I have always loved water and Mike recommended we go to our local dive shop to obtain our diving certification before we were married so we could do REAL diving (vs. shallow resort dives) during our honeymoon. We received our Open Water (OW) certification back in 1994. I have since obtained my Advanced, Nitrox, and Altitude certifications. When I started this hobby, I had NO idea it would take me to so many unique and exciting places around the world.
Except for tanks and weights, I travel with my own gear. This way I know the wetsuits fit, the gear has been serviced and is working, and I am familiar with my equipment. The last part is critical if I find myself in an emergency situation; I do not want to be fumbling with my dive gear in 80 feet of water because I am not familiar with it.
Places I have Dove
Pacific:
- Great Barrier Reef/Coral Sea – my very first Live-Aboard experience!
- Hawaii
- Indonesia:
- Lembeh – known for muck diving – I am ooking for tiny, colorful critters in the ocean sand.
- Tulamben (coming soon)
- Palau
- Philippines
- Socorro – an island that is part of the Revillagigedo Islands. It is out in the middle of no-where which translates to large marine life.
- Yap
Carribean:
- Belize – with the number of islands to see, I did this via a live-aboard.
- Bonaire – I have been here 13 times!
- Grand Cayman
- Little Cayman – To reach this destination, I had to travel on a little Otter prop plane and if the red peg hits the ground, the airline starts unloading luggage!
Camera Gear
Mike and I capture our memories through photos and video and share them with our friends and family. Both of us dive with a photo and/or video camera, and our rigs have changed significantly from when we were shooting film in the 1990’s.
Here is the link to our camera set up and pictures of what our gear looks like underwater.
My “bucket list” of places in the queue:
- Places I have not been to:
- Komodo – It would be an experience to see a komodo dragon swimming underwater.
- Maldives – haven’t been and heard it is gorgeous.
- Raja Ampat – Everyone that has gone here has raved about the diving, healthy marine life, and diversity.
- Sea of Cortez – when I dove Socorro, the crew and some of the passengers raved about the marine life diversity in the Sea of Cortez.
- Solomon Islands – this one is probably farther down on the list because it is a lot of traveling just to arrive here.
- I would love to return to the following places:
- Great Barrier Reef/Coral Sea – when I went it was overcast, and I would love to see the colors.
- Yap and Palau – I had a great time last time I was there and would love to go back again. I have been exploring staying on land next time to Palau vs. a live-aboard.
I hope you enjoyed reminiscing with me about my previous diving adventures, and you have added some additional destinations to your travel bucket list.