Celebrating Diving Milestones

 

On a trip to Kona in 2023, my buddy Luke logged his 50th dive. We also logged our 50th dive as a buddy team.  I christened the event,  “Hawaii Double Five-Oh, 50th in 50th” I took a picture of Luke signaling his 50th dive at the boat ramp. The dive itself was very memorable for it was the manta encounter night dive.  Back on board we removed and stowed our gear before heading back toward the harbor.  I mentioned that this was Luke’s 50th dive.  It elicited congratulations from our fellow divers but a “meh” from the crew.  I was a bit disappointed by that response.  On past trips with that operator I have seen similar milestones result in a moment of recognition by the dive leader and crew.

The next day we did our 50^th dive as a buddy team.  I snapped a picture of Luke giving me the “5-0” underwater.  Not a bad accomplishment for the two of us.  We have been diving together since Luke got certified in 2016.  The narrative of those experiences runs to many dozens of pages when transcribed from my dive journal.

Humans customarily mark various milestones or accomplishments with ceremonies, rites and rituals.  Aviators practice the tradition of cutting off the shirt tail of a student pilot upon completion of the first solo.  I recall the entry hall to the Civil Air Patrol building at Santa Barbara Airport in mid-1970s decorated with the shirt tails of several cadets.  The khaki shirt tail of my friend, Lee Ross, featured his name, date of solo, flight instructor Ernie Gabard’s signature, and the phrase “Jim missed his boat.”  That phrase alluded to me kidding Lee that the day he soloed I was going to be on a boat getting away to safety and that it would be a “damned crowded boat.”  When he called to tell me he soloed, I was greeted with “you missed your boat.”

Sailors crossing the equator become “shellbacks” with on-board ceremonies ranging from simple to elaborate. Scouts advance from “Tenderfoot” through “Eagle Scout” in formal ceremonies done before the entire troop.  Fraternal organizations conduct elaborate initiation ceremonies.  Head coaches get doused with Gatorade upon winning a football championship.  Military officer candidates choose from whom they receive the “first salute” upon commissioning.

What rituals does sport scuba diving use and for what accomplishments?  Not many come to mind.  I suppose receiving the initial certification or completing a new rating might qualify.

My instructor, Dave Rowell, upon completion of our basic diver course called us to the back of the boat, congratulated each of us, handed us our temporary certification card, and took our individual pictures with a Polaroid camera for our permanent card.  He then announced “you may now make a dive on your own with a buddy.  You are responsible for monitoring your repetitive group, depth, and time.” We all paired up, geared up and made our first dive.  It felt really good to be cut loose that way.

I recall Ed Stetson in Santa Barbara hosting a “meet and greet” with local dive instructors when his students completed their assistant instruction certification.  Other instructors I know host social events when a class finishes an open water certification course. 

The folks at CocoView Resort in Roatan use the Friday night dinner to recognize the accomplishments of guests during the week.  These events include specialty courses completed, certifications earned such as master scuba diver, and dive milestones such as the 100th, 500th dive and so on.  The enthusiasm of the awards is kind of infectious.  Everyone likes to be recognized by their peers.

Today, savvy dive shops and operators announce completion of certification classes via a social media post.  However, with few exceptions, most post certification milestones need to be individually or collectively planned among dive buddies.  You need to toot your own horn because no one is going to toot it for you.

Brooke Moreton of PADI noted that “doing something special not only helps you remember the hallmark dives, but also builds excitement moving forward.”  She suggests trying a new skill, like a night dive; diving a new location, documenting the dive with photos, making a souvenir, celebrating at dinner; and telling buddies and friends about the event.

On a trip to Catalina Island in 2001 with the UCSB Scuba Club, one of the members passed the 100-dive milepost. She made the Century Club at the turn of the century. (Yes, I am one of these purists who believe the millennium did start in 2001 A.D.) In a sport where most participants quit before their number of logged dives equals the age of majority, achieving five score dives is an accomplishment to be celebrated. 

While we did not have a brass band playing or even the Catalina barbershop quartet singing "I did it my way" upon her exit from the underwater park, you can see from the picture that the threesome dive team does have that infectious enthusiasm for the sport. If you look closely, you will see they are holding up fingers to form the numbers 1-0-0. I learned something about photography that day. Hands in black gloves do not contrast very well with a background of black wetsuits. Still, look at their expressions. This is one happy trio celebrating individual achievement.

So why can’t everybody have that kind of experience?