How many of you dive or would like to dive a reef someday?

[revhtree]

Most of us saltwater aquarium hobbyists have a fascination for the ocean and more specifically coral reefs! Seeing the fish and all the critters zooming around a coral reef is really inspiring to those of us who are reef keepers. But how many of you are actually certified divers and have you got to dive any coral reefs yet? Let's talk about it!

1. Are you a certified diver and how long have you been diving? Seen any cool reefs?

2. If you're not a certified diver now, would you like to get certified in the future?


PS. Show off some of your dive pics and videos!

 

[siggy]

My neighbor is a diver and over a couple of pop's we were comparing .........hobbies. When taking travel into account, his fix has me beat by a mile. Im headed to the Keys soon to sample the sport, or is it a hobby?

 

[Brew12]

I am a certified diver. I've been diving around Hawaii and in the Caribbean. I certified to dive in the cold waters of the Puget Sound. It's not colorful, but the crabs, octopus, shrimp, scallops, seals and eels make it an amazing place to dive. Been toying with the idea of going to Israel to dive the Red Sea since it looks like it will be opening up to tourists soon. Planning is so tough!

 

[Bandito Aquatics]

Been looking in to getting diving classes to volunteer at my local aquarium they are always needing help so would love to get a better understanding of the ocean and do my part to help out definitely would dive a real reef if given the chance.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Few dives around Greece but mostly Caribbean dives. It clear where my fascination of the hobby got started but it took me a few years to go for it. I miss those days as I am not broke and haven’t been on a dive in 5 years

 

[sp1187]

certified Open Water 1984
certified PADI Instructor (now retired) 1987

reef dives: Florida Keys, Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Brac, Hawaii

most memorable dives:
Cayman Brac ( my first salt dive) positioned to do a backwards roll, the tank, with the regulator, slipped out of the rental back pac in to the water. the captain looks over the side, looks at me and sez "that's 60' . hope you can hold your breath." ;Hilarious;Hilarious;Hilarious
WW2 tank in 60' off of Mauii
Lava Tubes off of Mauii
holding a 4' green moray in Belize
Coast Guard cutter wreck in the Keys
wall dives in the Bahamas

best memories are while snorkeling though.
manatees in Crystal River, Fl.
turtles off a beach in Kauai.
tarpon in Belize
sharks in the Keys and the Bahamas

 

[Zionas]

Be safe there!

But yeah the Red Sea would be amazing. I remember diving off of Hainan Island in southern China as a kid. The waters offshore were okay (don’t remember what I saw though) but the dive sites close to shore were quite polluted. And the Dominoes and Three Stripes just thrived in there like it was nothing at all.

Personally I’d love to explore a mesophotic or even rariphotic reef. I look at updates on Reef Builders and it’s amazing the variety of new and colorful species discovered beyond average scuba depths.

 

[GillMeister]

I've been diving for over 20 years. I haven't done any diving in the Pacific islands yet but I did spend a week diving the barrier reef at Port Douglas in Australia. IMO Roatan is the best spot for diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean.

 

[Dilan Patel]

I have been a certified diver for a few years now. I have dove in Jamaica and Turks and Caicos. I believe 1 other place but I can't remember lol. I don't get to go out as often as I would like but hopefully soon ill have more time. Here are a few photos I took at I believe the Turks and Caicos. its decent quality for a knockoff gopro lol.

 

[footgal]

Hi!!! I am a diver and have been for 7 years now, certified in lionfish hunting for almost 4 years. I mostly dive Caribbean Grand Cayman, Roatan, and Cozumel are some of my favorites that are nearby; but I've also been to Mexico, Cancun, Aruba, Jamaica, Bonaire, the Florida Keys, the Blue Hole, and some others I'm sure I'm forgetting right now. These trips are mostly centered around hunting for lionfish (to eat, not just sport) but we see plenty of super cool stuff like cherub angels, all the big angelfish (gray, french, queen), royal gramma, basically a lot of your super common and well-known aquarium fish.

I've also had some trips abroad, like the Red Sea where I saw golden butterflies, blue-spotted stingrays, broomtail wrasses, and hundreds of naturally occurring blue maxima clams. I've also taken a couple of trips out to Thailand where there were miles and miles of anemones with millions of clownfish and xenia. I'm wanting to take a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef for my senior trip next year.

I'll try to dig up some pics for yall!!! And anyone that has been thinking about getting certified, it will change your life. To see the coral and fish that are in your tank in their natural environment is something that is very special and you start to get an understanding that you likely never would have gotten without diving. It's incredible to feel the flow that they need with your whole body, see the space that they live in, and how a MASSIVE colony looks. I've seen acro colonies larger than my entire body, a literal football field-sized space of just xenia, and seahorses in sprawling fields of seagrass just chilling.

 

[dmward1978]

Been diving for a short time, about 2012. Favorite Reefs are northside Grand Cayman, and the south wall of Roatan!!

 

[Billdogg]

I got certified in 1990. AOW shortly thereafter. I find that it's a great excuse to go to really cool places for vacation.

I have a habit of prolonging my safety stops. I find that it is my own personal time to just let my mind wander - to just completely relax and let my mind go where it will.

I encourage anyone and everyone who might want to give it a try to DO IT! Is it for everyone? Nope, and that's ok too

Cave certified in 1998, but that was soon put on the back burner because my soon to be wife didn't thing it was such a great idea.

I've never had a "bad" dive, although a few were a bit dicier than I'd have preferred. My regulator freezing up at 110' at Gilboa Stone Quarry. Another diver deciding that it'd be a great idea to panic at about 80' with 3' of visibility, spit out his reg and try to play rocket ship to the moon. Got him stopped at about 30', where he came around and thought that breathing would, indeed, be a good idea. Another time, my dive buddy getting a little narked. I was in the lead, turned to check on him and found him on his knees in the muck staring blankly at his computer. He didn't have a clue. Helped him up to shallower water so his head could clear. It was his last dive.

All told, over 2000 dives and counting. I don't see water without thinking about what's down there to discover.

My only regret about diving? That I didn't get certified sooner.

Roatan, Honduras - my first dive trip - no u/w camera :-(

San Salvadore, Bahamas There's really no feeling like going out over the edge of the reef and looking down a few thousand feet. Crystal clear water.

my first shark!

Night dive

Sea of Cortez, out of La Paz, Mexico
Playing with Sea Lions has been on of the highlights of my life

Didn't even see this guy until I almost touched him!

Florida Keys
Sometimes the little things are the best parts of the dive

and sometimes they're not so small!

Bonaire, NA - the easiest diving anywhere
night dive

Tobermory, Canada - 5 fathoms Marine Park - Bring your drysuit!!!

Hawaii - yes, there's turtles!

 

[Eagle_Steve]

PADI Certified Master Scuba Diving Trainer here.

Red Sea is all I am lacking for hot spots at this point. When I went to Israel to see family, no dive gear was brought and didn’t have time anyways lol.

@Brew12 if you end up going, let me know. I have family on the coast in Eilat. They will feed you good.

 

[sp1187]

I got certified in 1990. AOW shortly thereafter. I find that it's a great excuse to go to really cool places for vacation.

I have a habit of prolonging my safety stops. I find that it is my own personal time to just let my mind wander - to just completely relax and let my mind go where it will.

I encourage anyone and everyone who might want to give it a try to DO IT! Is it for everyone? Nope, and that's ok too

Cave certified in 1998, but that was soon put on the back burner because my soon to be wife didn't thing it was such a great idea.

I've never had a "bad" dive, although a few were a bit dicier than I'd have preferred. My regulator freezing up at 110' at Gilboa Stone Quarry. Another diver deciding that it'd be a great idea to panic at about 80' with 3' of visibility, spit out his reg and try to play rocket ship to the moon. Got him stopped at about 30', where he came around and thought that breathing would, indeed, be a good idea. Another time, my dive buddy getting a little narked. I was in the lead, turned to check on him and found him on his knees in the muck staring blankly at his computer. He didn't have a clue. Helped him up to shallower water so his head could clear. It was his last dive.

All told, over 2000 dives and counting. I don't see water without thinking about what's down there to discover.

My only regret about diving? That I didn't get certified sooner.

Roatan, Honduras - my first dive trip - no u/w camera :-(

San Salvadore, Bahamas There's really no feeling like going out over the edge of the reef and looking down a few thousand feet. Crystal clear water.

my first shark!

Night dive

Sea of Cortez, out of La Paz, Mexico
Playing with Sea Lions has been on of the highlights of my life

Didn't even see this guy until I almost touched him!

Florida Keys
Sometimes the little things are the best parts of the dive

and sometimes they're not so small!

Bonaire, NA - the easiest diving anywhere
night dive

Tobermory, Canada - 5 fathoms Marine Park - Bring your drysuit!!!

Hawaii - yes, there's turtles!

aren't regulator freeze ups the best.
Tobermory Ontario CA.
February.
nine inches of ice.
four hours on the ice waiting for my turn.
five minutes under the ice regulator freezes up.
my one and only ice dive.
and it was wet suit, before I bought my dry suit.

 

[Reefs and Geeks]

I enjoy free diving, but living in Pittsburgh I rarely get the opportunity. Any time I have a beach vacation coming up I start re-training months in advance for breath holding and such to extend how long I can dive. Not nearly scuba, but being able to check out sea life for a full minute or 2 is quite nice. or at least be able to dive down to 30 feet or so to see something out of reach to most. Went to Hawaii for my Honeymoon about 5 years ago and was out diving on the reefs every day for 2 weeks. One of my favorite memories

 

[Eagle_Steve]

aren't regulator freeze ups the best.
Tobermory Ontario CA.
February.
nine inches of ice.
four hours on the ice waiting for my turn.
five minutes under the ice regulator freezes up.
my one and only ice dive.
and it was wet suit, before I bought my dry suit.

I will not ice dive. I am a tropical person. Me no likely cold lol.

 

[Greybeard]

Padi certified in 1986.

Sorry, images are all in my mind, never liked carrying a camera.

Most of my salt diving has been southern California. More kelp forest than reef. Don't misunderstand... kelp forest diving is awesome.

Done quite a few midwestern mud dives, too. Poking around the manmade reservoirs in the Ozarks. Can't really say there's much that's worth seeing... but it's something to do. Bonne Terre mine south of St. Louis is worth a look, if you're in the area.

 

[sp1187]

I will not ice dive. I am a tropical person. Me no likely cold lol.

back when I was instructing, there was a group out of the store that did drift dives in the St. Clair River every weekend all winter. I was not part of that group.

 

[Billdogg]

I did Tobermory in July in a wetsuit. Not as cold as Ice diving, but still cold enough that the boat captain was pouring hot water inside our wetsuits before each dive. And FWIW - I had upgraded my reg after my freeze up so no problems there! The wetsuit, however didn't get upgraded until after. Now, I wouldn't even consider a Ohio dive without my Drysuit! Well, Circleville twin quarries is pretty much bathing suit diving june-september so that doesn't count (but with their max depth of 15' - they hardly count as dives!

 

[Casket_Case]

I free dive shallow reefs when I have the chance it’s great fun.