Scuba Dive in Florida - My Story of Got2Dive

Summary of how Got2Dive was started

This is a Pittsburgh, PA city girl's story about scuba diving, how to scuba dive, where to scuba dive, become a certified scuba diver, and start Got2Dive. The only water I was familiar with was the three rivers. As a young girl my parents had vacationed a few times in Tampa and Clearwater Florida. I fell in love with the sun, sand and surf! I imagined what the ocean would be like and wondered what it would be like to experience in real time. I passionately wanted to scuba dive in Florida.

In the Beginning Scuba Dive in Florida

After graduating high school and cosmetology school I was working at a hair salon in Pittsburgh, PA. I moved out from my childhood home into my first apartment with my two sisters. My sister knew I wasn't happy. I talked and dreamed of moving to Florida to be near the ocean. One cold and wintery day, my sister came home with a one way ticket to Florida. She knew how much I wanted to live in the land of sunshine and hear the sound of the ocean waves. She recommended I take the one way ticket and go after the life I so passionately dreamed and longed for. With a one way ticket in my hand and my entire LP collection, I was on my way to living my dream. I left cold snowy Pittsburgh with my black snow boots on and my mauve winter coat and arrived in Fort Lauderdale. I vividly remember the automatic doors opening and feeling the warmth of the eighty degree sunshine. I remember removing all my winter clothing as I headed out of the terminal doors. I thought dear God I am in heaven! My very first stop off that airplane was Ft. Lauderdale Beach to dip my toes in the ocean! My friend's dad was a certified diver and he talked to me about his diving adventures. I enjoyed listening about his stories of spear fishing, boating and diving. I knew I could do that! I was so intrigued by his stories that I could not hold back my peeked curiosity. This scuba diving experience would help this city girl, overcome fear of the powerful ocean, especially since we all watched the 1975 movie "Jaws". I was determined and motivated to become certified in scuba diving. Scuba diving would provide me the opportunity to see the beauty that lies beneath. On May 1st 1982 my friends and I became NAUI open water certified scuba divers. With only a handful of dives under my weight belt I met my husband who at the time was not a scuba diver; we got married in 1983 and started a family right away. My diving passion was put on the back burner raising a family and earning an income. Over the years I dreamed of scuba diving in the ocean again. Hubby was happy being a snorkeler and over the years he showed no interest becoming a diver and I was fine with that. - <!--nextpage-->

Scuba Dive with Family and Friends

Fast forward to 2009 and after raising 2 wonderful children, we became empty nesters. One day after not being able to hold back my passion to return to the ocean, I approached my husband and said the time is here and I am getting back into the sport of scuba diving! He said "What?! You're actually going diving without me, you need two people do that. You're going without me, but we do everything together…hike, bike, canoe, white water rafting, etc.! I explained to my husband I met a certified scuba diver who I could trust as a dive buddy. Again he said "you need two people to do that…Who Is He"?! I got the biggest chuckle out of that! I never gave him a name. He could not get over I would experience scuba diving without him. Well, stunned and in disbelief, he called our local dive shop and inquired about the certification process. Then he called our kids and said your mother is getting back into scuba diving; do you want to get your certification with me? They said yes and so the class date was set for my family. An interesting thing happened, not only did my family get certified but they invited friends and another family from the neighborhood. As my family studied the course, I brushed up on my scuba diving knowledge as well. The local dive shop Dayo Scuba allowed me to follow the entire wet portion of the dive class. I was able to watch and record my family's certification process through videography and pictures. I loved watching our kids and especially my husband of twenty eight years learn all about the sport of scuba diving! Seeing all of them enjoy learning about open water scuba diving gave me joy! Watching them learn a new skill and gain even more confidence was awesome. What a tremendous family activity this turned out to be. - <!--nextpage-->

Got2Dive Scuba Dive Idea was Surfaced

In 2009 I received the best Mother's Day gift ever; my entire family became certified in scuba diving! Scuba diving was an excellent activity and adventure we could continue to do as a family. Remember the diver my husband assumed was a man; well it was actually a female friend who was already a certified diver. And her family was certified the same Mother's Day! We both got to eyewitness and capture the excitement of our families together as they for the first time experienced breathing under water and discovering the beauty below the surface! I was able to be there and "Capture the Depth of Their Memories"! Thus Got2Dive was born! - <!--nextpage-->

Conclusion - My Scuba Dive Story

Three of my passions in life are family, scuba diving, and videography. I combined them to take life to a new enjoyment level. I love taking scuba diving trips to dive destinations throughout Florida. Follow me to discover what is scuba diving, where to scuba dive, and how to scuba dive. I enjoy taking video and photos of other divers to capture the depth of your memories. Capture the Depths of Your Memories