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

Are you a certified diver?

  • YES

    Votes: 323 46.5%
  • NO

    Votes: 132 19.0%
  • No, but would like to get certified

    Votes: 223 32.1%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 16 2.3%

  • Total voters
    694

Jsums9

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Certified diver since 1994

Dive sites: Hawaii, Midway, Mexico, all of the west coast from British Columbia to Baja Mexico, Gulf of Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Brazil, Thailand, and so many lakes in the united states can not list all of them anymore. People say it is a hobby but to me it is an addiction. All I can say is if you love your tank just think of what your missing when you have the world as a tank.
 

craigbuss

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I’m a scuba instructor. Had the passion of diving well before owning a reef tank. After owning a tank I’ve become much more appreciative of the ocean and how delicate it actually is. I have done thousands of dives throughout South Florida and the keys. I have a trip planned to St. Lucia in the fall. Hoping to see more hard corals. If anyone wants to dive or learn to dive feel free to reach out!
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CMMorgan

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Asthmatic here.... my mother had a lung transplant.... my greatest fear is suffocation. There are zero circumstances that would compel me to rely on a tube (scuba) or a little tank with a potentially freezing regulator to breathe.
The closest I will get to seeing the reef is vicariously through you kind folks or the little tank in my living room.
 

Dania

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My Dad was a certified diving Instructor but refused to teach my sister and me. She has Asthma so understandable. I was a little on the panicky side when I was younger but have calmed down a bit. Now I'm more interested in learning freediving. But also love snorkeling.
 

CanuckReefer

Simple...Salt, Water, LR, Lighting and Flow.
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Some great stories here! Certified PADI in 1989. My brother used to live in Cayman, thats where it started for me. 600+ dives logged. All over North America, Caribbean, Mediterranean and South Pacific. Mostly warm water some cold.
Haven't been for over a year so I am more than anxious to do so again! It is my favourite activity. The sweet spot once you hit the water.
Great Hammerhead Bimini Bahamas
Green Sea Turtle Bora Bora FP
Lemon Shark Moorea FP
And that's me! Hanging with the Clownfish and Anemones in French Polynesia!
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Dbasileccim

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GBR, Jamaica, and Maui, but all snorkeling.

Want to dive badly but couldn't get to 15' in the certification course. Terrible Eustachian tubes.

The aussies told me not to bother seeing a doctor or anything. Told me stories of pulling people out because they couldn't equalize and wouldn't come up, then the diver collapsing on the deck, ears bleeding, permanent damage.
If you can free dive to 15 feet you must be clearing your ears. Go to an ear nose throat Doctor and get checked out. In 1967 i was told I couldn't dive because of my sinuses. I Saw a ear nose doc and have been diving ever since; open water diver, instructor, cave diver, cave diving instructor, deepest dive of 240 feet and still diving at 68 years old.
 

NigelRichardson

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Nothing quite like breathing under water. Even got to do some underwater exercises during the dolphin training days. If you haven't tried it, get out there.
100% agree. Not sure I'd call scuba diving a "sport", but its definitely a mental rush - and a legal one at that!

I found diving the Great Barrier Reef at night a completely surreal experience... Once you're away from the wall and in open water, with no reference points its as close to feeling like an astronaut as I'll ever get...

I remember the instructor telling us "If you get disoriented, follow your bubbles. Even if they're going down to the sea floor, follow your bubbles". Good advice once a bunch of us worked out that hanging out, weightless, completely upside down in the dark was a mental rush unlike anything experienced before...
 

Zatar1974

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Been diving since 1980...still can't get enough of it! Just wish I could have some of these corals in my tank!
 

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RalphTech

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Went snorkeling off Buck Island in US Virgin Islands. Under water coral park with string guide. Corals were marked. Saw brain coral at least 36" diameter, Fire coral, and all kinds of fish like blue majors, rays and a turtle. Dad picked up a beautiful conch shell that's now on
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the mantle. When I touched a urchin with my fin it pushed spines into it and broke off a piece of the hard rubber. Great times snorkeling and diving down for almost one minute of breath.
 

blue-thumb

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I am a pediatrician. I am also a dive instructor. I have had the opportunity to dive all over the world. My reef tank was create from a desire to share with children the beauty of the ocean. Reef conservation starts with education.

For all those interested in learning to dive, I would suggest starting in warm water (i.e. caribbean). It's easier and their's is more critters to see. West Palm Beach and Key Largo have some great spots for beginner divers.

Here is a short video of many of the cool critters you can see in West Palm Beach in 20 feet of water.
Below is a picture of a bait ball in Bonaire (caribbean).

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blue-thumb

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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.
Couldn't agree more. Southern california kelp forests are pretty magical.
 

Sarcazian

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Don't like to get my face wet - instructor had a COW with me - by end of class, voted "most improved diver" because so methodical about mask clearings, etc - but its because I don't like to get my face wet. Picked up a couple extra certifications just to stay safer

FISH are worth getting my face wet!! My best trip was a live aboard in Bahamas, but any time 1:1x with fish is AWESOME! Manatees in Crystal River initially scared heebie jeebies out of me, but was wonderful drift dive

Hawaii right before COVID closed down everything finally got to see turtles, but that was just snorkeling ... Snorkeling used to be harder work - I've become more buoyant

I had gotten open water certified in Turks in 2019 and had dived maybe a half dozen times before that. If I did it again I probably would not have done it again since the PADI instructors were horrible and the people I got certified with kept getting sea sick.. it was a calm ride. I mean, so bad that during our second tank the instructor had to go save someone and left me on my own on the sea floor. Granted, it was only 30'. But, then he swam back 5 minutes later and passed me his dive watch, pointed to my gauge for air, and then pointed up to come up when I was ready. He needed to take another person back to the boat. I'm like, uh is this a test?

Point of my story was more around the snorkling since a few times I had to wait for the instructor above water a few times and it was the first time that I floated perfectly and it was great for weight-free free diving recovery! I must have floated for 3-6 hours (whole trip) between open ocean, off resort ocean reef, and the local bigger reefs. I still blame it on saltier water and I'm sticking to that.
 

Oliver d

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Got certified in 1989 became a qualified NAUI dive master in 91 since then have dived all over from South Africa to the Seychelles and Mauritius the Red Sea Gulf of Aqaba and now lists of diving in the Ariabian sea around Oman and Dubai.
 

Auquanut

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I found diving the Great Barrier Reef at night a completely surreal experience... Once you're away from the wall and in open water, with no reference points its as close to feeling like an astronaut as I'll ever get...
Couldn't agree more! I did my navigation test in blue water at night. At a depth of 40', it was just me and the dark. Never saw anything, but it was an amazing experience. And I got within 30 yards of the boat, so I was pretty darned proud of myself.:D
 

KWT

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Certified dive master, however life and work, and a few other hobbies have happened along the way. Have not went diving in years.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 70 53.0%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 68 51.5%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 34 25.8%
  • None.

    Votes: 29 22.0%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.8%
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