When Did You Feel Like A Diver?

[Vercingetorix]

What do I mean? Let me answer by way of personal anecdote. As of this past weekend, I have 20 dives, so I'm still new to this game. I've just completed NAUI Scuba Diver Rescue. At the end of it all, I felt a certain serenity about diving. I feel truly comfortable.
<DIV>Up until this time, I felt almost like a pretender. That is,I had the gear and I was blowing bubbles. I could do the skills (mask clearing, reg recovery, basic buoyancy, etc). But I felt I wasn't "one of the group", i.e., not a diver. Perhaps, these were my insecurities coming to the fore.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Yet, this past weekend, I had an opportunity to observe an OW class as they did their lake dives and skills. As I hovered there, suspended in watery space, I saw myself six months ago during my OW lake dives. I saw how far I've come. Yes, I know, I've a long way to go; but, that is not the point of this posting.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>During my Rescue lake dives, I had a couple situations (documented elsewhere) where I should have been frightened, perhaps panicked. Rather, I did as I was trained and everything was kosher. Then, again, I'm not one to usually panic. I tend to get angry at a sudden turn of events and swear a lot.</DIV>
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<DIV>It's all very Zen, I know. So, when did you achieve that comfort level when you knew "This is where I belong?"</DIV>
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<DIV>And, to get his out of the way early so nobody has to repeat it: I was comfortable the very first day.</DIV>

[jacewindu]

for me, being in the water has always been a comfortable situation, whether it's swimming, snorkeling or diving.
i've always had a solid grasp on the skills required to be a confident diver, but for me it's hard to pinpoint a time when i crossed any sort of 'barrier'

the best way to describe it is that I get better with every dive I make - which is something that I hope never goes away

[ertechsg]

Originally Posted by jacewindu

for me, being in the water has always been a comfortable situation, whether it's swimming, snorkeling or diving.
i've always had a solid grasp on the skills required to be a confident diver, but for me it's hard to pinpoint a time when i crossed any sort of 'barrier'

the best way to describe it is that I get better with every dive I make - which is something that I hope never goes away

Same for me I grew up in the water started swimming at age 5

[Queen]

I've felt like a diver my whole life. Was born on Cape Cod and learned to swim before I learned to walk, I honestly feel more comfortable in water than on land...from my very first breath underwater I felt like I was home.

[cummings66]

I felt like a diver the moment I took the first breath of air of the second stage, been wonderful ever since.

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by cummings66

I felt like a diver the moment I took the first breath of air of the second stage, been wonderful ever since.

Beat me to it. :-)

I'll never forget the rush of excitement that came with that first breath underwater in a pool in Hawaii, having just turned 16 a month earlier...

I immediately knew I was in the right place. [img]smileys/smiley27.gif[/img]

[fire diver]

Originally Posted by cummings66

I felt like a diver the moment I took the first breath of air of the second stage, been wonderful ever since.

<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Same for me. </DIV>

[Rascal1933]

<DIV>The First hit of Air from the Reg &gt;that did it for me too! </DIV>

[thesmoothdome]

Originally Posted by cummings66

I felt like a diver the moment I took the first breath of air of the second stage, been wonderful ever since.

<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Me too. I'll be honest, I wasn't exactly excited by the notion of getting certified, but after that first breath while standing in 4 feet of water with my face in the water, I was hooked. </DIV>

[tc_rain]

The first dive with a dive buddy instead of an instructor.