Scuba diving--still #1

[invsblwmn]

I miss diving the Keys like we could back then, catch bugs and grouper and have ceviche on the boat between dives and lobster for dinner...YUM!!

My favorite was a sweet apple left on the boat after a dive. The saltwater on it, also, YUM! "Bugs" I had forgotten that term, geez, it has been awhile. How about the barracuda that would follow you with a bag of bugs? Remember the sound they would make in the bag, like rubbing your finger on wet rubber? I don't eat things that had moms anymore(lobster included), but thanks for the memories with my dad.

[Zen]

Another scuba weenie/snorkeling fan. no fear of creatures but more a feeling of not being in control. I didn't even like it in the pool.

[divingbiker]

How funny that this thread was resurrected recently...I just got back from a week diving in Curacao, so I do have more pictures! And I still really do love diving.

Somehow I got the knack of my camera (a point and shoot Canon in an underwater housing) and I got a lot of decent pictures this time. Here are a few of my favorites, either because of the subject matter or how cool the picture is.

My favorite, a four-eye butterfly fish looking right at me.


My other favorite, a juvenile trunkfish (with a feather duster). It's the size of a pea, and I've only seen this fish 3 times in my 25 years of diving. This one I found on my own. It made my trip.


This is what an adult trunkfish looks like.


My other favorite, a juvenile spotted drum. Just gorgeous.


There were tons of Christmas tree worms everywhere.


A school of squid in formation.


A frogfish. They look like sponges, and are very hard to spot.


Lots of small stuff, like this banded coral shrimp.


I have so many pictures of eels; here are just a couple.



A pufferfish. I saw a huge puffer, but the pictures didn't turn out very well.


One of the most gorgeous, a queen angelfish.

[7rider]

Oh, awesome!
I'm amazed you spotted that juvie trunkfish. And that queen angelfish is just beautiful!
Welcome back....
Are you going to put together a book for these trips???

[Pax]

Love the Christmas tree worms!! I spent an entire dive once just watching those pop in and out.

[Zen]

I don't trust those eels...
Really great shots, though!

[maillotpois]

Glad you added some more photos - those are great.

I love those worms - they are so funny. I'm with Queen - we could jut spend the dive playing with them.

[awats]

Hi!
I was so surprise to find this subject in your posting! Diving and Biking consume my life! I've been a professional diver for years as an instructor, marine researcher and model/photographer/traveller. Looking over your comments, I too find it difficult in keeping up with both sports. I got burnt out on scuba diving from teaching too much and turned to biking lately and have been enjoying it for the past year. I was thinking the other day how it seems that biking has taken over scuba diving. But you're right, it's always going to be a love and a passion. I'm slowly turning into both a fairweather diver and biker and a balance is a good thing.
Nice pictures by the way. In response to some of your postings, a refresher course is always a good thing if you haven't been in the water for 12 months or more. They're normally very cheap and easy. Even if you do get in the water often, it's also good to do refreshers so that you can keep your safety skills up to date!
Also, I've had many students that have been scared of the water, etc. Some of them have even been poor swimmers that took scuba lessons just to get over their fears. I highly recommend it. Scuba classes help you ease into the sport and if you tell your instructor immediately, he/she can help you overcome your fears. I've found for both myself and my students that once you start diving underwater, your fears of the water disappear because you start to see what's underneath and how harmless it is.
Good luck and have fun to both bikers and scuba divers. If you have any questions about diving, I'm happy to answer any! As far as biking, thanks to this website for helping me with gear choices and training!

[withm]

Another biking scuba diver here - 32 yrs north Atlantic wreck diving. If I found myself in warm clear water I'm not sure I'd know what to do?

[KnottedYet]

I got caught in a riptide, hung onto a rock for dear life, ran out of air, and had a lovely panic attack.

2 weeks later a friend of mine got caught in a riptide with nothing to hold onto, got suit pinch and was unable to equalize her mask, was whipped down to 125 feet, and got some owies.

Can't dive anymore. Panic city.

But I can snorkel and swim just fine!

It's all good.

[withm]

Wow Knotted - riptides are not good places to be. Glad you got out of that one alive. I've had some close calls myself but looking back nothing too bad though for a little luck could have gone very wrong very fast. But when you dive a lot, and I was a mate on a dive boat for several years, I've seen a lot of bad stuff go down, and been through 4-5 chopper evacuations. You really don't wanna go there. Enjoy your snorkeling and live to tell your grandchildren about it.

[awats]

That sounds rough! Thank goodness you got out of that riptide! Definitely worth being safer than sorry, but there's also still lots of diving opportunities outside of riptide zones where you can enjoy diving and be fear-free.