This summer has been an interesting one. I didn't travel like I would to some foreign country and get lost or enjoy myself in a Caribbean island sippin' some summer cocktails. I mostly stayed in L.A. and travelled to a different kind of place. Most people can't travel there because a person has to be certified or you will indefinitely kill yourself. I'm talking about scuba diving. Since my first trip to Hawaii in my early 20's and seeing some random people scuba dive to the ocean, I have always wanted to be a certified diver. My sisters and I shared the same memory and so we finally became certified this year. One thing you don't know about scuba certification is it takes a lot out of your time, especially your weekends. The only thing you have to do is stick with it, and the reward is amazing. Especially our final dives in Anancapa. Anacapa is located in the Channel Islands off of Ventura County. Gosh, I have lived in L.A. since I was 7 years young, and this was my first time seeing this amazing environmental reserve. California is truly beautiful. The goal at Anacapa was to do our skills that we learned in the pool, and apply it in the ocean. That was the most annoying part because I already wanted to swim with the seals. Yes, they were these nice seals that wanted to play with us. After dive 3, we are certified divers, and our 4Th dive, we got to venture on our own to the mini kelp forest and see some sea life underwater. It was an amazing experience I tell you. To accomplish something most people can't do since fear of water, ocean animals and even the patience to learn the safety skills was trying enough. There was a girl that quit after her first dive in Anacapa. What a shame since she had invested all the time, money and energy. This wasn't our first ocean dive. The weekend before diving in Anacapa, we beached dive in Redondo Beach. That was truly spectacular as well. Anywhoo, scuba diver for life! Click here for pics on flickr.
