Open Water Dives
This. This is the reason why we are all here. To build comfort with your gear, with breathing through an (itty bitty) tube of compressed air, to battle the voice inside our head, and (hopefully) come to love the new world you only know exists because you have seen pictures or have been lucky enough to snorkel. To experience the beauty and awe of this new world may take a moment to get there, but it is very well worth the effort. Getting to that moment of awe takes time. It takes repetition, trust, and sometimes an extra dose of determination, but once it clicks? It’s unforgettable.
After a day out of the water due to dive safety regulations, everyone finds themselves on a boat and rehearsing their ‘stupid human tricks’ one more time but this time in the open water. Some years the water is tame, and everyone heads to the reef. Other years, the winds lead to choppy water and the boats head to a more protected space. Many have nerves about the fear of the unknown, so the shift to the calmer waters helps keep everyone’s head in the game. 😊
The first two days are dedicated to practicing and refining the skills learned in the pool—only now, everything’s a little different. The depth, the visibility, the sway of the ocean, maybe knowing you will see sharks and barracuda —all adds new dimensions to the experiences. But by the second day, the anxieties start to ease and the breathing feels a little more natural. Movements are less clumsy. Confidence begins to take root.
A definite skill that is needed underwater is navigation. Once you leave the boat, you enter a whole new and unfamiliar world. If you think you have a good sense of direction on land? Well… try underwater and with a landscape you’ve only seen in pictures! You have to know your “paces” and direction if you are going to efficiently find your way back. Talking from experience, you don’t want to ascend too far from the boat! It can mean a lot of effort to make your way back, especially if you managed to let the current pull you away... As the military is fond of saying, you can call that a ‘self-correcting’ mistake and you tend to only do this once (…well, maybe twice) LOL!
It's interesting to watch how communication shifts. Down there, there’s no talking. What’s left is sign language, gestures, and touch. It’s not uncommon for a couple to find or rediscover their nonverbal rhythm; a comfortable form of knowing. Oftentimes it gets lost within the life of injuries or illness, kids and busy schedules, and just life in general. Sometimes that form of nonverbal communication is rediscovered underwater. It’s a little bit of bliss when the ‘noise’ fades away and your partner is right next to you sharing in the same experience.
The third day is the opportunity to head out to the reef and dive your first “official” open water dive. The training wheels are off! This year, that third dive had the best weather! They started their first dive with winds that led to 3-5 foot seas which drove the boats to find protected waters. The second day found the winds a little tamer which allowed for dives on the reef however, the water was murky due to the turbulence. Honestly, that didn’t really matter since the primary focus was the skills.
But by day 3, they were blessed! Seas were 1-2 feet and the visibility was nearly 30-40 feet. I tell ya, when you learn to dive in one of the best places ever, it makes diving anywhere else a bit disappointing. 😊 I truly hope that they found that magic underwater. The colors, the marine life, the weightlessness—it’s as if you’ve stepped into another planet. And this time, you belong.
It's rewarding and sad at the same time to finally get to this point. The goal of the week is to get to this point, and once you do, you know the end of the week is near. The journey has become full circle. Where we started the week with the opening dinner, we finished with the closing dinner.
The Closing Dinner isn’t just a celebration of a great week—it’s a moment of pride. A time to recognize every person who pushed through their fears, who put in the work, who learned something entirely new. One by one, the NAUI certification cards are handed out—small rectangles of plastic that represent something far bigger: resilience, courage, and a whole new world opened up to those that dared to enter.
It's an amazing and rewarding week for sure and all the hugs at the end tells everything that this week is all about. Until the next time!
And that's a wrap for many of the stories throughout the week of Dagger Dive. I could go on and on, but for now, my blogs will shift a little focus to a few different stories. I hope you continue to follow along. Click the subscribe button below so you don't miss any of the future ones.
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2 Comments
Jul 13, 2025, 2:29:26 PM
Laura Schroeder - Thanks lady! Love to see you come back some day! Miss you!
Jul 13, 2025, 12:44:59 PM
Donna - You have done such an amazing job telling the Dagger Dive story with your well chosen words a brilliant photography. ❤️