Thereafter, you learn through experience. I keep a log of my dives – 71 so far – that lists the location, depth, visibility, current, geography and the life I saw while under. I also copy a chart image of where we were, to help us locate the same spot or to better position ourselves next time. Finally, I rate the dive on a scale of one to 10.

For more advanced diving, it is best to learn with an instructor. Deep dives, night dives, "drift dives" and dive sites with moderate currents are challenging, and doing them without proper training can be dangerous. Advanced courses teach a variety of skills, from improving underwater navigation to basic rescue techniques. Rick says these courses are like collecting Boy Scout badges. You gain more experience and confidence with each dive and you get the benefit of learning from trained people.

It is important to choose an instructor whom you trust. They should be thorough, patient, and supportive. Talk to them in advance and observe a class if you can. Do not stick with someone you are not comfortable with, and don't be afraid to ask for references from previous students.

"˜NARCED OUT'

Scuba diving is a dangerous sport. Dive too deep and you risk Narcosis, a state similar to intoxication that can impair judgment and coordination. A "narced out" diver can make fatal mistakes. Rise too quickly from a deep dive and you may suffer Decompression Sickness, sometimes called "the bends." An explanation of either problem makes it easy to see why you need proper training to be successful and safe.

Photo by Rick LeBlancThe author with a new find.

Let's take Decompression Sickness. At sea level, the atmosphere exerts a pressure of one atmosphere, but that increases by another one atmosphere with every 33 feet of water. If a diver ascends too rapidly to the surface, the nitrogen that was dissolved in their body under pressure at depth might form gas bubbles, which can be painful or even life threatening in extreme conditions. (People with decompression sickness tend to bend over, hence the name.) Of course, you can avoid this by paying attention to dive tables that explain how to properly decompress as you rise. But you have to know what you are doing, and proper instruction is the key.

The nice thing about taking a class with a friend or your spouse is you will have someone to go diving with you once you complete your course. My dive buddy is also my husband and I would not be comfortable to dive with anyone else. I know I am safe with him and that he is always going to look out for me underwater.

Having said that, I took my Open Water course without Rick in the vicinity. That was probably a good idea, because he would explain things differently than the dive instructor, which may have been confusing. When I started diving with Rick, he said he was impressed with the information and techniques the instructor had shown me.

BUYING GEAR

No doubt, you have heard that diving is expensive, and it certainly can be. But my experience is that diving is what you make it. Boating is expensive too, if you insist on having the best of everything and buy it all at once. Much of the cost associated with diving is often flying to a location, staying in a hotel, chartering a dive boat and renting gear. Those who own a boat dodge many of these costs.

The way I see it, diving gear falls into two categories: required items and gadgetry. Required gear includes a mask, snorkel, fins, buoyancy compensator, regulator, dive computer or watch, weights, and a wetsuit or a drysuit, depending on location and conditions.

Gadget gear is usually associated with a particular type of diving – night diving, underwater photography, or search and recovery – and includes knives, underwater slates, cameras, strobes, video recorders, lights, lift bags, lines, reels and even underwater laser pointers.

Ask any 10 divers what to buy and what it should cost and you'll get 10 different answers, many of them passionate. There are also any number of books, magazines and web sites dedicated to the topic. While it may be unwise to wade into these waters, I will try to give you a brief survey of essential gear and what it can cost.