Diving with Legends
I had the awesome experience of learning how to scuba dive with one of the local experts of the Bay Area, Jim Steele. We decided to do our checkout dive at Salt Point instead of the boring Break Water (San Carlos Beach) in Monterey. After our checkout dive and lunch, Jim turned to me and asked if I wanted to try Ab Diving... heck yeah, I said.. lets get wet again!
So we hit up "The Washing Machine" in Salt Point SP, which is a turbulent entryway cove a few coves to the left of the preserve when looking at the ocean -- and i fell in love. It all clicked very nicely for me and I was able to limit out with two 8s and two 9s on my very first open water free diving experience (outside my scuba cert). Jim did two dives and pulled up 4 abs in about 10 minutes of diving, whereas I was out there for over an hour going up and down more times than i can count. I would have stayed out there longer, but people were ushering me in from shore. What i found out was that i had the biggest ab between the two of us and thus started my love for the hunt.
I have been ab diving for nearly 9 years now and I cant imagine my life without diving. Its therapeutic, its mesmerizing, its challenging and most importantly, its FUN! Jim's son, Jimmy, was for the longest time my diving buddy and we both would much prefer free diving to scuba any day of zee week.
Over the years I have taught more than a dozen people how to ab dive, and just last year i taught my two best friends how - and they both now love it. The three of us love to get in the water and try to outdo each other... wayne usually brings his underwater camera and we take turns taking pictures...
I love diving with my friends but nothing can compare to diving with the Steele's who have been in the scuba business for over 50 years in the bay area. The knowledge he has shared with me about diving and the ocean has given me a richer understanding of how wonderful the ocean truly is. Jim told me once that it is important for him to get as many people certified or in the water as he can so that more people can share the happiness the ocean has to offer.
He couldnt be more spot on.
Bigfoot
Great story
Great story and you hit the nail on the head about the Steele's. I just bought some equipment from Jimmy a few weeks ago and it really was a wonderful experience. The guys that run that store are some of the nicest, humblest, most helpful people I've ever met and I will never buy equipment from anyone else from now on. They are all hardcore divers and share a deep love and respect for the ocean. Jimmy mentioned that he prefers to take only 1 ab per dive these days instead of 3. You are very lucky to have learned scuba from Mr. Steele who I didn't have the pleasure of meeting that day. The reason? You guessed it, he was up in Sonoma diving!