Happy World Oceans Day!
The #AAOceans Month campaign was inspired by World Oceans Day, to continue the important conversations about our oceans all month long and connect ocean-lovers from all around the world virtually, as so many of us are unable to get to the ocean right now.
I’ve talked A LOT about how important the ocean is to me; with family roots in the archipelago of the Açores, a piece of me has always been tied to the sea. If my life had a highlight reel the ocean would be in every frame. Every good memory or life-changing event is somehow tied to the ocean; like becoming a PADI Open Water Diver in 2016, seeing whale sharks for the first time in the Maldives, and falling in love with shark diving. The ocean effectively shaped my entire professional career, inspiring me to pursue research in sustainable seafood and giving me opportunities to speak at events like TEDx.
The ocean is a big and remarkable place – I know that I’m not the only one who’s been changed by it. So, I spoke to divers from all around the world to hear their stories about how the ocean and learning how to dive has made a positive impact on their life. I spoke to 28 divers from all over the world – from Canada to Japan and Australia and Malaysia. I also spoke to divers of all different skill levels, hearing from how Open Water Divers all the way up to PADI Course Directors. Each of these divers has a unique and inspiring story of their own and I’m really excited to be able to play a part in sharing them today.
How diving changed my life: Stories from divers all around the world
Sandra Schleier
Marine Biologist Guide at Pure Adventure, Program Coordinator at Scuba Dogs Society, Editor in Chief at Reefbites
Certification level: PADI Rescue Diver
Years diving: 13 years
Home base: Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Favourite dive destination: The Caribbean
Favourite underwater creature: I have so many but the one I always look forward to spotting when diving is the Southern stingray Hypanus americanus, extremely majestic creatures.
How diving changed my life: I have been diving since I was 17. It began as a journey on my way to become a marine biologist and quickly became my therapy. When life gets tough or sad, I dive to release those feelings and get inspired by what I can do about it. Being underwater is my safe place where I meditate and blissfully enjoy my surroundings. I have embraced diving as a part of my life and it has changed it for the better, it is where I recharge my energy, where I have fun, and where I satisfy my curiosity by observing the complexities and intricate details of the coral reef and its inhabitants.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: On the @pureadventurepr boat to Culebra and Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Final thoughts: The ocean is a beautiful place full of mystery and wonder waiting for us to enjoy and let it WOW us. It is also one of our main sources of oxygen, food, education, and recreation. We must treat it and its creatures kindly so we may continue to reap the benefits of its amazing existence. I exhort humankind to learn more about our ocean so they may love and understand why it is vital for us to protect it.
Kendal Karstens
Founder of Getaway Girl
Certification level: PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
Years diving: 2 years
Home base: Maryland
Favourite dive destination: Florida
Favourite underwater creature: Octopus
How diving changed my life: My first open water dive after earning my certification was in Hawaii for my birthday! My father had dived in Hawaii nearly a decade earlier and described the colorful coral and vast marine life available. When I dived at the same spots, though, most of the coral was bleached and it was difficult to find marine life. For the first time, I saw in plain sight the impact of my actions on the planet. This wasn’t plastic I had learned to ignore on the side of the road; I was face-to-face with humans’ devastation of the environment. I thought I would bring beautiful ocean photos with me from Hawaii, but instead I brought back a commitment to the planet and its health. I started going zero waste and educating myself on environmental issues. Diving made me a better person for the planet.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Hopefully Egypt or Oman! But maybe somewhere closer to home.
Melanie McArdle
Certification level: PADI Advanced Open Water & Nitrox
Years diving: 8 years
Home base: Waterloo, Ontario
Favourite dive destination: Turks and Caicos
Favourite underwater creature: Sea Turtles
How diving changed my life: I started diving with my mom, she got her open water when she was in University and I started to become really interested in it on a trip to Jamaica. The first time I had ever dove, I started with a resort course and the rest is history. I fell in love with diving and getting to see a new world. My mom has been my dive buddy since the beginning and it has brought us so much closer, we really trust each other with our lives and get to share in the whole experience together. Not only did diving bring us closer together but it allows us to plan trips with each other and something we can continue as we both get older. The scuba diving community is such a great one and I am so glad that my mom introduced me to it and has supported my journey and furthering our education together.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: I really want to dive with the whales in Tonga, I think that’s our next big bucketlist trip
Shira Margulies
Founder of Respect the Fin
Cert level: PADI Scuba Instructor
Years diving: 15 years
Home base: Miami, Florida
Favourite dive destination: Tiger Beach, Bahamas
Favourite underwater creature: Whale shark (Top of my bucket list!!)
How diving changed my life: Diving has completely transformed my life. Ever since my first scuba diving lesson at the age of 10, I fell in love with the underwater world. I was completely captivated by the dynamic variety of marine life that existed just below the surface. It was a whole new world down there and I knew that I would always make time to explore it.
Diving has led me to many incredible opportunities throughout my life. It has allowed me to explore new places, meet like-minded people, and build a dream career of my own with Respect the Fin. My first glimpse of the ocean made a lasting impression on me, and continues to drive my motivation to devote my energy to protecting the marine environment.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: I can’t wait to get back in the water and go on a shark dive! The first place I will probably go diving after COVID is right here in West Palm Beach, FL with Jim Abernethy!
Final Thoughts: If you are considering getting your scuba diving license, go for it! It is a lifelong certification that you certainly will not regret. There is a whole other world right below the surface waiting for you to dive in.
Rosie Williams
Dive Below UK and Zoological Society of London
Certification level: Divemaster
Years diving: 24
Home base: London but I grew up by the sea in Scotland
Favourite dive destination: The Maldives
Favourite underwater creature: Very tricky question! Either the Manta Ray or the Clown Triggerfish.
How diving changed my life: I did my first dive when I was 6 years old, tucked under my Dad’s arm, breathing through his spare regulator to look at some clown fish. From that moment on my passion for diving and my fascination for the ocean have grown and grown. This has ultimately led me to my dream job researching the impacts of pollution on whales and dolphins.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Probably Scotland, although I’ll hopefully be booking in somewhere warmer soon!
Final Thoughts: If you’d like to know about my research then I regularly tweet about what I’m up to @RosieSWilliams1
Nathalie Mourier
Certification level: Open Water Scuba Instructor (PADI)
Years diving: 8 years
Home base: Amorgos, Greece
Favourite dive destination: French Polynesia
Favourite underwater creature: Jellyfish
How diving changed my life: I was studying a French technical degree (BTS) about Environmental Management and Conservation and had to do an internship. That is how I arrived in Thailand in 2012 in a marine conservation program in Koh Tao. To be part of the program I had first to be a diver so I did my Open Water Course and then my Advanced Open Water Course in a week. What I lived open my eyes on a new world. I meet marine biologists and divers that completely changed my life and my path carreer (at first I wanted to be a primatologist). I decided to come back 6 month later to learn more about diving so I completed then my Rescue Course. I wanted to be more confident while diving and I thought that would help a lot and it did. I was already passionate about nature and its preservation but I now fall in love deeply with the ocean. After this experience I choose then to become a marine biologist and did a bachelor in Plymouth University, UK. However, being in a lab wasn’t appealing to me. I needed to be closer to the water. Therefore I then started my Dive Master Internship in Mallorca and finally ended up doing also my Instructor Course. I wanted to be closer to the people, make them discover this new world that was part of my life now. Honestly, there is nothing better to me than see the astonished eyes of my client after their first dive. I also thought it was a better way for me to transmit my passion. I always try to make people aware of the fragility of our world and involve them. Sadly, most of the time I realise that they have no idea of what is happening but I also have very nice surprises with children that are really concerned about the environment. I deeply think that people protect what they love so I made it my mission to make them love it as much as me and teach them how to be ethical divers.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Amorgos
Final thoughts: I am half French half Brazilian
Alanna Canaran
Certification level: PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor
Years diving: 11 years
Home base: I’m originally from Toronto but haven’t really lived there since I was 17. This is always a strange question for me because I’ve lived in so many different places in the last 10 years, some for just a few months, others for a few years. In short, home is where the heart is right? Covid-19 brought me from Southern Thailand to Northern New Brunswick, and I’ve been here for 2 months now!
Favourite dive destination: Roatan, Honduras has been my favourite dive destination so far. I did my Divemaster Internship at Roatan Dive Centre, so this location will always hold a special place in my heart. In general, the diving was good, colourful, warm and the reef was in a pretty good, healthy state. One of my favourite dives was at Cara Cara, where you dive face-to-face with Caribbean Reef Sharks. It was the first time I had been diving with so many sharks at once! I love sharks and want to help break the stigma that they are scary, deadly creatures. Did you know that more people die from vending machines falling on them than from shark attacks every year
Favourite underwater creature: It changes every time I learn something cool about a creature or see something while diving that I never have before. I can’t narrow it down to just one, so here’s my top 5: Whale Sharks, Southern Sting Rays, Mola Molas (Ocean Sunfish), Pharaoh Cuttlefish, Mantis Shrimp.
How diving changed my life: Learning how to scuba dive ignited my passion for ocean conservation and education. I was 15 when I learned how to dive in a cold dark quarry in Southern Ontario. It wasn’t really until I went diving in the tropical, warm waters of Hawaii that I actually fell in love with the sport. My most memorable dive was also one of my first ever ocean dives, a few months after getting certified. It was in Hawaii, off the coast of Big Island. We took underwater propulsion scooters and jetted out about 150ft offshore to a cleaning station where Manta Rays gather to be cleaned by small fish called cleaner wrasse. It was a magical experience. I can still vividly remember watching the Manta Rays emerge from the darkness and soar through the ocean so effortlessly. From that point on, I yearned to know more and dive deeper below the surface. Seeing, firsthand, the beauty of the underwater world sparked my curiosity and desire to live for a better ocean. Through my experiences diving, and teaching other to dive, I’ve realized how important it is to foster respectful emotional connections with the ocean in order have a desire to protect it.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: I’ll be able to dive here in New Brunswick soon. The Bay of Fundy is home to the second largest whirlpool in the world! I’ve never been diving in the Bay of Fundy and don’t have much experience in cold waters, so it should be interesting!
Final thoughts: The ocean reminds us to be present and that we are small in the grand scheme of things. I think it’s important to practice mindfulness when visiting the ocean to get the most out of the experience. Be aware of the sounds and sights around you. Watch the corals sway and the fish dance with the surges of the water. Get lost in the colourful busy movements of the reef, or the vastness of the deep blue. Let your everyday stressors disappear and feel the sense of calmness and awe that the ocean pours over you. Remember that you are saltwater and that humans are inextricably connected to the ocean. Be respectful. Don’t touch or tease animals. Practice good buoyancy control so you’re not banging into coral, rocks or other divers. Participate in beach cleanups and dives against debris. Take only pictures and leave only bubbles.
Kendall Haun
Certification level: Rescue Diver
Years diving: 3 years
Home base: Pomona, California, USA
Favourite dive destination: Palancar Reef, Cozumel, Mexico
Favourite underwater creature: Sea Turtles
How diving changed my life: Scuba diving has been my greatest unexpected adventure. I have always been a great swimmer but I never considered a life of diving until I went to college. My university certifies students at a subsidized price all the way up to dive master. In 2017, I knew that I would be taking a trip to Cozumel, Mexico the following summer so I decided to take the leap of faith and get open water certified. Once I started, I could not stop. Diving has improved my mental health because being underwater is so peaceful and therapeutic. It’s where I get to quiet my mind and feel pure joy by seeing a whole new world. Scuba diving has also allowed me to push my comfort zone and grow outside of my previously conceived limits.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Okinawa, Japan
Ally Vardy
Certification level: SSI Rescue Diver
Years diving: 6 years
Home base: Melbourne, Australia
Favourite dive destination: Koh Tao, Thailand
Favourite underwater creature: Emperor Angelfish
How diving changed my life: There is a whole other world below the surface that most people never experience. It’s such a peaceful place full of life. The complexity and connectedness of all life below reminds me how incredible the planet is and how much we take for granted above the surface
First place I’m going diving after COVID: The Great Barrier Reef!
Julia Courville
Graduate student at Jacksonville University, Florida
Cert level: Master Diver and AAUS Scientific Diving
Years diving: 4 years
Home base: Monterey, CA
Favourite dive destination: SCUBA: Oahu, Hawaii. Freediving: Costa Rica
Favourite underwater creature: My favorite animal is a bottlenose dolphin or Tursiops truncatus, but I think one of the coolest underwater creatures are Christmas tree worms
How diving changed my life: As cliché as this sounds, I always knew I wanted to be a marine biologist and when I was younger, I heard the quote, “the best way to observe a fish is to become a fish.” SCUBA diving is one of the closest, if not the closest, way to do this. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was seeing all the anthropogenic evidence that was visible while diving… This includes plastics, fishing debris, corals bleached or covered in algae, and damaged reefs. This inspired me to think about how we are affecting the oceanic environment beyond what we can actually see with our own eyes. I’m currently in graduate school with the intent of completing a master’s thesis on an analysis of microplastics (pieces that are <5mm in diameter) in the intestinal tracts of odontocetes (toothed whales). I hope that others realize that we can simply inflate our BCD and swim our way out of the ocean, but marine creatures can’t. I think diving solidified that there is truly another world below us, and we must do everything we can to protect it.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Florida Keys
Emma Gordon
Certification level: PADI MSDT/SSI Advanced and Dive Guide Instructor
Years diving: 10 years certified but I was doing DSDs when I was younger so probably 14 years or so!
Home base: The World! (My folks live in the UK so I visit them often but I move around a lot.)
Favourite dive destination: So far… Raja Ampat and then Palau
Favourite underwater creature: Such a tough question to narrow down! Big – Sharks (all and any) I would love to see a Great White! Macro creature – Harlequin Shrimp or Nudibranch.
How diving changed my life: It made me more confident in speaking with others and gave me the ability to travel the world and see places I couldn’t even dream of. I have met and made friends with so many amazing individuals and can’t wait to get back to it as soon as International Travel is given the okay again.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Depends on where the work is. Perhaps Malaysia or Thailand (again)
Final Thoughts: I am definitely one of those, don’t knock it until you try it with scuba diving. If I take a complete beginner diving, the look of awe on their face when they relax and really ‘see’ what is there gives me goosebumps. (I got them typing it!) We need to encourage people to dive or snorkel and see and love what is there. That way we can protect the oceans and its inhabitants more every day. They need our love and protection to survive.
Rebecca Purchase
Certification level: PADI Divemaster.
Years diving: I started diving in 2014 while I was still in University. I took a couple years hiatus, but overall I have been a certified diver for 6 years.
Home base: Boston, MA
Favourite dive destination: Canoe Beach in Nahant of Massachusetts. I know many divers who would say that diving the northeast of the United States is cold, uncomfortable, and boring. I understand that train of thought, of course, having just returned from diving tropically myself. However, the cold waters of New England are something special that deserve to be marveled at. Canoe Beach is difficult to get to, as the town of Nahant is strict on their resident parking unless you have a special permit. Believe it or not, I don’t go for the creatures, “bugs” (lobsters, for the non-New England folk), but for the amazing topography. There are steep rock formations called “the chimneys” which look exactly how you would imagine them. Swimming around them is like riding a rollercoaster – and it is exciting when the visibility is only a few feet in front of you. You witness these narrow monoliths gliding between you and your dive buddy – hoping that they’ll actually appear on the other side. Suspenseful and thrilling. For those that say “there is nothing to see diving in cold water”, they truly haven’t opened their eyes.
Favourite underwater creature: Fins-down, a stingray. There is something about the flat sharks that are majestic and intriguing – when you look at them, it feels like they are looking back at you. Cliche maybe, but it is hard to ignore those butterflies of enjoyment you get when you swim with them. My particular favorite species would be the Bluespotted Stingray or Maskray (Neotrygon kuhlii). They exist almost in colonies, and it is not uncommon to find them all stacked on top of one another like pancakes. Without fail, you will laugh at the site when you see it and it can turn any “bad” dive right around.
I do have to throw out an honorable mention to moray eels, though. They are vastly misunderstood and are quite unique in their behavior if you’re lucky enough to catch them doing something other than… breathing.
How diving changed my life: To my surprise, diving has led me to uncover many new opportunities in some unrelated fields. It has pushed me to make new friends, start creative projects, and volunteer my time at an aquarium. However, it changed my life for the better when learning to become a Divemaster. I was lucky to have received my Divemaster on the island of Nusa Penida in Indonesia. Renowned for Manta Point, a cleaning station for Manta Rays, it truly is a slice of paradise. I found myself there after coming from a stressful career, and my going was played off as a passionate skill building opportunity. I just wanted to do something different.
I don’t have a sappy story as to how I’ve become “the new me”, but I did develop a better sense of direction and discipline that I believe everyone should have the opportunity to experience. Diving teaches you patience and focus at its technical minimum. But at its maximum, it teaches you how to feel and respond to the water around you. It is almost as if you are having a conversation, saying you are just a visitor and will be on your way soon. She will either respond with placidity or with gusto. And being able to understand her is a superpower. Not only is it the coolest feeling ever to be surrounded by water and be able to breathe, but it is genuinely relaxing. I have been able to dive with mantas, sharks, stingrays, eels, skates, and probably thousands of species of fish. Ultimately, I became more calm and understanding. I am more accepting to change and knew that regaining control was as easy as aborting yourself from your current situation. And even just becoming a part of this close-knit community is rewarding. Thanks to the friends I have made, it pushed me to pursue a project I have been putting off for years as an illustrator – and now I am hoping to turn it into a business called Science in Pictures.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: I plan to dive locally as soon as my “season” starts (read: when waters warm up a tad bit more). As for non-local destinations, I am thinking of the Bahamas. I know… another cliche (I’m full of them) but I want to experience the history of shipwrecks. (PSA: Don’t attempt to dive inside or close to wrecks without being properly trained). I want to dive around these wrecks and witness the ocean life that has made themselves at home there while simultaneously considering the history that landed them there.
Final Thoughts: In addition to being a diver, I worked as an Educator at the New England Aquarium, spent most of my summers off from college working on a whale watch boat, and I am also an artist. I illustrate cartoons about ocean life and other scientific topics. My magazine, called Science in Pictures, tries to communicate science through comics. I believe our discoveries of the underwater world and other scientific topics are important to communicate – and by interpreting that information into visual stories, I know we will be able to reach a much larger audience that just having information published in peer-reviewed articles or textbooks.
Andrew Lewin
Founder, Speak Up For Blue
Certification level: Advanced Open Water
Years diving: 20 + years
Home base: Burlington, Ontario
Favourite dive destination: Grand Cayman
Favourite underwater creature: Cuttlefish
How diving changed my life: It opened my eyes to the wonderful world of the Ocean species and how there are different scales of species (large fish, small fish to large invertebrates and tiny invertebrates).
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Costa Rica, if I can travel in a year.
Final thoughts: I don’t touch wildlife. I am just there to observe.
Liyana Izwin
Marine Research Foundation
Certification level: Advanced Open Water
Years diving: 12 years
Home base: Malaysia
Favourite dive destination: Sipadan, Sabah
Favourite underwater creature: Sea turtles
How diving changed my life: Started diving as a curiosity that turned into a hobby and then eventually a career… I first started to learn how to dive out of curiosity, to know how it feels like being underwater. I remembered vividly the adrenaline rush going through my body from my very first lesson and right until today, it always feels like the first time, truly. No matter how many dives I’ve done, or where I dive, that feeling is the best feeling in the world, and it is indescribable. How it has changed my life? It was where I found my best of friends whom I am still close with until today.. it was how I started my first job – met my first employer, we went diving together!.. it was how I found my dream job as a marine conservationist. Diving has made me how I’ve become today.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Sipadan, Sabah!
Alexandra Hanusch
Certification level: Rescue Diver
Years diving: 14 years
Home base: Insel Usedom, Germany
Favourite dive destination: Maldives
Favourite underwater creature: Spotted eagle ray
How diving changed my life: Diving opened a new world for me. In my opinion, the underwater world is full of wonderful treasures to discover and there is much more hidden in the deep depth of our oceans. Feeling weightless and free observing what the ocean has to offer is the best. There are no bad dives as each single dive allows me to encounter something special – nature. With each dive my passion for the blue planet grew and I expanded my knowledge by taking several dive courses as well as earned a master’s degree in marine biology. Diving strengthened my goal to become a marine biologist protecting our oceans. I think every scientist agrees with me that fieldwork is the best but also most challenging part during a research project. Diving is a great tool which allows me to study the marine life and to follow my passion. I am already looking forward to jump into the blue and dive deep into my world full of wonders.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Maldives
Final thoughts: Do not hesitate and dive right into the deep blue. Maybe the beginning will be scary, but it is worth the try. Also, if you have a negative experience during one of your dives get back in the water as quickly as possible.
Nora Uotila
Certification level: Advanced
Years diving: 11 years
Home base: Medellin, Colombia, but I am from Finland
Favourite dive destination: Bonaire
Favourite underwater creature: Sharks
How diving changed my life: I choose my studies, Marine Biology, because of diving
First place I’m going diving after COVID: I dream of going to dive in Malpelo, in the Colombian Pacific. It is a great spot to dive with sharks.
Izzy Clark
Recent Graduate from Queen’s University Belfast
Certification level: PADI Advanced Open Water and PADI Coral Reef Research Diver
Years diving: 3 years
Home base: UK
Favourite dive destination: Heron Island, Australia – a pristine coral reef was always on my bucket list!
Favourite underwater creature: Cuttlefish
How diving changed my life: I was introduced to diving on a marine conservation volunteering program in the Seychelles and I quickly fell in love with the underwater world. Observing the beauty of marine life up close but also seeing the detrimental impacts of climate change on coral reefs has driven me to pursue a career in coral research and conservation. I am committed to doing my part to conserve these amazing animals and to learn more about them. Diving is such a brilliantly unique experience and one that I will never tire of! It has truly changed my life by helping me find my passion and guided me towards my future career. Diving physically connects me to the marine world, allowing me to work in this incredible field at the frontier of science.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Indonesia – super keen to find some manta rays and whale sharks
Corinne Klein
Founder, Corinne Loves Nature
Cert level: Divemaster
Years diving: 13 years
Home base: Yokohama, Japan
Favourite dive destination: A tie between Mafia Island, Tanzania and San Diego, California.
Favourite underwater creature: Nudibranchs
How diving changed my life: I have always loved the ocean but learning how to SCUBA dive gave me that intimate look into a world that I was not made to be in. I initially started diving to help me as a biologist with my marine conservation work but since then it has morphed into so much more. It has become something that brings me peace, allows me a brief escape from the busy world above the surface, and has become my personal brand of therapy. There is no pivotal moment for me when I can say that diving has changed my life, but it has had a profound effect on me, shaping my career, creating long lasting friendships, and I can’t imagine a life without it.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Ishigaki, Japan or anywhere in the Philippines.
Charlotte Ahls
Certification level: Divemaster
Years diving: 5 years
Home base: Indianapolis
Favourite dive destination: Great Barrier Reef
Favourite underwater creature: Sharks
How diving changed my life: Since I’ve been diving, I’ve been able to travel the world, meeting an incredible network of people along the way. I’ve met marine researchers who have inspired me to pursue graduate school where I hope to study the effects of climate change on coral reefs. Scuba diving gave me the confidence to pursue the career of my dreams.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Yucatan Mexico for some cenote diving!
Final thoughts: Just because you don’t live near an ocean, doesn’t mean you can’t become a scuba diver and get involved with marine conservation. There are many opportunities for those of us who happened to be landlocked. Check out your local dive shop for opportunities to get involved!
Taylor Dupont
Taylor is a fellow University of Guelph Alumni, like me! 😋
Certification level: Dive Master
Years diving: 6 years
Home base: Amherstburg, Ontario
Favourite dive destination: Carriacou, Greneda
Favourite underwater creature: The mighty and intelligent Manta Ray
How diving changed my life: For myself, diving helped me see, which is ironic because I always get a foggy mask haha. After logging my first few dives, I developed a much deeper appreciation and passion for complex marine ecosystems. I’ll never forget the dives I did in 2016 while assisting in reef restoration projects, including culling invasive lionfish, fish ID surveys, and cleaning farmed coral gardens. Not only have these diving experiences sparked my love for the ocean and it’s beautiful inhabitants, but it has given me the chance to learn about myself. Each dive teaches me something new and pushes me to a better version. I learn how to adapt in stressful conditions, to respect the environment around me, to be fully conscious and aware; and I feel stronger- both mentally and physically, I feel confident, happy, sometimes sad, maybe angry. I reflect on these feelings every time I resurface. Scuba diving truly is the ultimate teacher. I can carry these lessons with me in the water, and in every day life.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: I’ve heard great things about Utila, Honduras. I’d love to do some dives here, with the main goal of coming across a whale shark.
Final thoughts: I just want to emphasize my gratitude for diving. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to explore the underwater world. My advice to anyone who has not experience diving, or snorkeling at the least, is to get out there and submerge yourself. I understand it can be a scary concept, or a burn in the wallet, but it is an experience worth prioritizing, I promise.
Genevieve Bergemann
Certification level: South African Commercial Class IV license & PADI Rescue
Years diving: 7 years
Home base: Cape Town, South Africa
Favourite dive destination: South China sea, the Perhentian islands
Favourite underwater creature: When it comes to diving beneath the waves, I enjoy sharing space with inquisitive puffer fish & scuttled cuttlefish.
How diving changed my life: Growing up in-land, the sea was always a much looked forward to treat, a delightful December destination. As an adolescent, I consciously chose to learn the skill of diving to make my marine biologist dream come true. Little did I know that swaying like giant kelp & feeling weightless whilst meeting my inner merwoman would allow me to skillfully fall deeper in awe of the Big Blue and her beautiful creatures. I’ve been able to assist in building coral reefs & ethically remove Crown of Thorn starfish in Malaysia, collect algae and various fish species for the Two Oceans Aquarium, recreationally swim with Manta Rays in Bali and release rehabilitated Loggerhead turtles in Cape Town. I’ve been able to play with the painted blue of the sea, appreciating my every breath whilst doing so & realising ocean-lovers have a responsibility to be ambassadors for the wellbeing of the sea & her creatures. The sea has always & will always be a delight for my body, my mind & my soul.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: A sneaky spot in Cape Town, South Africa
Charlotte Lewis
Blog Writer for O.R.C. Ireland
Certification level: Rescue Diver, 70 dives
Years diving: 3 years
Home base: United Kingdom
Favourite dive destination: Nusa Lembongan
Favourite underwater creature: It’s between the Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus), Giant Oceanic Manta Ray (Manta birostris) or Yellow Box fish (Ostracion cubicus)
How diving changed my life: Learning to dive has opened up a new world of opportunity for myself, particularly professionally, as it has enhanced my career aspects and research opportunities as a marine biologist. Being underwater and able to see marine animals in their natural habitat has motivated my passion for marine conservation and research even more so than before I became certified. Not just the diving itself, but the dive community you become part of and the people you meet are incredible; they have all added a great deal to my life!
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Florida or the Maldives
Final Thoughts: Diving is a brilliant activity that gives us the opportunity to submerge ourselves in the underwater world. With this gift comes responsibility, and we all need to help preserve this world that we are so fortunate to be able to encounter.
Yolanda Chen
Certification level: Freediver
Years diving: 4, freediving only
Home base: Catalina Island, where I work at a marine science summer camp, and get to dive regularly
Favourite dive destination: USC Wrigley’s research base on Catalina Island is one of my favorite places to dive. Since it is so well preserved, no creatures have any fear of humans, and the sheer amount of marine life there makes me feel so small and clumsy in comparison.
Favourite underwater creature: Shovelnose guitarfish! They’re so strange looking, and I love how they spend their entire lives just chilling in some sand.
How diving changed my life: I started interning at the summer camp when I was 14, younger than many of the campers I was responsible for. I was hired as a Chinese-English translator for international exchange students. Diving was new to me, but it was terrifying to many of the campers who had never even been in the ocean prior to camp. Although I was only a translator, I had to follow the campers through all their activities to make sure they would be able to communicate and be safe, and I had to hide all of my own fears of diving into water when I couldn’t see what was below me. Looking confident reassured the campers, and I was glad that they were able to experience the incredible sights I was seeing. Soon, I learned to hold my breath longer and equalize, and diving became one of my favorite things to do. Diving taught me to take risks and to never let fears of the unknown keep me from trying new things. Now, when I try things that scare me, whether applying to jobs or moving to a new place, I’ve learned to push the fears aside and simply take a deep breath and dive in.
Diving has also allowed me to witness the damage that ocean pollution has done to marine life, and highlighted the urgent need for extensive conservation efforts. It has inspired me to do more research and major in environmental science.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: The first thing I want to do is to get scuba certified at Casino Point Dive Park. I’ve snorkeled and freedived there numerous times, and only caught a glimpse of a massive kelp bass living underneath all the kelp. I’d love to scuba dive down to say hello to it.
Final thoughts: For anyone who’s in a similar situation as me: liking diving but not being scuba certified, don’t let that stop you from going on adventures! I would go out with all my scuba certified friends and still have a great time just swimming around and keeping an eye on them.
Laura Lemieux
Certification level: Open Water Diver
Years diving: 10
Home base: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Favourite dive destination: The Fijian Reefs!
Favourite underwater creature: Sea Turtles
How diving changed my life: Diving gave me the life changing knowledge that there is so much more to our planet than what we see in our day to day lives on land. The biodiversity and symbiotic relationships in even the smallest of reefs are essential ecosystems that provide more than just food and shelter for billions of species, food for coastal communities, and contribute to the ocean’s biodiversity and health, but that the health of the reef affects the economy in coastal regions that rely on tourism for survival. Furthermore, I learned about the catastrophic impact that coral bleaching has on not just the species within the reef but on the entire earth as a whole. Diving taught me that everything is connected.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Nusa Penida, Indonesia! To obtain my DiveMaster certification and learn how to utilize it towards ocean conservation and research through the Indo Ocean Project’s intern/ research program.
Georgia King
Marine Conservation Costa Rica & Go Pro Costa Rica
Certification level: PADI Course Director. TDI instructor, DSAT instructor trainer
Years diving: 15 years
Home base: Quepos, Costa Rica
Favourite underwater creature: I don’t have a specific creature but any type of manta or devil ray, watching them fly through the water just emanates complete freedom to me.
How diving changed my life: What was a short stop gap before “real life” turned into my full time career. It has allowed me to travel and explore and really appreciate how amazing this planet is.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: I’m lucky enough that I have already been diving with the non-profit, keeping track of our coral nurseries here in Quepos. To travel and dive, I know my wish list is Fiji but I think it will be the Mexico!
Final thoughts: Being underwater is where I feel like I can actually breathe. Focus on that and nothing else and everything else on the surface seems small and enough to handle.
Agata
Certification level: AIDA 2 (freediving)
Years diving: 3 years
Home base: Nice, France
Favourite dive destination: Villefranche sur mer, France
Favourite underwater creature: Great white shark
How diving changed my life: Freediving extremely changed my life, it has taught me to slow down, take time and stay focused on the “here and now”, this attitude became a lifestyle. Freediving it’s a long inner journey that also allows to reconnect with nature.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: San Fruttuoso, Italy
Natasha Posnett
Certification level: Divemaster
Years diving: 8 years
Home base: Cornwall, UK
Favourite dive destination: Mabul Island in Borneo
Favourite underwater creature: Reef sharks
How diving changed my life: Diving has allowed me explore countries in a whole new way. I always make sure that I try and dive in every new country that I visit! This has taught me so much about our oceans and the problems that it is currently facing. Diving has also opened up exciting research opportunities for me and allowed me to work on a range of ocean conservation projects.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Zanzibar
Kaitlyn McQueeney
Certification level: PADI Scuba Instructor
Years diving: 11 years
Home base: Palm Beach, Florida
Favourite dive destination: The Bahamas
Favourite underwater creature: Tiger Shark
How diving changed my life: I have dedicated my career to ocean conservation with a focus on sharks, and diving has given me the ability to study and enjoy the wildlife and feel at peace in the ocean, my favorite place on Earth.
First place I’m going diving after COVID: Right here at home, in south Florida
Final thoughts: Becoming a diver has led me on the path to my dream job working with Shark Tours Florida, introducing people to these misunderstood animals and inspiring conservation efforts to fight for sharks globally.
