For my STEP signature project, I drove down to the Florida Keys in order to earn my open water and advanced open water scuba diving certification. The training for both certifications took about a week of all-day boat diving in the reefs off of Key Largo. The diving and included wreck dives, fish identification, search and recovery techniques, underwater navigation, and deep diving (up to 100 feet down!).
Breathing underwater is definitely a huge shift in perspective. It’s almost like you’re in a completely new world when you’re down there, and in a way, I guess you are. Spacial awareness, color perception, communication, and the wildlife you get to see all change as soon as you jump off the boat. If you’re wondering, Skittles all look gray/green/brown at 100 feet deep due to the amount of light and color being absorbed above you, it was really cool to see! It took some getting used to learning how to breathe through your mouth, keep your mask clear of water, and keeping track of a whole bunch of safety skills that you would never have to consider otherwise was difficult at first, but it was so worth it. Getting to float underwater and watch as huge barracuda, sea turtles, sharks, and all sorts of tropical fish swim right past you is so breathtaking. I have a much deeper appreciation for our oceans and oceanic wildlife after getting to see it so up close. Although this is a skill I don’t think I would have tried if not for STEP, I now can’t imagine my life without it. I’m encouraging everyone I know to also learn how to dive, and I’m looking forward to advancing my certifications and continue to dive all over the world.
The biggest interactions I had during this trip were with the people and the wildlife. I got to interact pretty closely with a lot of people such as my instructor, AJ, the boat and dive shop staff (where we met a fellow buckeye alum!), and Dan, pictured on the boat with me, who was also in Key Largo earning his scuba certification alongside me. I was lucky to immediately connect with our instructor who was so patient and helpful the entire time. Going underwater can definitely be scary at first, and being able to trust your instructor plays a huge role in feeling safe. We were also all spending 8+ hours a day together, so patience with each other played a big role in how well everything went.
My interactions with the wildlife there also contributed significantly to the transformative experience of my project. Being a natural resource management major, I had read all about coral reefs, ocean wildlife, and all sorts of other environmental information regarding our oceans, but getting to see it so up close and in the wild put a whole new lense on things. Reading about coral restoration versus going out and getting to actually see the bleached coral, artificial coral growths, and identification tags where new coral has been planted makes such a difference in how seriously I have been taking ocean issues.
The experience as a whole has also been a big self-confidence boost. Before this trip, I never would have thought myself capable of diving through a shipwreck 100 feet deep, and honestly, the thought of doing that was terrifying. Until I did it. And then wanted to do it again and again and see as much as I possibly could as deep as we could possibly dive. Just 2% of the world’s population are certified divers, and to be a part of that community has already proven to be so rewarding.
Moving forward after this project, I hope to incorporate diving into my life as much as possible. Although Ohio does have some good diving sites, I would really love to travel all over the world and see every single ocean (post-corona of course). I also hope to continue earning higher certifications and other specializations such as underwater naturalist training and coral reef restoration. I am also looking into possibly incorporating diving into my career as a natural resource manager post-graduation. Long story short, through this project I was able to find a new passion that I love and that makes me feel confident, and I am going to continue to use my training to continue diving as much as I can.
