It was a mistake most of us make sooner or later. I put the boat in reverse to maneuver into an anchorage, but immediately stopped when the engine made a sound I didn't recognize. A quick inspection showed the tow rope for the tender was caught in the propeller.
Thankfully, we SCUBA dive.
In the two years we have been cruising aboard Sea Foam, our 40-foot TransPac Eagle trawler, diving has added many new dimensions to our experience. It allows us to explore in unique ways, commune with rare and amazing creatures, do some work on the boat and, occasionally, it gets us out of a jam.
My husband, Rick, put on his gear, went under and freed the line without any damage, putting a quick end to what could have been a costly or time-consuming problem.
When I met Rick five years ago he was not only looking for a wife who loved the ocean and was willing to live aboard a boat, he wanted a dive partner too. Rick is a certified dive master with 30 years of experience in the sport. I grew up with a swimming pool in my backyard and always loved being underwater, so it did not take much convincing for me to give it a try.
Rick asked me if I was claustrophobic or afraid of dark basements, but I think the number one question to determine if you will like diving or not is more simple: are you comfortable and confident in water?
A woman who attended my SCUBA certification class brought her reluctant husband to the lessons. She was very excited about diving, and not at all apprehensive. But she ended up unable to complete the requirements. She could not get more than 15 feet under the water without feeling a sense of panic. Her poor husband is now certified, loves diving and cannot go all that often.
Photo by Rick LeBlancSafe diving requires certification - and a fair amount of gear too.It is important to be comfortable in the water and in reasonably good shape. You don't have to be able to swim the English Channel, but you do have to be able to move around in the water. In truth, experienced divers actually try not to swim very much, in order to conserve air (the more you exert yourself, the more air you breathe). During the certification course, you will need to swim 200-yards without stopping, though there is no time limit, and tread or float for 10 minutes.
Honestly, the most difficult part of diving for me is getting all the gear on in a boat. The weight belt is heavy around your waist and a tank on your back makes it difficult to bend and pull on fins while maintaining balance. In my opinion, strength and flexibility are called into play more than a great frog kick or breast stroke.
GET CERTIFIED
The first step to getting yourself underwater is to take a certification course from one of the sport's top organizations, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) or the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI). PADI has the world's largest recreational diving membership. The organization's dive centers, resorts, educational facilities, instructors and dive masters teach the majority of the world's recreational divers.
PADI offers short courses for those who want to try diving on vacation. The courses don't provide certification, but they do get you in the water at depths from 20 to 40 feet. Certification requires PADI's Open Water course, which takes 20 hours and is generally completed in three parts. There is a classroom portion that takes four evenings; a weekend of training with the gear in a swimming pool; and a weekend packed with four training dives – called "check out" dives – done with an instructor in the ocean, usually from shore.
The course is "performance based," which means that you earn your certification when you demonstrate that you have mastered the required skills and knowledge. Some people learn faster than others, so how long it takes can vary. The course will set you back about $400, but completion means you are trained to dive without supervision to a maximum depth of 60 feet. The certification is valid for life and recognized worldwide.
