DITS No More!

Today was the day we 8 “divers in training” (or DITS) had been waiting for since we arrived in Jamaica- we completed our final 2 open water dives and are now officially certified SCUBA divers! We were driven to the FDR Resort just 10 minutes down the road from the Discovery Bay Marine Lab complex and immediately donned our gear to get in the water. The first dive was a doozey, entailing us to initially descend to about 30 feet, complete the skills asked of us by our instructors, and then to descend even further to 60 ft, between the walls of a canyon- without a doubt a daunting task! But we all tackled it head on, and to say the walls of the canyon were breathtaking and teeming with life would be an understatement! Once back on land, we waited about 2 and a half hours before getting back in the water to ensure none of us felt the effects of decompression sickness, or “the bends,” during our second dive.

After completing the final skills we needed to demonstrate in front of our instructors on our second dive, we were DONE- and none of us could’ve been happier! We rewarded ourselves with authentic Jamaican beef patties, which were delicious, and then headed back to DBML, more eager than ever to continue our undersea adventures and the enriching experiences the ocean has to offer.
And on a side note, Tracey ate her very first PB&J sandwich today! Needless to say, a humorous endeavor for all of us watching!

All 8 DITS just before our first dive, clearly very excited to be certified!

– Sam