December 05, 2017
When I think of stereotypical I.T. professional adjectives, “outdoorsy” and “adventurous” aren’t the first words that come to mind. That’s why it might seem strange that I decided to get scuba certified two years ago and have (finally) convinced my fiancè to get scuba certified too. Since her family frequently travels to the Caribbean for winter getaways, scuba certification seemed to be a worthwhile investment.
My first trip with them to Cozumel, Mexico was when I first experienced the wonders of the underwater world. Armed with a few disposable underwater cameras, I tried to capture the beauty of the flora and fauna beneath the waves. It wasn’t until I got the photos developed that I saw how much color was saturated by just 10-15 feet of water. With some color correction, a few photos turned out, but I was looking forward to cataloging my next Caribbean adventure.
At the beginning of this year, I went on my first cruise through the Caribbean. 
I was excited to be able to explore various islands and see the different ecosystems. Unfortunately, my fiancè wasn’t scuba certified at the time, but we were looking forward to her first dive in the open ocean. I think her experience, even at 20 feet, of seeing all sorts of fish, coral, and even an octopus pushed her to get scuba certified.
While island-hopping on the cruise, we saw a myriad of underwater creatures. I was able to freedive to get some photos of a sunken ship that hosted a variety of fish species. Off of one island, there was a region that had small bubbles emanating from the sea floor. The bubbles were caused by the volcanic activity on the island and and provided an intriguing experience that felt as if I were swimming through champagne.
With the experiences of my past two Caribbean adventures, I can’t wait for the next trip. In January, we will be going back to Cozumel and will be able to explore the reefs surrounding the island. Not only will I finally be able to have my fiancè as my dive buddy, but I will be bringing a proper underwater camera system to document our trip. With a proper digital camera and lights, I’m looking forward to photographing all of the different fish, coral, and other sea creatures.
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