Scuba Diving

I've been scuba diving since I was 14. I've probably done over 50 dives (though I do a really bad job of maintaining a logbook), in environments ranging from tropical islands to literal ice water. I'm Advanced Open Water certified through PADI.

Some of my favorite dives have been at Molokini Crater in Hawaii, gliding alongside manta rays in Bali, descending into the surreal freshwater cave systems of the Cenotes near Tulum, and sinking into the depths of the Blue Hole in Belize. That one stuck with me — it felt so deep and so dark that, for a moment, I felt like I was floating in the void.

What draws me back every time is the weightlessness and the deep, almost meditative serenity of being underwater. It's like stepping into an alien world, where light bends differently, time slows down, and your entire field of attention narrows to the quiet rhythm of your breath.

Sometimes I just like to lay back and watch the bubbles rise, drifting slowly toward the surface. Down there, everything is unfamiliar. Things that look hard are actually soft, and things that look soft are hard (yes, yes, I know I shouldn't be touching stuff). But it's that sense of wonder, of immersion in a completely different kind of reality, that makes diving feel like more than just a sport. It's a practice in presence, a reconnection with the natural world, and a kind of stillness I haven't found anywhere else.