myself were snorkeling as the rest were diving. The amazing instructors in the group insisted we try a discover scuba. I was hesitant to try it since I was worried that my husband and my mom would be able to and I would be stuck back on the dock waiting for them to surface due to ear issues. I gave in, and decided this was my chance. Our wonderful dive friends all sat on the dock and watched us get into the water, cheering us on and offering words of encouragement. My dad (an assistant instructor) stayed on the dock too...though I know he wanted to be in the water with us, but as I am sure you all know, sometimes family can make things a little tense! In no time we were off; each with a different instructor/assistant insrtuctor. The first few mins were difficult with the ear clearing issues, but after that it was smooth sailing, we were getting closer and closer to the reef. After 40 amazing minutes Dawn (my amazing instructor) and I surfaced to applause from our group. My husband and my mom had already surfaced because they ended up being the ones who could not clear their ears! Anyway, needless to say, after that 40 mins I was hooked! I am sure I was grinning like a fool! Less than a month later I was open water certified back home with my same amazing instuctor. After that it was diving pretty much every weekend... to AOW, Rescue, and then in October 2011 I became a Dive Master. Every year since we have made a trip to Bonaire with the dive shop and I revisit and dive my very fist dive site over and over... Buddy's Reef at Buddy Dive Resort. I LOVE that place! So, all in all, I am fairly new to diving, but I love it! I actually haven't been diving in months, my longest dry spell since I got certified. Typing this is making me want to get in the water right now! Maybe a trip to the springs this weekend is in order!

Sorry that was such a long/sappy post, I am usually not the sappy type! Oh, and my mom and my husband are both certified divers now also!

Rich : I love Neutral Buoyancy Turtle!!! I hope you don't mind if I share him with my dad! He would get a kick out of Mr. Turtle! :bigsmile:

To those of you with Shark Diving on your bucket list, it is freakin' AWESOME!! I have done some dives on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and have seen plenty of Sand Tigers. In the Gulf and Keys, a few Nurse sharks and an occasional Bull. Then, this past summer I went back to the Bahamas strictly for the Shark Dive with Stuart Cove's. It was unbelievable!! 30-40 Grey Reef Sharks all over the place. I have video on my YouTube page from both my handheld camera and my GoPro I was wearing on my head during the dive. I'm not here to advertise my Youtube page, so if you are interested in seeing the Shark Dive footage, PM me and I'll give you the address.
Next on my list: Great White Cage Diving in either Gadalupe or South Africa. I gotta see a Great White!!

@1ocean1girl --

I've seen a million sharks, but I've only seen a tiger once. I was diving in the Gulf of Mexico at the Flower Garden Banks (about 100 miles off the coast of Texas/Louisiana) in the winter. It was beautiful and really skittish. I also saw my only whale shark there (summer). That was absolutely breathtaking!!!

@1ocean1girl --

I've seen a million sharks, but I've only seen a tiger once. I was diving in the Gulf of Mexico at the Flower Garden Banks (about 100 miles off the coast of Texas/Louisiana) in the winter. It was beautiful and really skittish. I also saw my only whale shark there (summer). That was absolutely breathtaking!!!

The Flower Gardens are great...a bit of a trip out, but worth the journey.

@DaleHall

Shark week is the best week ever!!! My family and friends know where to find me when it's shark week (glued to the TV, lol) Thanks for the website I will definitely check it out :happy:

My wife and I just got our FitBit Flex units this last Friday (3/21/14) and I found MFP to be a good match for FitBit. We are both PADI AOW divers and I hope to start rescue diver in the next couple of months.

My job is somewhat sedentary in nature, so I want to ensure I maintain a healthy lifestyle.