“There I was, unsure of what to expect on my first ever dive into the ocean and before resurfacing my life had been forever changed.”
Everyone has moments in their life that stand far out, above and beyond all others. My first time ocean diving was one of those.
Simply getting to that moment hadn’t come easy. I was burned out from work, life had become stale and I desperately needed something new and exciting to distract myself with. One night I came across an online ad for scuba diving lessons. I hadn’t ever given diving much thought before then, but something in me sparked and said lets give it a shot! Living in Phoenix, Arizona there isn’t exactly a lot of clear water around, so our training was done in an indoor pool; before squeezing into an extra thick wetsuit (which made me extremely claustrophobic) and finishing my certification in a very cold, dirty and murky lake. Training had come with a lot of struggles for me and in the beginning I was second guessing myself about whether this was right for me or not. After completing the course I felt great satisfaction. I was certified and had overcome my own self doubts.
But I knew I hadn’t yet experienced what real scuba diving is all about. After dozens of hours of research I was on an airplane (yet another terrifying obstacle I had to overcome) and headed to Belize; planning to dive the world’s 2nd largest barrier reef, and the remarkable, legendary Blue Hole. That’s right.. I wasn’t starting my diving career out slow and steady, I was literally diving head first into the deep end.
Less than 24 hours after arriving to Belize, and minutes into my fist ever ocean dive, I found myself 80 feet underwater. The kind of water with such extraordinary visibility you can see clearly for hundreds of feet around you. Within minutes our 4-person group was surrounded by numerous nurse sharks, morray eel, large groupers and sea turtles. Amazed, stunned and instantaneously I was madly in love with scuba diving.
As we reached the bottom a lone nurse shark swam right under me:
More started to arrive, how exciting! (The white tube is filled with bait to attract them)
Just as I was shooting pictures of the action and not paying attention to anything or anyone else around I looked up to see a bright green menacing face headed straight for me!!
I was freaked out by that eel, he wasn’t the least bit shy! He has apparently never heard of personal space. After he decided to swim by me without causing any bodily harm I was both relieved and filled with excitement. How amazing is this!?
Within minutes more nurse sharks had arrived wanting to be fed along with large groupers. None of them were the least bit afraid of us, or each other. After the divemaster pet the eel I handed over my camera and he snapped one of me groping him:
We spent roughly 45 minutes underwater and every one of them were simply amazing. I could have spent the entire day down there just observing all the magnificent creatures. Check out the video to see my freak out as the eel surprise attacks me, and see all the nurse sharks and groupers:
And some more of the eel:
This will always be that one special dive that changed everything and I get to watch it any time I find myself missing the water 
I went on to dive the Blue Hole, and visited Roatan and Cozumel for diving trips since then. I’ve loved every minute spent underwater and cannot recommend it enough to anyone who’s interested in trying it.
Your green eel photos are outstanding. What a marvelous experience. My first diving experience was in Lake Ontario – the day after the ice went out and visibility was about two feet. Frigging cold is mostly what I remember.
Hey, isn’t that a Morray eel? Geez – they can bite you pretty good. But maybe it’s a different kind. Love the videos, and you make me miss scuba diving. I haven’t done it since my early 20′s, but am now inspired to retake a class and go for it.
I’m not an expert, as far as I know it is a Morray. I’ve seen lots of them (eels) on my dives and they’ve never harmed a diver in my presence.. I think generally they are fine. I have seen some videos where hand-fed eels mistook someone’s finger for a sausage though, didn’t end well for that diver
That eel seems like a sneaky little guy! I can’t believe how green in color the eel is. I have never tried diving, but I think I would love it. Just have to get over those fears first I suppose…
Suzy! You would love it. Once you get under the water, you will be surprised at the sense of calm you feel. Promise.
This is a great escape! Green eel is such a beast!
Love the videos. The sound of air bubbles enhance the feeling of underwater.
Awesome! Love the footage and love scuba diving. I’m planning to head to the Caribbean this summer… will not miss a chance to dive.
Looking forward to seeing you in Belize this summer! I assume this was from Esmerelda dive site? The eel there is always up on everyone — the first time she did it to me I was a bit freaked out despite them warning me she heads straight for big camera housings. Some great photos — what camera were you using?
Honestly can’t remember the name of the dive sites. It was right off the island though. I was using the Sealife Mini II, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it, these are all heavily edited.