Hello everyone!
I am now officially a SCUBA open water diver! We did our ocean dives yesterday and today to finish up the certification. On Saturday, we went to the Kona pier to dive. The entrance is right in Kona town and it's a walk-in entry on a small beach. We did two separate dives down to 17 feet and just practiced skills. Today, we went to Two Step, a popular diving and snorkel site in Captain Cook. It is aptly named for the natural rock formation used as an entry and exit point that is shaped like two large steps. This area is much deeper and we reached 35 feet. We performed two dives here as well, but the first was a skills dive and the second was an 'explore the site' dive. We saw lots of coral, all kinds of fish, a few sea cucumbers, a ton of sea urchins, and even a baby turtle and a moray eel! Entry and exit was a little difficult due to the gear and the crowds, but there weren't many divers out which made it easier to practice. Our dive master took photos of us on our fun dive so I will be posting those here as soon as I get them!
I am super excited to have achieved my certification, especially because I was a little worried at first how I would manage and the skills seemed a little daunting. However, it was definitely easier than I expected and so much fun! I really enjoyed being in the deeper water and seeing everything from below. I am hoping that I'll be able to use my certification and go out again soon!

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