Scuba diving was on my bucket list, and since I was close to retirement in the summer of 2013, I thought it was time to cross it off. As I took my first scuba lessons, I quickly learned that it is true what many scuba instructors say - water is not man's natural environment. So, I was a little anxious about completing this certification.

After some basic research in local opportunities for scuba instruction, I had selected a dive shop in Salt Lake City, a short 20-minute drive from my home. The reason I selected them is because of the calming influence the owner, Lori, had on my anxiety. She also suggested an instructor who was almost my age, further diminishing my fears.

I aggressively completed the academic work and completed the pool training in good order. The open water certification was accomplished in a salt water "inland ocean" west of Salt Lake City. I had learned the basics and was now a certified, yet still uncomfortable, scuba diver.

I knew I had to master these skills to be a safe and competent diver. Although addressed in my training, I was barely able to control my buoyancy and even though I spent most of my adult life as a professional pilot navigating around the western United States, my underwater navigation skills were almost nonexistent. Moreover, I was certified at a depth of 23 feet, and I knew I wanted to go deeper. And to top it off, I never jumped from my sailboat with 50 pounds of gear on me, so boat diving would be a new experience. By the way, since we live at around 4,200 feet MSL, altitude diving was part of the training I received.

To borrow and modify a saying from aviation, now that my scuba training was completed, I was certified to really learn how to dive.

I adopted a 3-step approach to this challenge. First, I committed to joining the dive-a-longs the dive shop offered every month to local lakes. Second, I signed up for several specialty courses, such as buoyancy, navigation, deep diving, nitrox diving, and boat diving. Since I really do believe that knowledge is power, I signed up for a course titled Diver Stress and Rescue, to further allay my underwater fears. I also signed up for the Night and Limited Visibility course, as well as the First Aid, CPR, AED, and O2 training. The Science of Diving course was not far behind. And finally, I devoted time to improve my physical condition.

Whew! I know, that is a lot of study and effort. But it was worth it for me. I learned not only the specific academic material, but I also learned something about how to be a better diver in every course. This was further strengthened every time I went diving. I practiced, watched, and learned.

And then one day, I suddenly realized I had not been paying attention to the little things that could help me be a better diver.

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