Since we’ve all spent the last couple days cramming the plethora of information we’ve learned into our brains, it was a great stress reliever to find out that we’d finally get a chance to go diving! I was especially excited, because although I was only a DIT (diver in training), I had been anxiously awaiting my first chance to go diving since I first began the certification process over Thanksgiving break. With the academic and pool sessions done, I could not wait to finally experience diving in the ocean as I began completing my four open water dives. It was the last step necessary before becoming a completely certified diver!

Boats at the dock, recently returning from a diving trip.

The regular, already certified divers, had their check out yesterday morning at 7AM. They took the boats out near the reef crest to complete their check out dive. Then came time for the DITs, and after a quick review, it was time to get in the water!

Diving instruction Fruity reviewing how to put scuba gear together with some DITs [Divers In Training]

Although I was a little nervous not to forget any critical information, all my anxiety vanished as I took my first breath underwater among the fish. We stayed near the reef flat with our diving instructor and went down about 10-15 feet. It was absolutely breathtaking to swim past the coral and observe all the fish and other organisms that we’ve spent the last 5 days studying! Common names and scientific names flew through my brain, as I was able to recognize a lot of the creatures we saw.

The experience in itself was definitely worthwhile. Although all us DITS still have 3 more dives to complete before becoming completely certified, I would definitely say that the process so far has been very rewarding! It is even more than I imagined it would be when I first began learning the material this past Thanksgiving break, and I don’t regret it for a minute. I can’t wait to go diving again!

– Bianca