Why you took up diving as a sport?

[andy2tanx]

South Sea Adventure by Willard Price, VERY impressive to a 10 year old!!

[Paxo]

Dave, Haven't you just watched Shark Week on the Discovery Channel?
Sharks rarely attack humans, although some species are known to be more cantankerous than others. Their natural prey are seals, which is why so many surfies get bit, paddling along the surface looking distinctly seal-like.
I have been a little closer to sharks than when on the reef. My (& Jay's?) dive club, SeaDog DC, ran an evening trip to The Blue Planet aquarium near Ellesmere Port, and for the princely sum of £50 you get to drop in the water, distinctly over-weighted and no fins, for a quick 30 min tour. It was an amazing experience having a Sand Tiger Shark cruise effortlessly past you, a mere 12" above your head!!
They also have a ray which has a penchant for alighting on divers heads, but the most danger we had all evening was from a particularly territorial Trigger Fish, which tried to take a piece of every ankle that got too close!
All in all a very pleasurable experience, and I got a certificate to prove it! It was the same night that Jayne Lawrie, a complete, water-fearing non-diver, did the Charity Shark Dive if you saw anything about it in the dive shop or local rag, Jay.

[Davey Willo]

Strangley enough Paxo I'm gagging to do the Blue Planet gig, when my club was at Oban I silenced a very noisey barbecue one night, got everyones attention and then proceeded to tell them all about this amazing shark dive whilst showing them the write up in 'Dive' magazine I think it was... after I finished telling them all about it and asking for a show of hands of those who might be interested they all looked at me like a was some crazy mofo who'd escaped from somewhere and had disturbed a really fine evening with insane babblings about some shark infested fish tank and they just turned back and started talking to each other again..... I quickly realised then that I was alone in my yearning to do this dive.

But If anyone on this board fancies it I'm very very willing to sign up although I think there is a very long waiting list to do it.

Anyone??

[Mr T.]

Yeah Dave,

I'm up for it, I think another of the stipulations (other than no fins and a ruck of weight) is that you have to be certified to the level of PADI AOW (or equiv) or above.

Bonus is that it's a wet-suit dive and we don't have to fanny around with our dry-bags. You might find that getting 'twinned-up' might also be over-egging the pudding ;) Some one gonna suggest a date?? C'mon, let's hear ya?!

[PaulC]

Too frightened of the trigger fish...:shiner:

[Eddie]

I'm all for it! if it can be arranged for the the next time I'm in the UK!!!

[Paxo]

I'll go back as long as I find employment before the date.
Its a 'bit of a dear do', but to my mind, BLOODY well worth it!

A recommendation tho', stick well clear of the TGI Fiday's on the same estate, most expensive lager I've had this side of the Watford Gap!!

[MartinS]

For as long as I can remember, I've loved the idea of diving, especially when as a child I'd sit and watch Jacques Cousteau on TV and think he was the best. Well, never actually got round to it until I was 25 - went to Oz and did one dive to 30M (knowing what I know now - scarey!!!) and came back and still did nothing. My wife got fed up with me talking about it and four years ago booked me up for a course at my local pool, and from there on in, haven't looked back. :bravo: