This is an adventurous sport where you have the opportunity to escape your natural environment and enter a world of the unknown where you are no longer an inhabitant, but a visitor. When you sit on the beach and admire the most exquisite beauty of the ocean, you can only but imagine of what really lies beneath the surface...............

Scuba Diving allows you to transform your imagination into a reality.

Scuba Diving is an extreme sport which has its risks - much like any other extreme sport, e.g. bungi-jumping and skydiving. So if your are not a daring and extremely adventurous person, then this is definitely not for you.

Scuba Diving is not the type of sport where you can just jump in the water and explore the underworld for as long as you like. One has to undergo sufficient training before doing so, obviously depending on the the type of diving you wish to do. There is so much marine life in the ocean that it's endless. You can see so many varieties of fish from teensy weenie ones to ones the size of a human (groupers). Common and exciting to see are moray eels, nurse sharks (harmless), barracudas, crabs, lobsters, sting rays and the list goes on, but the most exciting and most anticipated to see is the Whale Shark. Some people dive their whole life and never experience this beautiful creature, but if you are one of the lucky ones, it's a site you'll soon never forget.

Now even though the Ocean is classified as the most beautiful view on earth, underwater diving has it's risks. Yeap - you guessed it - SHARKS!!!

Okay, let us be realistic here. It is highly unlikely and there has been no record of a Scuba Diver ever being attacked by a shark in this Country. But, I suppose there is always that thought of you being the first. Do not be discouraged by this thought, because believe it or not, Divers have seen sharks and what do they do? Swim? No! they actually kick back and relax and admire the beauty before their very eyes. Now I don't know about you, but I can not exactly see me and a shark in the same picture, but Divers who have seen sharks, believe that they are one on the most beautiful and graceful creatures on earth. They say that you are so much bigger than all the other fish in the ocean, especially with all the gear you have to wear, that the sharks would much rather target a smaller and less threatening prey. Hard to believe - but it is true! But off course, if you come into contact with a really mean deep sea shark - WELL let us just say that at least your body was not donated to Medical Science, but to Nature! Don't think that I am trying to scare you, but this is just the typical worst case scenario, and that is probably all it will ever be, a SCENARIO!

There are different stages to diving - it really depends on how enthusiastic you are and how qualified you would like to be in Scuba Diving. So you can apply for various courses leading you all the way to being a qualified Dive Master or even further yet, to a certified Instructor Trainer!!! So you see, you can either have a once off experience or make a career of it. When you train to be a qualified diver, you have to undergo theoretical and practical training. The theoretical side is learning all the necessary techniques, signs and safety measures when diving. They will instruct you of what to do in any problematic situation. You also need to have a fairly broad knowledge about the diving equipment that you should use.

There are two situations that divers fear one being decompression and the other being nitrogen narcosis. Decompression - The nitrogen content in the air that you breath is absorbed into your blood stream. If you should rise to quickly, or on the other hand, should you stay under for to long, the nitrogen can form BUBBLES in your tissues and blood.

Nitrogen Narcosis - The Nitrogen that you inhale on the surface does not hamper your body in any way, but as you go deeper into the ocean, the nitrogen increases. This can not kill you, but much like alcohol, it can make you irrational and irresponsible. I like the buss word NARCED.

Now do not panic too much - because if you go diving for the mere experience of it, you have the qualified Dive Masters or Instructors which will assist you all the way!

Should you wish to partake in this adventurous experience, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is the place to go and Zendiving.com can take you there. One Dive, and trust me, Your Hooked. One dive experience I think everyone should experience is the Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary where you will experience sharks, rays, turtles and yes even a whale shark!!

So - let your adventurous and daring self take over, and experience the ultimate sport that is sure to change your life.

Think of it this way - if you decide to give Scuba Diving your best shot, the next time you sit on the beach and admire the endless beauty of the ocean, you will no longer have to imagine what is beneath the surface - you will KNOW because you have been there!!!!!