Wet Feet

The idea of scuba diving has always intrigued me. It’s was one of those bucket list items I thought would be great to try once, just to say I did it. But the truth is, scuba diving is not something you can say you’ve tried if you’ve only been once or twice.  I’ve always loved the ocean. Marine life of all shapes and sizes piqued my interest. But for some reason, I was also slightly terrified of it as a kid and that fear followed me into adulthood.  So when the 

opportunity to finally give it a shot came about, naturally all I could think about were the sea monsters below the surface waiting to get me.  Instead of focusing on how amazing it was that my first ever dive was in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, I focused all of my energy on how much I did not want to see a shark.  All I could think about after both feet were safely back on the boat was how lucky I was to be in one piece and that while it was an amazing 

experience, I probably couldn’t bring myself to try it again.  Why take the risk? By the way, about that shark I didn't want to see; I saw him and he saw me and I was shocked at how quickly he wanted to get away from us.

On this very first dive I had a compact camera in an underwater housing with me.  It was my first time to the Great Barrier Reef and at the very least I needed a few photos from snorkeling to bring back with me.  Topside, I always had a camera in my hands so when I found out the housing for my Canon G9 was so reasonably priced I jumped at the opportunity to buy it.  I had no idea about anything related to underwater photography, but luckily my dive guide did.  Some of the photos he took were so inspiring that later that night when I uploaded them to my laptop I was hooked.  I needed to go back down and create these shots myself.  Unfortunately, the next day was windy and we were discouraged from diving as I was so inexperienced.  On the one hand it was very disappointing, but on the other hand I felt a bit of relief as I was still very nervous and in the end I thought it was good that it happened.  The "itch" to get back in the water took hold and I haven't looked back since.  Except for a few dives to get my certifications, my camera has always been with me and will continue to always be.  It keeps my anxieties at bay and helps me focus on why it is I dive.