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My diving journey began in July 2025, when I took the PADI Open Water Certification course at Dean's Dive Center in Ft. Myers, Florida. I chose Dean's Dive Center for my class by researching online and reading reviews. Afterward, I visited the shop and spoke with the instructors who would be teaching me. This step is crucial: meet your instructors and ask questions. Like many new to diving, I had numerous questions and felt a bit nervous. While there's plenty of useful infor

What is the PADI Enriched Air Diver Course? The PADI Enriched Air Diver course teaches you how to safely use air that contains more oxygen and less nitrogen than regular air. This means you absorb less nitrogen, which gives you longer no-decompression limits, shorter surface intervals, and — for many divers — less post-dive fatigue. It’s especially helpful if you’re doing multiple dives in a day or planning a dive trip where you’ll be diving several days in a row. There are n

My Experience with the OTS Guardian Full Face Mask While taking my PADI Open Water course, I met a diver named Teo who was using an OTS Guardian full-face mask. He was already certified and diving with his daughter, who was completing her Open Water class. Teo shared all the benefits of the mask — no fogging, the ability to breathe through your nose, and overall comfort. It sounded fantastic to me! Around the dive shop, several people also had the Guardian and spoke highly of

Discovering New Depths with PADI This past weekend (9/28), I completed my PADI Advanced Open Water course with Dean’s Dive Center in Ft. Myers, Florida—the same shop where I earned my Open Water certification. The class was eye-opening. It highlighted areas where my skills were strong, but more importantly, it showed me where I still had work to do. That’s exactly why I’d recommend the Advanced course to any new diver who wants to grow. Before taking it, I watched tons of Y

Facing My Fears: How Scuba Diving Helped Me Manage Anxiety For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived with anxiety. It first showed up when I was around 18 and has followed me in one form or another ever since — from social situations to crowded places, and just about everything in between. Over time, I’ve learned how to manage it much better, but it’s still something that’s always with me. So when I first started thinking about learning to scuba dive, both my friends and I ha

Diving into the world of scuba can feel like stepping into a whole new universe. The ocean is vast, mysterious, and incredibly inviting. If you’re just starting out, you might be wondering where to begin or how to make your first dives safe and enjoyable. I’ve been there, and I want to share some practical advice that helped me get comfortable underwater. Whether you’re gearing up for your first lesson or planning your first open water dive, these tips will help you feel conf

How to Choose the Right Scuba Tank Size So, there I was at 82 ft on the Lady Luck and suddenly, I get a vibration on my Shearwater Peregrine Dive Computer. Reserve tank pressure Alert….. I’m now at 700 psi and my fun dive now turns into a mad dash to my safety stop at 20 ft. No one wants to cut their dives short because of low air. The scuba tank you choose plays a huge role in this. Picking the right size can mean the difference between a relaxed adventure and an early end t

On December 20th of 2025, I completed my PADI Deep Diver certification with Dean’s Dive Center in Ft. Myers, Florida. The same shop where I earned my previous PADI certifications. This was a course I approached with a fair amount of anxiety. At the time, I was still a relatively new diver with fewer than 20 logged dives. I intentionally waited to take the Deep course until I had built a little more experience and confidence. Even then, anything beyond 60 feet made me uneasy.

In January 2026, I completed my PADI Rescue Diver certification with Dean’s Dive Center in Fort Myers—the same shop where I earned my previous certifications. I had been looking forward to this class since my Open Water course. The idea of learning how to be a better dive buddy—and even how to rescue someone in an emergency—felt incredibly valuable. Rescue Diver always seemed like the course where you stop thinking only about your own gear, air, and buoyancy and start thinkin