The Joy of Scuba Diving

Hello all and welcome to my website Drop Into The Blue. This is a site that is all about Scuba Diving and will have informative articles as well as some equipment that will be available to you.

I have been diving now since 1974, and boy was that a time. I was still in South Africa at the time so we had equipment that came from the 50’s and 60’s, which, needless to say, was some very dangerous equipment to use at the time. This was the time when you still had to use talcum powder (sometimes even soap), to coat the inside of your wetsuit just so you could get it on, lol. 

You had to be careful when inverting because your regulator would completely flood and the next shot of air would be nothing but water getting jammed down your throat, darn near killing you. The regulators would fail on a regular basis too or one of the hoses would blow off so you had to be ready for that bit of fun time at 60 feet, lol. Breathing off of a hose on the way up is an art form. 🙂

Anyway, today’s equipment is just awesome! The new technologies are just astounding compared to the old stuff. Wetsuit material has gotten better and lighter and more flexible than before which has just increased the pleasure of scuba diving.

At the beginning of a dive planning session, my heart begins to accelerate at the thought of the next dive. All through the dive planning I cannot help but think about the upcoming dive and the joy I experience when I am below the water.

Prepping the gear, the excitement begins to mount. The smells of the equipment and the noises as stuff bumps into other gear just increases the feeling. Sleeping becomes hard that night.

Dive day! Loading up the truck, the anticipation grows steadily. Drive to the marina and start to load up the boat. I love the smell of the ocean mixed with gasoline, oil and even the bilge of the boat. 

Everyone is in a great mood, the anticipation is infectious and catching on to everyone. The sounds coming from the equipment as it is been stowed and secured is like a music to my ears. My excitement grows and begins to bloom slowly.

The boat ride is just as exhilarating as we power out to the dive site, a good 3-hour boat ride to enjoy all the way. On the way out we discuss the dive and the safety procedures to adhere to during the dive, then the conversation turns to what we expect to see on the dive and all the exciting possibilities that could occur during the dive.

We arrive at the site and everyone gets ready for the dive. Donning of wetsuits, tanks, weight belt, and BCD’s, we check each other’s gear before setting out to enter the water.

Splash!! Entry! and the world goes all bubbly at first. You cannot see anything but a myriad of tiny bubbles, like champagne. 

Then they dissipate and your view just begins to stretch out further and further and the visibility clears up. You hold your breath for just a few seconds and just enjoy the silence of the water and you slowly begin to descend. It’s a bit cold at first but you will warm up fast.

As you descend the complete joy of being weightless and just slowly sinking towards the reef below is beyond description. A feeling of complete joy, serenity and, relaxation as you let the water support your body and your muscles just relax away.

Through the blue, the reef begins to grow is size. you begin to notice that the water is not so quiet anymore as you begin to hear all kinds of clicks, snaps, pops, cracks, grunts, and groans coming from the reef. It is just alive with life!

For the next 18 minutes, you are an explorer in another world. I like being on a whole new planet. A quick kick of your fins and your gliding effortlessly over the reef admiring the color and beauty of the reef life surrounding you. A large school of reef fish swims around you and you can hear the swishing of their tails and the water flowing over their sleek bodies.

Bubbles gurgle past your head as you swim in closer and see crabs and all kinds of crustaceans skittering away from your approach. And fish! Fish everywhere, big and small swimming in and out of the reef. And the colors! Oh, the colors are out of this world. Just about every color you can think of surrounds you.

You swim through an arch of the reef inverted and watch your bubbles create silver balls of liquid mercury on the roof of the arch. Awesome!

Time to ascend, the dive is over. You slowly begin your ascent following your bubbles up to the bright surface above you. As you get shallower the sounds of the reef disappear and just the sound of the open ocean surrounds you. It is so peaceful and serene.

Sunlight! As you break the surface, the sunlight and the heat of the day hits you in the face. You swim over to the boat and begin your climb out. Gravity hits you again as you take up the weight of your gear again. Your feeling of joy and excitement begin to turn into a feeling of complete well-being and calmness.

Shedding your gear and drying up and everyone is talking at the same time about the dive. The excitement is absolutely tangible at first. Then things calm down and we prepare for the trip back to shore. Everyone sits around and describes what they experienced during the dive. It is a wonderful time for community, sharing, and fun.

Before the shore is reached plans for the next dive are already in the works as we begin to decide where to go next time. At the shore, we unload the boat and load up the truck again. Goodbyes are shared all around.

That evening we just sit around relaxing and reminiscing about the dive. That night sleep comes easy and deep.

So, yes, I love diving and everything to do with it. It is just the best thing in the world for me and I hope that you share my passion and enjoy this website.

If you have any comments or just want to blab then please leave a comment below and I will be happy to respond to you. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day. 🙂