Meet Doug Webb! His passion for scuba diving started in December 2019 and has continued to grow since he jumped into the beautiful Caribbean waters in January 2020. Learn how he and his family got started and how he is taking his scuba skills to the next level!
“So how does one get into scuba diving? I’ve been thinking about that for a while and still don’t have a good answer, other than, you just do it!!! Back in December of 2019 my Father-In-Law Kerry and I were talking through the logistics of a family vacation to Cozumel and decided that scuba diving would be a fun activity while we were there. After a quick Google search and a couple of weeks later, I found myself in the Diventures pool with Kerry and my son Maddox, participating in the Try Scuba class. That’s all it took. All three of us were hooked from that moment on and had to continue.
The friendly staff and welcoming environment of Diventures helped us to feel right at home. In January 2020 the three of us were actively engaged in the Open Water Diver program with our Instructor, Erika Roberts. Kerry, Maddox, and I decided to complete our open water training dives in Cancun rather than waiting until May for the local quarries to thaw. Erika and the staff at Diventures reached out to the dive shop in Cancun and provided all the necessary paperwork to ensure that our referral qualifications were in order, prior to our arrival.
With eyes as big as saucers we strapped on our gear and all did backward rolls off the dive boat into the beautiful Caribbean waters of Cancun. We adjusted quickly and comfortably descended to about 40 feet where the excitement was just beginning!
Thirty seconds after we got to the bottom a fellow diver who had joined our group to complete her cert dives, started to panic. She spits out her regulator, exhales what little air she had left, and started kicking for the surface. She had no chance of making it so I grabbed her and shoved my emergency octo into her mouth, hitting the purge button. The shock of the purge and getting air calmed her down enough that we could slowly ascend. She made it back into the dive boat unharmed but needless to say, her day was over. The amazing training I received at Diventures gave me the confidence to take charge of that situation and potentially save a life. The Divemaster was extremely impressed with our training at Diventures and offered great praise.
Now that I was officially open water certified, nothing short of a global pandemic was going to stop me from exploring the Caribbean. Oh, wait….
I made the best of a tough situation by diving locally in the freshwater quarries of Iowa and Missouri, as well as, continuing my education in the Diventures classroom. I did manage to sneak a quick dive trip to Key Largo in September and had a great time. I highly recommend it if you get the opportunity.
I recently completed my twenty-fourth open water dive and fourth specialty class at Diventures, earning my Advanced Open Water Certification. I got a lot of value out of the Perfect Buoyancy class with Instructor Jason Anderson, and am looking forward to completing the Navigation, Night & Limited Visibility, and Deep Diving classes as well. My goal is to earn the rank of Master Diver by the end of 2021.
I’m not thrilled with the term “obsession,” but it may be applicable in this case. I’m hooked on diving and think about it all the time. With family and friends by my side, I look forward to the exciting adventures ahead.” – Doug Webb
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