SCUBA in the Desert

This is the article I wrote this weekend:

During my summers as a child, my parents’, siblings, and I would meet my uncle at my grandparents’ home in Albuquerque for bar-b-ques and family time.  Before diving into their in-ground pool, we would take a walk.  My uncle was always reminding us not to swim before our food digested and a walk to “the park with the giraffe” was always a good distraction.  On the way to the park, we would pass a little scuba diving supply and class building.  My uncle always asked me what SCUBA stood for.  Each time, I proudly announced that it stood for “Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.”   After returning to the house, we would all take turns diving into the “deep end.”  When I was young, I always thought diving was incredibly impressive.  I found great pride in being able to dive into the water and touch the bottom of the oh-so-deep nine foot deep water. 

My uncle went SCUBA and snorkeling on his honeymoon.  He took classes before the trip in order to learn how.  He had learned at the little shop we used to walk by so often.

The shop is the New Mexico SCUBA Center.  NMSC is one of Albuquerque and New Mexico’s few SCUBA shop and training centers.  They have about fifteen members on their training staff (including Samson the guard dog).  They offer various types of classes.  The option to just “try” SCUBA is one option and there are seven different types and levels of instructional classes.  Beyond that, a diver may update their skills or take any of about 13 types of specialty training classes.  New Mexico SCUBA Center is a great place to get trained and certified in this sport and these skills can be used to SCUBA in the desert.  The classes include an instructional trip to Santa Rosa and the Blue Hole.

Santa Rosa is less than two hours west of Albuquerque and a great place to put what you learn at NMSC to use.  The Blue Hole is a phenomenon that is found smack dab in the middle of the desert and many scientists have studied.  On the surface, its diameter is only 80 feet.  At the bottom of the water hole (which is over 80 feet deep), the diameter is at 130 feet.  The water in the Blue Hole remains at 64 degrees Fahrenheit.  When the water is still, the bottom of the hole is visible.  The water is recycled every six hours at a rate of 3,000 gallons of water per minute. 

While diving around in the deserts of Santa Rosa, it is often recommended that the more advanced divers train by diving down to see sunken twin-engine jet 55 feet down into Perch Lake.  There is a locally owned, privately operated SCUBA shop where additional equipment including oxygen and masks can be purchased.

In order to dive at the Blue Hole, a permit must be purchased and a PADI or NAUI certification is required.  Training for these certifications can be obtained through classes at NMSC.  Both certifications are worldwide training courses and will allow you to dive at most locations.

It is definitely a good idea to train for SCUBA before you plan on diving during vacation.  Like the Blue Hole, many vacation destinations involving SCUBA do require that the participants be certified. 

New Mexico is a target location for many different SCUBA training schools and even professional divers.  This desert is a wonderful place for any person to live if they are interested in vacation in exotic locations like Hawaii, Indonesia, Bali, Long Island, Egypt and many other destinations all over the world.

When he returned from the trip, he had dozens of pictures of gorgeous fish and underwater plants.  I already had an incredible fascination with water, but these pictures almost turned it into an obsession.  I decided that I wanted to learn to SCUBA.  I started trying to dive to the bottom of the pool with just my flippers from the surface of the pool. 

That is as far as I have gotten to learning this sport, but if you want get started, visit New Mexico SCUBA Center online, call them at 505/271.0633 or email them at nmscuba@qwestoffice.com.  Once certified, you will have already visited Santa Rosa’s Blue Hole, but the staff will help you plan your trip to more exotic locations including Cozumel, Key Largo, and South Pacific. 

With summer right around the corner, now is a great time to seize the day and get certified in this beautiful sport before vacationing.  There is certainly no better way to take in the vast, gorgeous ocean than to dive in and look through goggles at glorious fish, beautiful coral, live sponges, sharks, rays, dolphins and other awe inspiring sea creatures and plants.