Scuba Update 🤿

Hubby and I passed our open water tests last year.

We are currently certified to dive 60 feet down into the abyss… which right now is Lake Erie. I’m trying to overlook the fact that, unless we hit the lotto, we’ll be diving locally wearing 5mm to 7mm wetsuits with hoods in murky’ish water with limited visibility just to see bass, perch, and bluegill.

Caribbean blue, bathwater warm, waters must wait.

Immediately after completing the open water dives we decided to move forward with two other certifications: Nitrox and Advanced. We took the in-person classes last fall and are in the process of completing the necessary dives to become certified. These courses will enable us to dive deeper, longer, and experience different specialties such as underwater photography, archeological diving, rescue diving, and more.

In spite of my snarky comments about diving in the colder waters of Lake Erie, I’m actually enjoying this new sport/hobby. The experiences offered by Diver’s World, our local dive shop, and the Blue Dolphin Skin Divers Club have pushed me way beyond my comfort zone but have also left me with a great sense of accomplishment. Im hooked!

Hubby and I started the summer with a shore dive. Sadly, we were both under-weighted and just swam on the top because we were too buoyant. It was still good practice putting gear together, walking with trepidation over rocks to the shore, and battling waves (albeit little ones, toddlers were splashing nearby) while putting on our fins. It’s not as easy as it looks.

Our second dive as a couple (Jerry dove the following week in that same area and was able to dive properly weighted) was in a place called “Crusty’s Quarry“.

Funky name but… So. Much. Fun.

The quarry is filled with sunken boats, a school bus, underwater platforms for training, and even a small airplane suspended by large floats. Fish were so fun and curious. It was a good place to practice and just have fun on our own without dealing with the added stress of waves, a rocky shore, or crowded beach. Crusty’s was built for diving and the owner was super cool, showing us around and making sure we knew he was around if we needed help.

Next, we did a boat dive to visit a wreck in about 58ft of water in Lake Erie. The ride out was exhilarating as was the descent down the mooring line.

What did I see? A couple of big bass, a large school of fish (bluegill?), and the remains of the S.K. Martin, a wooden steamship once carrying a cargo of coal. The Martin was caught in a storm and foundered due to the boiler blowing up. Amazingly, there was no loss of life; all 12 members on board made it to safety. The ship went down on October 12, 1912.

There wasn’t much to see due to limited visibility and a wooden hull encrusted with invasive zebra mussels. Grateful for the Youtubes, I found a video of a dive team surveying the wreck: “PASST Lake Erie Shipwreck Diving: S.K. Martin 2015“.

Our next dive was a “Drift Dive” or “Current Dive”.

I’m not going to lie… When we first started this whole “Honey will you be my dive buddy?” thing last year I had no idea what I was truly saying yes to. Had I known that diving down the Niagara River would have been a requirement one day, I would have said, “Hell No”.

Isn’t it interesting how things kind of creep up on you?

What should have been the easiest dive, floating with the current, turned out to be the most physically demanding. In order to take full advantage of the drift we had to swim out toward the middle and into the current. Once we were settled we could descend to the bottom then let the river do it’s job and carry us to our take out point.

I thought I was in pretty good shape. The Niagara proved me wrong.

Once I caught my breath and received additional weight in order to descend (a 4lb lead brick was literally shoved into the front of my wetsuit), the dive was wonderful. My favorite part was flowing with the weed beds as they danced along the river bottom with little fish darting here and there.

Our world has so many hidden treasures. I was blessed to be part of a very unique ecosystem that most will only experience online through someone else’s lens.

What I find most interesting is how, in only one year, hubby and I went from snorkeling in an 84° pool to scuba diving down the Niagara River. At 55 years old, I think that’s not too shabby.

Next up… two dives that will complete our Advanced Adventure Certification: a night dive and a navigational dive.

My prayer is that the final dive might navigate us to those tropical Caribbean blue waters with pretty fish and piña coladas.

Pray for me as I pray for you!

[Photo at top of post credit to Blue Dolphin Skin Diver’s Club.]