Getting Scuba Certified!

Welcome back! For those of you reading for the first time, I’m Dalni! I’ll be updating this blog frequently, so stay tuned for updates (I’m shooting for once a week, on Wednesdays or Thursdays).
 
The weekend before last, I took a journey to Massachusetts to complete my scuba diving certificate. A group of around ten of us did four dives over the course of Saturday and Sunday. It was beautiful and sunny all weekend, but the water was still chilly, being in the North at the end of spring. The location we entered the water from was called Back Beach, in Gloucester, MA. It’s a small, protected ocean cove with a thin strip of sandy beach only visible at low tides. The view is fabulous. To the right, the shore line scrawling around the edge of the town is embanked by granite boulders and topped with pretty buildings. Ahead is open ocean. It’s a beautiful place to dive, and apparently a favorite of divers, as there were one or two other groups there diving at times.

​I’ve been wanting to complete my scuba dive certification for quite a few months now, but the certification requires four open water dives, and shops don’t like to take new learners out in icy or frozen water, so I had to wait until summer came around. The first available dive sessions were in late May, and early June. I completed my class work one weekend and the diving the next. Along with two full weekends of work with the instructor, there was also hours and hours worth of text book reading and videos to watch (PADI estimates 15 hours worth of reading). Getting your certification takes a big commitment, but the reward is worth the cost and effort.
 
My first dive was fantastic. We dove to about 20 feet at the deepest. My instructor was excellent at spotting marine life, and I was amazed at how much activity there was just in this small cove. The majority of what we saw were flounder, crab and lobster. I spotted one or two different fish, but I believe being in a large group as we were quickly scared off many of them. I’m sure there were many that saw us and bolted before we even had a chance to spot them. Alone, I’ve been able to swim alongside groups of fish without scaring them. But the fish weren’t the only thing to see. We swam over underwater fields of vegetation, waving with the water; sometimes it looked like the whole floor of the ocean was shifting.
 
There were a couple of things which weren’t so great, however. At points, some of my classmates would get a little over excited and grab or poke the fish and other creatures. As I swam, I became more aware of my environment. Beneath us there were pieces of plastic scattered across the ocean floor and vegetation we swam over. It seemed impossible that some of those things could end up out there, but there they were. I personally grabbed pieces of plastic bag, a spool of ribbon, and various chunks and sharps of plastic  out of the water to be thrown away on shore. It’s important to remember to be respectful of the ocean and marine life.
 
Many aquariums and large venues like to see that you’ve completed the diving training to prove that you’re proficient and comfortable being in deep water. I personally would love to be in a huge aquarium with all of the exotic creatures. Lake Champlain doesn’t have quite the biodiversity or color seen with the tropical fish. Getting my dive certificate seemed like a step in the right direction towards being able to show off my tail at an aquarium (and being able to dive with a cuttlefish!). Maybe the New England Aquarium will invite me for a swim! Until then, Lake Champlain is my home.
 
As a side note- this weekend June 25th and 26th I will be at the Stowe Vermont Renaissance Faire sitting on my shell throne to say hi to all the people; come pay me a visit!
You can find more information by visiting the bottom of my Booking & Events page, or by visiting the event website at http://www.vtrennfaire.com/