During my STEP project I was given the opportunity to become both open water and advanced open water certified. The program that I became certified through is nationally recognized by PADI, a associate that keeps up with diving training quality. I was able to go on a total of ten dives, learn the many precise techniques needed to dive, follow safety standards, and see the beautiful world of the coral reefs. This was an amazing experience that I would not trade for the world.
Throughout this experience my view of the world has greatly changed. While underwater, one is unable to communicate verbally and having all your senses damped underwater. It is a tranquil yet terrifying experience. During the certification classes there was one dive where I went to a depth of 100 feet to a sunken battleship. As I began my descent into the cloudy water, I spent what felt like forever just slowly pulling myself deeper underwater until it came into view. A 510-foot-long battleship covered in coral. Something so powerful and massive cover with coral over every inch. The impermanence of that experience has really changed how easily nature will take over when the age of humans is no more. It really showed me how everything in nature adapts to the situation surrounding it.
The thing about nature and by extension humans is that they are constantly changing. From the current of the water to the falling of the leaves, the whole world has always been changing since it was just a rock floating through space. When there is a new environment life must adapt to survive and thrive. I felt somewhat like this myself upon the arrival to the Florida Keys. This has been the first time that I visited Florida and I was about to embark on a new experience that I have never been through before.
Luckily upon arrival I met some very nice people very quickly. The course instructor AJ was excited to share in the journey to certification. He was a terrific guide and calmly explained everything that needed to be done and reinforced the skills learned. He and I talk about our lives often because there was lots of free time between dive locations and lessons. I believe I made a strong friend, which is bound to happen when you spend 40 or more hours with someone. He really did a great job making sure I felt comfortable in a new area.
Another aspect that made me appreciate the adaptation of life was seeing all the aquatic life that I had never seen before. Under the water there can be thousands of fish around a person at a time, and they are often not afraid of divers. Also, the diver is in a situation where they are no longer the apex predator. This kind of thinking puts your mind in that of the fish who have learned to survive with such dangerous competition. You see how specialized each fish must truly be in order to live in such a place. The environment really shows in action how practical all the sciences I have learned at OSU are. For instance, the ecosystem and how each creature plays a role in it. In addition, adaptation and speciation can be seen by having such specialized fish whether that be schools of minos or giant nurse sharks.
First day in diving training felt like being faced to face with a shark. All around the pool and shop are divers who are all experts with all the certifications and the best equipment. It can be difficult for me to even tread water when I was young and not a natural swimmer. However, I knew that getting the certification and seeing the coral reefs has always been a dream of mine so I would need to adapt. The first time in water with the scuba gear is uneasy. Nothing comes naturally and you feel like a bubble floating without control or a rock racing to the bottom. However, as my comfortability increased so did the lessons. Luckily, through hard work and good teaching the techniques became natural to use and the water felt like my home.
This is an important idea for me to keep in mind, that everything is always changing. I currently have a job as an EMT and the environment can change in an instant if something happens to a patient. Changing is needed in order to do a good job. Also, my end goal is hopefully emergency room physician which needs even more adapting, strengthening, and never giving up. This idea is not only useful to the medical field but also live in general. Something bad can happen at any time so we have to do our best to strengthen ourselves I hope to never take my luckiness for granted.
Dan-It’s great that you have been able to adapt the lessons learned from scuba diving and apply it to other aspects of your life. What motivated you to do this project?