My first SCUBA dive was on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia in May, 2004. I wasn't planning on diving that day, but we were on a catamaran cruise with my parents to the Michelmas Cay and the divemaster was telling us all about what diving is like. She'll start us out in waist-deep water and show us how to use the equipment, and how diving changed her life. My sister and I tried it since we're the adventorous types. I remember the first thing I said when I surfaced from the dive was asking when I could go again. I did a second dive that day but my next dive after that wasn't until 3 years later on my birthday. I got certified with Diver Dan's in Monterey Bay, California which was a much different experience than Australia. If that had been my first experience, I doubt I would have kept up with it since the water was so cold and there wasn't much to see. But getting certified opened so many more opportunities for me to dive in more fun places -- Hawaii, New Zealand, Bali, Thailand, Mexico...

20 years later, I'm now certified as a Rescue Diver and have logged over 100 dives in 7 countries. Any time I'm traveling somewhere new, my first thought is if there is somewhere fun to go diving nearby.

Being able to breathe underwater is a completely surreal experience. There are so many completely different things to see under the surface that you'll never be able to see snorkeling or sitting on a boat. If you haven't tried it, check out a discovery course at your local dive shop or a resort you're staying at. You'll see why, just like my very first divemaster, diving has changed my life.