SCUBA Diving is a Great Sport

SCUBA diving is a wonderful activity. It is like jumping into a whole new world. It is also a great non-competitive sport. Some of you may think that is a strange statement from a macho guy like me. However, in a high stress dog eat dog world there is no better way to unwind than to jump into the wonderful environment where one can achieve perfect buoyancy and experience the feeling of near weightlessness. In saltwater a diver can view some of the most unique and colorful creatures on earth. One other reason that SCUBA diving is a great activity is that nearly anyone can participate. Even the most awkward person you know can learn SCUBA diving, once they understand that the equipment will help him or her achieve a smooth effortless glide through the underwater world.


I was introduced to SCUBA diving at the age of thirteen. My cousins allowed me to try SCUBA diving one summer while camping with them at Center Hill Reservoir. At the time I loved the activity, but I thought that it was too expensive, and I would probably never be able to afford to participate. Though I really enjoyed my short-lived experience with SCUBA diving, I assumed that the sport was out of reach for me. After about ten years passed, the opportunity to learn SCUBA diving fell into my lap. I had volunteered to be an Explorer Scout leader and the kids wanted to take SCUBA lessons. At the time I was working at a large pharmaceutical company that paid very well. For the first time in my life, I felt I was making enough money that I could afford to take lessons and buy the necessary equipment.

In 1973 I took lessons to become a PADI basic SCUBA diver. There was a stone quarry about an hour drive from my house. Over the years I would get to know nearly every rock in the quarry. In 1974 the movie Jaws came out and I refused to watch it because I had made plans to meet my brother, Melvin, in the Florida Keys for our first saltwater dive. Though I knew in my mind that Jaws was total fiction, I didn’t want to let a silly movie scare me out of my plans to dive in the ocean. Of course this did it for me. I fell in love with saltwater diving immediately after I took my first giant stride off of the dive boat. I loved every minute of my dive. I watched the sea fans wave in the current, marveling at the intricate designs in the multitude of the many formations of coral. I also loved watching the multi-colored fish dart in and out of the beautiful coral walls.
From then on I couldn’t get enough SCUBA experiences. In 1975 my wife and I went to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. More beautiful wow experiences, in more pristine waters! While in the Virgin Islands, a Divemaster embarrassed me in front of a boat load of divers. He caught me off guard and quizzed me with a question about coming to the surface too quickly. I thought the answer he wanted was “decompression sickness,” but he was really referring to “pneumothorax” (ruptured lung). He made it a point to make me look foolish in front of everyone. It was at that moment I decided: “I am going to learn everything I can about SCUBA diving.” I wanted to do this for two reasons: 1) so no one would embarrass me again like that, and 2) I wanted to know for my own safety. After getting my PADI Instructor certification, I went on to become certified to teach basic open water diving, advanced diving, rescue diving, shipwreck diving, night diving, deep diver equipment specialist, and underwater photography. After teaching hundreds of students I ended my teaching career as a PADI Master Diver Trainer.


Copyright by John W. Marks