What is your favorite place to dive? A question posed by many divers I have had the pleasure to teach or guide over the years.
There really is no one place or answer to this question. For sure there are thousands of places on our blue planet that are magnificent, and each has its own special attributes.
My start into diving in fresh water
Personally I started diving in The Great Lakes region of Ontario Canada. These bodies of water contain one of the largest collections of shipwrecks in the world. At almost three thousand individual places with wrecks, sunken towns, caves and caverns. For more great information about diving in the great lakes grab a copy of The Great Lakes Diving Guide by Chris Kohl*. They will always hold a special place in my heart, but I also have had the opportunity to live and work as a professional in many tropical places such as, Mexico,Malta, and the stunning island of Vellassaru in the South Male Atoll Region of the Maldives , which presents splendid colorful reefs, fish and fauna.
Each of these special diving areas come with challenges which we as divers have come to enjoy. This fact makes our sport exciting and fun everytime we descend below the surface of the water.
Salt vs. Fresh Water
Sure fresh water diving comes with a certain degree of difficulty. Mostly its just so cold you tend to use more equipmen( thicker wetsiuts, gloves,hoods etc.) But using this type of specialized gear is part of being a scuba diver.
Lets be honest scuba divers whether you are new to diving or a seasoned professional there is always one new cool piece of gear that you want to add to your setup. Or change it all together for something new. You know its true….and i can see you sacking your head in agreement as you read this.
Salt water diving especially tropical warm waters have there own challenges as well such as ; choosing the right eqiupment, changing your weight allowance, type of tank we use. Basically changing your eqiupment once again to suit the area where you will be diving. These processes make us all better adaptive divers, and believe it or not everytime we adapt to a new dive site ( fresh or salt water )we are biulding and expanding our scuba diving knowledge.
The Preference
As a professional I have come across divers who prefer to only dive while they are on holiday somewhere warm. This is perfectly fine ! It does not mean they are worse scuba divers then lets say people who dive with drysuits, in frigide lakes, with a dozen bailout tanks or a CCR system. It just means they enjoy seeing tropical reefs and use scuba diving as an escape from everyday stresses.
The same can be said about divers who prefer fresh water diving. Lets go back to when we first got certified, and re answer the question: Why did you become a diver? Most people would answer „ To explore the underwater world, and see something new.“Whichever you choose to spend your diver down hours in doesnt matter. Its all about having an experience, and enjoying the moment.
The Last Word
Comming together as a diving community and protecting all of our water ways, lakes, seas, and oceans is our main concern. But we will leave this huge topic for another article; Marine protection and the recreational diver.
Remember to be responsible divers whether you are a beginner or a professional. Enjoy all your dives, reach out try new forms of diving, wherever they may be, and most of all be safe.
There is no one place that is the best. The best place is the place your diving right at this moment. That is what scuba diving is about.
So in conclusion whether its fresh or salt water diving it all comes down to having a great time comming together as a community, learning new techniques, leaving bubbles, and preserving our ocean planet for the generations to come.
Other articles that might interest you
*The links marked with an asterisk (*) are commission links, also called affiliate links. If you click on such a link and buy something on the landing page, we will receive an intermediary commission from the respective provider or online shop. There are no disadvantages for you when buying or price.