Hi Gang~ I just finished up our annual Veteran's Day Celebration at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum today. We hosted 20,000 visitors over the last 3 days, with Ross Perot as guest speaker, the Navy Parachute team and SEAL Team XX (I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you
who came and demonstrated their operational capabilities with Humvees, weapons, K-9s and explosives. Great Weekend for all.
It's pretty hard to follow the previous Featured Divers, they have such great stories and histories of interesting dive careers.....I tip my snorkel to them
I grew up in Athens, GA, and never learned to swim. My parents didn't like the water, I didn't have a pool or live near one. In fact, as I got older, I developed a kind of water phobia..I didn't even like to put my head under. However, I never missed an episode of Jacques Cousteau, ever. I was glued to that show (also Star Trek, etc, so yea, NERD alert) We moved to central Florida in my teens, and did like every other teenager, went to the beach, but never went in the ocean. A few years later when I met my husband Bill, he was salty (and still is). He grew up on a sailboat with his dad, fishing, diving, etc. and about 2 years into our marriage, he said "Let's get certified". Of course I refused (I would rather shave my head with a cheese grater), and he went on to take his open water course. After he finished, he went off with his dive buddy on day trips to Alexander Springs, etc. After about a year of this, I was tired of hearing about how great his trips were and decided not to let him continue without me. I talked a coworker, Lynn, into taking the OW with me, and as soon as I geared up and took my first breath in a pool, I was hooked. Of course then I was told we had to take our masks off underwater, I almost quit right then and there, but managed to make it through the course. Lynn and I continued to dive around central FL, while Bill and his buddy took AOW, etc. Fast Forward 26 years.....
We've had gaps in diving over the years, with kids, school, moving back to GA for a while, but when we came back to FL the kids were older they wanted to dive, so I took OW with them again in 2002. They were naturals, like their Dad. Damn kids...they make it look so easy. Since then, I've have been diving steady with 75-100 dives per year, all recreational, no major events. It was kind of getting routine actually. Until I started reading SB's vintage diving section a few years ago, then found VDH. WOW! NO BC! 2 Hoses like Jacques! REALLY! I'm in! One year later, and I'm fully assimilated! When I purchased my first Phoenix, Bill said,"You aren't USING that are you?" Yep. Then we went on a charter dive to 90ft, and he said," You aren't USING that for DEEP dives, are you?" Oh no, I married the Scuba Police. Hahaha! I purchased his very own Phoenix for Father's Day, and now He's Hooked. Mission Accomplished! Most of you know my small reg collection and I'm always looking for more! Thanks Bryan, VDH, all you guys for teaching me so many things and being there to answer my questions and a lot of times, just making me laugh!!!
The Kids: Royal Mistral, Voit Faux 50 Fathom, Jet Air, PRAM x 2, Snark III Silver, DA, Healthways, DA Non Mag
NAVED #205