15 months ago, December 2006, we picked up diving. We do not even remember why we signed up for the beginners diving course. For years we thought we would have problems with our ears (without any evidence proving this point) and also thought that people who go diving are a bit odd.

Back then, when we did our first pool dive, Martina and I both decided that we never would get the whole gear, though I had warm feelings for a data mask, a mask that has an integrated diving computer.

It was an obvious decision not to get all the gear because the stuff is just too expensive and besides, we do not have a car. And carrying the whole stuff is just too heavy (30kgs when it is wet).

Well, on our first diving experience, a shore dive, we had to carry a ton of equipment through a terrible heat from the shore to the water that was 17 °C cold on the bottom. Most of the time we were kneeling around on the bottom waiting for our skills training (mask clearing, regulator exchange, etc.). But we also were under the surface and we saw wobbegong sharks and small rays and lots of fish and it was great. We did not have the best equipment but suits with ripped armpits, broken wrist seals, no boots, no hoods and no gloves. Martina was excited and miserable from the cold. So we bought boots for her before the end of the course. Then we decided to do the advanced course in January 2007 (after doing no dives at all after the openwater course). For this we also bought a hood for her and gloves. And a dive computer for Martina. I wanted an expensive air integrated wrist computer, but could not get that through. And we also had to get slates and torches for the course, of course. I lost my torch on the second dive I took it with me, when jumping from the boat. On a dive that was our first boat dive and our our first deep dive . We were quite nervous about the depth and afterwards after being thoroughly sea sick (I probably additionally had a slight sun stroke from spending too much time in the sun at the stern throwing up). I felt terrible for a day afterwards.

To get more experience we bought a 10 pack of double boat dives in April hoping that we would not get sea sick, but we did. I also bought a sleeveless Shark Skin with an attached hood, which helped me keep warm. Shark Skin is a brand name that stands for a kind of fleece inlay with a smooth outer skin But still we were a bit cold.

So in July/August when we were informed about a dry-suit trial in the pool. I unsuccessfully tried to convince Martina to get one in early 2007, because with a dry-suit you can adjust your temperature comfort by putting on normal clothes. So when we had the opportunity to try one, we both happliy took it and really liked dry suits. So when they put a 200$ Tusa equipment voucher, a voucher for 5 double boat trips each and a Dry-suit course, we took it. Sadly the delivery of the equipment was delayed for our September trip to Cairns where we went on a three day live aboard trip that included 11 packed dives. To keep warm we also bought a Shark Skin for Martina and boots and gloves for me. ( Martina and I aborted the first dive, because she could not equalize and slightly panicked, and then we went on one and then I was sick with a cold or something for the next three. Diving at the Red Barrier Reef was one of the greatest in my life, nevertheless. Afterwards I also decided to get my own dive computer and a small clip own compass for Martina. And then in October we also got the dry suits and did our course. It was so much nicer, but the problem with the dry suits is that they need their own connections, so every time you hire equipment, they have to attach it. We also, afterwards, did a shore dive were they also had to attach the radio transmitting pressure gauge (air gauge). On our first self organized shore dive in late October we tested dry-suits and our new small SeaLife camera. Martina lost her small compass and I was diving with a BCD that had its lower valve missing not a big issue in a dry suit, but silly of me not to notice. Generally I was pretty insecure on that dive. And then we went to Fiji in November 2007, with our dry suits, mocked by everyone, and before also got Shark Skin pants and long sleeve Shark Skin shirts. We also got Fins with the 200$ voucher. Because we had slight leaks during our dry suit dives, we also bought additional seals for our necks and for my wrists. Since the dry suits can start to stink even after cleaning them after a dive, we also bought special detergent for them and some neoprene cement (for fixing suits) as a precaution

Well, mounting the extra hose to the rented regulators was a hassle. Especially on the boat dives were you had little time to prepare your gear anyway. Also, sometimes the rented regulators are a hassle to use, because they are to hard to breathe from or they tend to be pulled out of your mouth So after another boat dive in December 2008, when my wireless SPG transmitter broke during a dive and we lost our group and had to do our first safety stop without any reference point at all, we thought, OK, lets get regulators, which we got early January 2008. We were very happy about that dive because we had lots of small little problems and still did not die, something that made us a little proud. We tested our new regs on another shore dive where we took the rented regs apart and used the SPGs and the BCDs hoses on ours. The BCDs weren’t great and because we could not get weights off or on the rented belts, we had to put 4 weights in my BCD which is not what it was meant for. And since the Velcro was already too old and did not close any more, at one point I lost all four weights, which was a hassle. I between we bough Martina a compass, because I already had an electronic one integrated in my dive computer. End of January we went to Byron Bay for two days (Julian rock, diving) and were not happy with our rented BCD, so afterwards we bought BCDs and for me some ankle weights, which we used on an mediocre boat dive on the 9th of February (weather was bad as well as the visibility, but our gear was great, and I found a compass in the water).

Today we have all the gear except maybe a better camera, another torch, because today Martina’s stopped working and I made sure no-one can ever fix and potentially another dive computer for Martina and maybe other undergarment and semi-dry suits when the temperature good enough. Also re-breathers sound interesting ..

Today Martina had here 50th dive (I had my 47th) and it was again a very nice diving experience. We diced with nice people, we had an interesting and another relaxing dive and we took a couple of pictures.

I do not know why we enjoy diving so much, maybe it is because of the things we see or maybe diving is just a nice experience.

Or maybe they put something into the tanks or rather the air. Something that is highly addictive.

A curious diver extends a finger to a – probably – soft coral.

A nice little cuttlefish.

And a ray that is clearly visible even though it thinks it is not.

A huge wobbegong that was about 2m or longer. (We have a photo with some dude on it as a reference as well.)

I have no idea what that is. Someone said a flounder. It was about 1.5m long.