Randy Wright has lead enough scuba diving expeditions to knowhow apprehensive a first time diver can be.
"Every time you go something different happens," he said, "Ilike to watch people getting off on it."
Wright owns local scuba diving supply store, The Dive Shop, andteaches diving through The University of Memphis.
The Dive Shop offers a beginning course for open water scubadiving and an advanced course for people who want to night dive,deep dive and dive into covered areas such as caves.
Wright recalled a time when he was leading a group on theirfirst dive - a night dive.
Night dives are more nerve-racking because visibility in shallowwater is nearly nonexistent, Wright said.
Before leaving shore, the somewhat nervous group of newbiesdecided to stop by a local bar and think about their approachingadventure.
As the group began to leave the bartender, realizing they wereheading out for a night dive, played the theme music from"Jaws."
Wright was the first to enter the water where six inches offlashlight beam was the only thing that made sight possible.
He swam to the bottom and waited for his group to follow him in.As he looked back he could see their nervous flashlights zigzaggingsporadically through the open water.
"I laughed so hard my mask came off," he said.
Wright said night dives can be pretty creepy the first fewtimes, but the payoff is worth the uneasy feeling. In fact, thatfeeling is what compels most scuba divers to take their firstdive.
"Primarily, it has a high sense of adventure," he said.
Wright explained the reason anyone would go on a night dive tobegin with is because many sea creatures are nocturnal and can't beseen any other time.
He said he has led groups through underwater city ruins andtaken large families on shark-feeding dives. After 25 years ofdiving, Wright still loves to go under.
After certification open-water diving is as safe as it gets,Wright said adding "you're much more dangerous bowling than divingin most cases."
U of M biology major Chris Stiegemeyer is a student Wright'sadvanced scuba class.
Stiegemeyer is now being certified for limited-visibilitydiving, deep diving, navigation and boat diving.
"A lot of the cooler sites are deeper," he said. Stiegemeyerplans to be a diving instructor in the future.
Advanced divers, like Stiegemeyer, must be able to control theirbreathing to avoid serious injury when deep water diving.
When breathing underwater, he said there are four things youneed every diver needs to know called the "Diver's Diamond."
The Diver's Diamond is comprised of a diver's skill andopen-water training and knowledge of physiology and equipment.These are the basic needs for a diver to dive safely.
Open-water divers rarely go below 60 feet while advanced diversgo much deeper. More advanced divers can enter sunken ships andexplore underwater caverns, but Wright said the deeper a diver goesthe more dangerous it becomes.
"The danger in those dives increases exponentially," hesaid.
