And tech divers, and cave divers, and wreck divers, etc., etc., etc.
I know you all are out there...I was reminded of it last night when someone told me I had essentially already "drank the Koolaid"....
What made you decide to train beyond an advanced open water level? Was it a specific type of diving you wanted to do? Did a change in where you live require a different type of diving? What do/did a more advanced level of diving let you do, or was there a fear or phobia you wanted to overcome?
I was so excited about diving when I first started, but had limited funds so I did one trip and waited another year before I knew I'd be able to afford another trip. I thought perhaps I might dive the (then) Texas lakes and mudholes but barely made it through PADI's Advanced Open Water for several reasons - I was cold in the water, my wetsuit floated my legs like corks, and navigating in near 0 vis freaked me out. I went on another Cozy dive after the course, but was convinced (then) that I was a warm water wuss. Now...well, I'm not so sure... funds are different, I live at a higher altitude, and am thinking about working on those fears. I think I might want to take an altitude specialty, but that would mean learning dry suit (warmth is my FRIEND), and what about those caves and wrecks and things really deep???
So give me some of your thoughts, why'd you do it? What did advanced training let you do or help you overcome?