SCUBA Diving: My First Dive

I have always loved water and adventure. I’m up for anything that combines those two.  Water-skiing, windsurfing, kayaking…I love them all. One of my favorites is SCUBA diving. It’s surreal to be weightless underwater with a whole different world around me. I’ve been privileged to dive the Great Barrier Reef and other amazing spots around the globe, and it’s thrilling every time.

I got my SCUBA certification when I was 16. At that time my family was about to take a vacation to Cozumel, Mexico, and I wanted to dive with my dad and older sister on the trip.

Certification is a lengthy course that includes tests, both on paper and underwater. I learned how all the equipment works, the hand signs to communicate, and most importantly, what to do if there’s trouble.

One of the most important safety rules in diving is the good old-fashioned buddy system. You always dive with a buddy. Never alone. In the certification course, you learn how to double check your buddy’s gear before the dive, communicate with them during the dive, solve problems together underwater, and debrief after the dive.

 So I practiced all the drills, learned all the signals, mastered all the equipment. I was ready.

We got to Mexico and set out for our first dive. My sister had gotten sick and couldn’t go, so it was just my dad and me from our family. He was my buddy.

We jump in the water with our guide and dive group. One last double check before we descend. Everything looks great. As we begin our descent down, my dad does the signal for “something’s not right” and points to his ear.

He was having a hard time clearing his ears from the pressure of the water. Not wanting me to miss any of the dive, he signaled for me to go with the group. He let me know that he would just descend slower and catch up with us.  

That’s the first rule of SCUBA diving: Don’t leave your buddy! But he was insistent.

Being 16, I listened to my dad and went ahead with the group. The water was clear so I could easily see him.

I did the entire dive and it was amazing. No issues, no need to implement any of the skills I had learned. Just peaceful, quiet, gliding through the water and enjoying the underwater creations for the first time.

My dad’s experience was a little different. He was able to clear his ears and join the group. But shortly in to the dive his regulator stopped working. The regulator is the device that goes in your mouth and converts the high pressure air in the tank to a normal pressure that you can breathe. So no regulator, no air.

Thankfully, he’s very comfortable underwater and didn’t panic (as I definitely would have).

Since I wasn’t the closest person to him (and he likely did not want to put this little issue on his teenage son), he swam over to the dive guide, who buddy breathed with him until they could safely return to the surface.

That day I learned how valuable and important the buddy system is. I should have been with him. And he should have made me stay there. We’ve done several dives since then and stay side-by-side the whole time.

There are reasons we need a buddy. In diving and in life. When something isn’t right, we have someone there who is trained to help us. Someone who goes through our experiences with us and knows what we need.

This is what I love most about being a financial advisor. Partnering with clients and helping them discover when something isn’t right, and helping them work through it. It’s better and safer when someone is by your side, because the issues will come up. And you’ll want to have a buddy next to you who knows all the information and is skilled in what to do for you.

Reach out to me if you don’t have a “buddy” and are trying to dive alone!