During our recent trip to the Turks & Caicos, we decided to spend some of our time scuba diving!
Tannys had never tried scuba diving and Alex had previously been PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Open Water diver-certified in the past, but it had been several years since he had gone. So, we both completed the Open Water Diver certification together.
This required some intensive book studying (which we were lucky enough to do sitting by the pool in beautiful weather), as well as several pool dives to learn the basics. Although this was quite pleasant, we would recommend that if you know ahead of your vacation that you want to dive, try to complete a course where you live or online to save some of your vacation time!
We had terrific instructors through Caicos Adventures and felt well-prepared and safe throughout the process. Once we had learned the basics, we headed out into open water to test our skills and take in the beautiful ocean. We were able to complete 4 boat dives in total, off of West Caicos.
West Caicos is an area uninhabited by people (for now) and has beautiful coral reefs. We were lucky enough to see tons of bright-colored fish, an eagle ray, giant crab, barracudas, lobster, etc. By far the most exciting thing, however, is that we saw sharks on all of our dives! While this was a bit scary a couple of times (they can come close to check you out, at which point you fully realize how they are the top predator in this environment), it was also a truly amazing experience!
Scuba diving can be a great addition to your fitness and healthy lifestyle. Diving really targets the legs, core and back muscles as you move through the water. As well, getting all suited up and carrying your oxygen tank around is not an easy feat! This is also a great low-impact sport for people with injuries. Keep in mind however, scuba diving is NOT recommended for women who may be or are pregnant due to unknown potential effects on the fetus. There are also other medical contraindications to diving (e.g. sinus issues) - so check with your local PADI school to see if you are a good candidate to dive!
If scuba diving seems too extreme for you, you may want to give snorkeling a try. It also gives you a great low-impact workout and you can often see a lot while staying at the surface. If you have some travel coming up, think about spending a few days scuba diving - it is an amazing world underwater!
-Tannys & Alex
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