Divers- what's your best scuba diving experience?

No experience at all, done some snorkeling but that was the extent of water exposure

Jerome J. Paich
I was taught by Ralph Erickson PADI PRESIDENT at Loyola University Chicago and was certified as an open water SCUBA Instructor for twenty years. I found that diving in freshwater lakes was more interesting than diving in saltwater with great visibility. I have taught one disabled diver and found that the limitations could be overcome with patience.

As a LCpl in 1st Force Recon Co., I attended Navy Aqua Lung School in Pearl Harbor in 1959. We did submarine reconnaissance missions until left the Corps in 1961. In 63' I became a dive instructor in Walnut Creek, CA. & later became NASDS OWI 488. In 1969 I bought a small diving vessel in Santa Barbara, CA and obtained my license for commercial abalone and also for sea urchin. I owned a diving company in Port Townsend, WA for 20 yrs and retired in 1998. Now live in Nevada. The very best spots to dive.. west coast from San Diego to So. East Alaska. If you like spear fishing, follow the halibut runs from So. Calif up towards WA. I miss it all but soon to be 81 and kind of beat up. I still have a SubaPro MK-7 regulator in fine working condition and a new 1/2" thick farmer john wetsuit if someone is interested.

Photographing Recon Marines locking out of a nuclear submarine while underway off the southern coast of Cuba while tethered from the sub by a rope tied to a D-ring half way down the nose of the sub and to my waist. After locking out first by myself to pull my self along the deck and attach a rope onto the nose of the sub, I remember looking back toward the conning tower and seeing those huge ominous propellers spinning behind in the distant dark blue water, leaving me thinking that if I slipped up I would be chopped up into fish food. After tying myself in I looked up at the periscope to signal I was ready for them to start locking out and I almost burst out laughing thru my mouth piece when I saw the huge magnified eyeball of the Captain peering at me from the periscope. They were inside watching me waiting for my signal. I gave it a thumbs up and the Marines started to exit out the side of the conning tower as planned.

I really love "Koloa Landing" on Kauai. I had the pleasure of living there a few years and could dive that location probably 360 days a year! The spot is an old boat dock with easy walk-in access from shore and there is so much diverse marine life at this location I dove nearly 300 times and never saw everything! The landscape is forever changing with corals beginning new life. This is also a terrific location to watch corals spawn if you get your timing right in June, July or August. Eels vary in color and size. On sunny days it's usually easy to see octopus. Sharks visit rarely but are present, same with eagle rays and manta rays. We went on treasure hunts for the elusive and endemic "sunrise shell" people make jewelry with, and found handfuls over the years, so they can be found here! Life ranges from various fish to nudibranchs and even fireworms, shrimp, lobster, and more! Probably 30-40ft long dives, no shower facilities available, but there are porta-potties.

My best diving was in Hawaii all around Oahu and Kona.

One the best places I dived was off the coast of Panama near Fort Sherman with a fair number of shark and barracuda but beautiful area

On my honeymoon in 1982 I dove the wreck of the RMS Rhône in the British Virgin Islands. She lay diagonally in the sands with a depth of from 45 to 90’ as I recall. The movie The Deep had recently used that spot for the treasure recovery scenes. It was spectacular. 16 years later I would take my 12 year old son and together we would certify and that too was spectacular.

In south China sea off cam rahn bay noticed a shark pretty close so decided to get out when I got out I saw I was on the wrong side of a barbed wire fence with a sign that said THIS AREA PATROLED BY 1st Rok marine division DO NOT CROSS. Thought if I went back in the water I had to face a shark or stay on the beach and get shot by the ROK Marines.

I never have but think it would be great to learn, I am 100 percent disabled believe diving will do wonders for my body.