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| Matt, the diver! |
What is it like going through the PADI Open Water Diver course and
becoming a certified diver?
It was an adventure and a half. From reading the instruction manual to
my final open water dive, I was enthralled.
After receiving my manual from the dive shop and a short drive home, I
instantly started to read, take notes, and answer all the knowledge reviews in
the manual. The reading which is a bit long is probably the most grueling art
of the class because the diving isn’t actually tangible yet, but it has to be
done. The knowledge you learn from the reading is indispensable and really
helped me through the classroom as well as the water. Next came the classroom
sessions where the other students and I reviewed what we read and took several
quizzes and a final over the entire manual. All this classroom stuff sounded a
bit frightening and overwhelming to me at first, but once in the dive shop,
those feelings drifted away. The quizzes were not overly difficult, and during
the class, I got to breathe through a regulator for the first time and put
together a whole scuba unit by myself which allowed me to see the finish line,
when I would be a certified diver.
The fun part. The DIVES. My first breath underwater is something I just
cannot explain because I did something that the human body wasn’t meant to do,
but, yet, there I was in a pool underwater and not drowning. I broke down a
limit and discovered a whole new world.
The confined dives in the pool are almost the same as a class, but it’s
just underwater. We went over basic skills in this controlled environment to
make sure we understood what we read and went over in class. One student would
complete the skill then the next student would perform the same skill, and this
went on until every student completed each skill. These dives are a rehearsal
for the open water dives.
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| To Pearl Lake we go! |
The open water dives are truly the highlight. My dives were in the pond
next to the RecPlex and Pearl Lake. In these dives, you also have to complete
similar skills to the one completed in the pool, but it is just so different.
There’s sand, seaweed, and fish around you when you’re completing the skills.
These dives are real so there’s a sense of danger almost, and I became really
excited which elevated my breathing so much that I finished 3 tanks in 3 dives.
However, while I was at depth, it was breath-taking. I swam past a couple of
boats, an ice cream truck, and a submarine! I got into a staring contest with a
fish; the fish won, but I was right in its face!
It’s just a totally different world underwater. And being able to stay
down there for an extended period of time with scuba is something everyone has
to try once. It is absolutely amazing and absolutely worth it.
Thanks Lisa and Mike for teaching me how to dive safely and how to
really experience the underwater world.
Matt Wozniak
P.S. Always go to the bathroom before suiting up!
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