My First Time – Make It Memorable and Give Thanks – by Gil Zeimer, ScubaStoryteller.com and Zeimer.com, San Rafael, CA Since becoming a PADI Open-Water Diver nearly 40 years ago, Gil has been published in more than 25 scuba mag- azines, newsletters, and websites about his experiences from Australia to Aruba, Hawaii to Mexico, and California to Florida. BUSINESS EDU
“You always remember the first time.” You always remember your first dive. It’s right up there with your first kiss… your first boy/girlfriend… your first car… and the first time you “did” it. In this story, I’ll share my first
After a quick lesson in the pool that morning, I hyper- ventilated on the surface with excitement during my very first dive, then had some trouble clearing my ears, so I only spent 35 minutes below the surface at 35 feet. I wrote in my logbook, “I sat on the bottom to relax, then kicked through a small coral opening with a spectacular, brightly-colored staircase and dozens of Sergeant Ma- jors. I loved this first experience of being weightless and only hearing our bubbles.” On my second dive, I felt comfortable enough to shoot a roll of film as we explored the wreck of the Balboa at 40 feet for 55 minutes. On the final Resort Course dive, we explored a coral reef at a 30-foot depth for 65 minutes. I noted, “Got cold near the end, and my jaw hurt from clenching my mouthpiece too hard.” So overall, my Resort Course dives provided a simply wonderful experience. Granbury, Texas: Cloudy With a Chance of Crappy. I moved to Dallas the following year for a great ad agency job. Though my relationship with the diver didn’t last past the first week of my Texas tenure (that’s another story), I decided to get certified in October 1985 through a local dive shop.
sets of experiences. But wherever your students’ and clients’ initial excursions into The Blue were, dive shop owners, liveaboard operators, and resorts should also try to make them memorable for every diver. Two Firsts, Totally Different. I actually have had two very different “first times.” Each set of dives made me realize that this was a sport I could enjoy for life. Grand Cayman: A Resort Course With Perfect Con- ditions. In 1981, I was living in San Francisco and dating a cer- tified diver in Dallas. Because she knew I was interested in diving, we decided on a Grand Cayman vacation. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman on Seven Mile Beach, where “The Barefoot Man” sang nightly; our dive operator was Bob Soto, one of the is- land’s pioneers. (It was later sold to Dan Tibbetts of Reef Divers.)
We did our coursework in its back room and our pool classes at the YMCA. But, for our Open Water Certification dives, we drove 90 miles south to Squaw Creek, a silty- bottomed reservoir that’s about 45 feet deep. We also camped overnight on a rocky beach. The visibility sucked: 2-10' for the four dives over two days. Though the air temp was a pleasant 70-75º F, the chilly water hovered between 60-65º F, and a cool wind blew non- stop on the surface.
For my three Resort Course dives across consecutive days, my bottom times increased as I became more comfortable with my equipment, breathing and buoyancy. For all the dives, the conditions were perfect: 150-200’ visibility, 80- 85º F air temperature, and 80º F water temperature. It was the only time I've ever dived with a T-shirt and swim trunks. No shorty wetsuit. No dive skin. No gloves. Nothing else.
My 1st “First Time” – Resort Course, Grand Cayman, 1981.
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