I need a whole team of cheerleaders for this one.So, uh, I feel weird making a post about this because I have no idea what I'm talking about yet. Like, I can't comment on the visibility, or name hardly any of the critters I saw, or rate the experience overall as a diver, because these were my first dives ever. :P But it's been great! The thing is, I'm a home body. I haven't had an outdoor hobby or really any reason to leave the house in like more than 6 years. I used to play video games all day. So I thought to pick up diving because I wanted to break that habit and get out of my comfort zone a bit and actually leave my cave.
And out of my comfort zone I was! Oh boy... I had to quickly abandon the notion that I could afford to be highly sensitive to any kind of discomfort. Tight clothing, heavy stuff on me, not being able to move my fingers with perfect precision, having messy hair, the taste of salt water (eeewww), not being able to breathe through my nose... I'd never have imagined myself having a good time in those conditions. And yet I did! I got used to it fairly quickly, especially for me.
As for the actual dives, the first three were mainly drills and making sure we knew how to do all the skills we'd learned. I am glad to be done with the traumatic mask drills.
On the fourth dive, we were able to go out and explore for real. We got down to about 38 feet. And I saw... THINGS! I don't think I saw any fish. I was too focused on trying to not bounce so much. Buoyancy is haaard. But there were lots of big sea stars that looked really fuzzy and I wanted to touch them but I was afraid I'd hurt them. Ooh, and anemones! I reached out to touch one and it CURLED IN. Like a flower that MOVES. Amazing. O_O Oh, and decorator crabs!! On the fourth dive I didn't see any 'cause they are hard to see, but during the first three dives, any time we were stationary I would look for them on the floor. And I found a few and got to hold them. They are strange, but delightful. :luv: There were also non-decorator crabs that were less sociable. I would reach my hand out to interact with them, and they'd shoot sideways. Do I look like an octopus or something? ALSO there was a massive tire. Who just loses a tire underwater? I have no idea how these things get there. But it was upright and looked like it meant business.... But mostly I was doing this:
and trying to make as little contact with the sea floor as possible for fear of crushing something to death. But yes! That's the beginning of... uh, of this. All this. I get the sense that diving is going to redefine how I spend the next several years of my life. :P I really want to pursue this. I don't really have a specific goal in mind right now...? Just having fun and seeing all there is to see! And step one is through! Woohoo!! I hope I can dive with all of you sometime!
Many many of you have been super kind and helpful since even before I knew when or where I would be certified - I really really appreciate that! You all rock immensely! :luv: 
Would be nice, though!
