From Snorkelling to Microdiving

Seaside holidays as a kid had me snorkelling before I could even swim properly and I have been doing it at every opportunity since then. Because of this I think I am pretty experienced and have snorkelled in places ranging from the Great Barrier Reef and Hawaii to the Seychelles and the underwater caves of Mexico. When I am fit I can hold my breath for a reasonable time so free diving to inspect something on the seabed is part of the fun. Although I had toyed with the idea of taking-up scuba diving I lost interest when I discovered how much it would cost and how long the training would take. I was not convinced that I would enjoy it any more than snorkelling or that the expense would be justified. I had no desire to become a weekend diver so there was also the question of whether the pastime would also demand a lifetime of beach holidays simply so I could justify my expensive training and get my annual scuba "fix".

Fortunately Microdiving has proved to be the ideal solution. I dawdled over the theory for a couple of evenings but the pool and open water sessions took no time at all and suddenly I was a qualified Microdiver. I now get a tremendous buzz Microdiving at the sort of depths to which I might briefly free dive when snorkelling. It all feels very comfortable and familiar but I can explore at leisure and without the feeling that my lungs are going to explode. Yet there is no compulsion for me to Microdive if I don't feel like it because the low cost of the training and the equipment means that there is no need for me to justify having made a big investment. I now keep a C-Pro system on my boat so I can take a dip whenever the mood takes me or if I need to fix something below the water line. There are so many things that can go wrong beneath a boat that it is hugely reassuring to have my C-Pro on board even if I never have to use it for anything other than looking at fish.