Divers- what's your best scuba diving experience?

Walking out of the ocean in Okinawa. Taking off my equipment, slipped on a stone and fell in a water hole on the beach hitting my shin. I was taking on water and trying not to lose my equipment. Something told me to stand up. I was in three foot of water. Quickly looked around to see if anyone saw. Luckly no one did. Ego bruised more than shin.

When I was stationed in Sharm-El Sheikh, Egypt in the Sinai Pennisula back in 2009-2010, there was Top 10 spots to SCUBA dive right near where our base was. Back in the early 1980s when the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) mission was first conducted to secure the Treaty of Peace between Egypt & Israel, they set up a base in the South Sinai that now has world class diving right down the beach!

Check it out if you're ever in the area or like really deep diving that's not too far from the shore...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvfmpSicBwE

Best experience: At night spear fishing on a tropical island reef. Best Spots: On Guam's reefs.

Going to Diving School in Del Mar California in 1964......then Jump School at Ft Benning, GA. then beginning my Diving and Jump Career in Kodiak, Alaska. Continued SCUBA and Para-Rescue for the next 33 years......Hard to say what was the Best..! I would not trade a Single Day of it..!
Bob Blevins/Retired First Sergeant USMC

First would be in the Mediterranean off of Ustica. Only get there from Palarmo, Sicily on a ferry. Amazing stuff laying in the silt. Litter from ancient ship wrecks like amphoras, broken statuary and face to face with the biggest barracuda with about two thousand teeth staring me in the face from about a foot. Caves with all the glowing colors of the rain bows living in an extinct volcano tube. After that Amex decided I must have lost my card. I had only that card with me because I left all my other cards with a friend in the UK. Made life exciting above and below. Also went to the Egypt and dove wrecks in the Suez. That whole trip was perilous but had a blast. Great memories of learning at Glen Faith's Mermet Springs. He has put stuff in the quarry including the 727 from a movie. He bought the 727 used in The Fugitive and sank it. Other fun things to find including Paddle Fish.

PJH USAF Ret Sargent

Diving the Great Barrier Reef/Coral Sea with my son.

Been diving a long time. I went on a trip out to oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico to spear some fish. Being the person I am I figured my dive table to 250ft. I had 6 instructors with me on this trip. Most stopped at 120ft
Two went to the 250ft Water was super clear, we had 200ft vis.
Fish lots of fish too. We shot some fish and the x-wife and I started up. We were shooting some fish as we went.
We got to 60 feet did a decompression stop. Then to 30 feet did another decompression.
Killed a lot of fish.
Two more dives that day were shallow under 80FT.

Next day we stayed fairly shallow. I shot a huge amber jack, it pulled my off the oil rig, I was trying to spread out to stop the fish. Then it decided it was diving. and down it went. I cut the spear gun loose and started up, then thought hell check the depth gauge. Well lets just say I was way to heck to deep in the Gulf of Mexico. I finally got to the surface, and could hardly see the oil rig and the boat. The water was glass smooth. I was probably 2500 ft or more away. It took a long time to make the swim back.
Having lost my spear gun to a fish, yea a fish, I was done for the day diving for fish.

Third day was great, we did our deep dive first. I had to borrow a spear gun. Shot some good fish, cobia, snapper and grouper. I was standing on an arm of the oil rig, huge huge amber jack swimming by. So I decided to wait to see what I could shoot. Saw a 8 ft hammerhead, cruise the rig, but the vis. was not great, we were closer to the southwest passage and getting some cloudy fresh water.

I saw this hug AJ, just out of range, then it came back in range, shot it, but hit it back behind the gills. The fight was on, the fish went around the upright, the cross arm, it was fighting hard. If you have ever hunted salt water, you don't use the nylon string, you change out to thin steel cable.
So the fish I finally subdued by cutting its hear under the gills, a bit of blood in the water.

I then checked my air, Crap I was down to 500 psi., but I was tied to the oil rig with steel cable. I tried to stay calm and work my leg loose, but it was not happening. I decided I might could cut the cable, Yea right that cable is strong and it was not cutting. I looked again I was at 300psi. I thought about cutting my leg off at the knee, but decided I did not have enough air to do that..
I now had decided it was my time to die. Yes I was 85ft deep, and we always hunt solo.
Somehow I slipped my fin off and my boot. And was able to pry the cable off and over my heel.
I knew I was out of air so headed up trying to stay calm. I saw the hammerhead on the way up again. I was near the boat, the last man up. I told then capt I had seen this hammerhead and he grabbed my BC an pulled me on board, the hammerhead was making a run at me.

Capt ask where his spear gun was, I said 85 ft deep on that leg of the rig. Told him I had stringer of fish on it too. He donned his gear loaded a 12 gauge band stick. In he went. He hit the hammerhead right in the brain and killed it. Another diver jumped in and went to float the shark with a buoy.
The capt was back in just minutes with the speargun and fish. As he climbed on board he said he had never killed a shark that big with the stick.

As we worked the shark up to the boat, the Capt cut the tail off. I ask why, he said the shark would bleed on out and the meat would be very good, he also said if you don't the meat of sharks can taste like ammonia...

Diving springs in Florida and the statue and little Grecian at John Pennecamp State Park... Key Largo, Florida

Bill Vietnam 1969 at LZ Charlie Brown tried to rent tanks from Navy. Not going to happen. Best experience Florida keys 1984. Big Pine key was great, Gulf is great if you get blown out on the Atlantic. 100% Veteran. [login to see] -love to hear more hot spots. Best phrase, it dont mean a thing !

I am a Dive Master with Nitro experience as well as some rebreather work. I also worked as a technician repairing first and second stage equipment. I you have something going on in South East Texas, especially near Spring, I would be happy to assist. If nothing else I have a box of books about diving and could probably donate some 1st stage equipment.