I was once asked my “why” for diving. The truth is, it began in first grade with a sand dollar — a gift from my dad, who was an avid diver. That small, fragile thing fascinated me. It felt like a piece of another world.

When I was nine, I tried a Skin Diver program. I barely completed the checkout requirements because of my anxiety. My dad always wanted me to keep diving with him, but fear held me back. Still, he told me stories about his dives, and I never got tired of listening. The ocean became something I loved from the outside… even if I was too nervous to step fully into it.

Right before he passed, he mentioned that I should try again. After he was gone, I made a decision: come hell or high water, I was going to conquer my fear.

I talked with several dive shops before finding Rum Runner Dive Shop. From the beginning, they felt different — deeply focused on safety, patience, and truly personalized training. In a moment that felt like more than coincidence, I discovered that my former youth minister was an instructor there. In 2020, I started my journey.

I was the most anxious diver you could imagine. It took a long time for me to become comfortable in the water. My instructors and dive buddies were endlessly patient, always teaching, always encouraging. And slowly, something changed. The more I learned, the calmer I became. One day, the education and the comfort finally clicked — and the ocean stopped feeling like something to survive and started feeling like somewhere I belonged.

I started volunteering with the dive shop and took every opportunity to be in the water as an extra set of hands. When I wasn’t in the water with the instructors, I took advantage of knowledge from conversations with instructors. I was able to bring my expertise in STEM to support camps and programming. I begin to support the dive shop with digital design and marketing flyers. I enjoyed my time at Dive club, finding a group of like minded individuals that continued to encourage me to step out of my comfort zone and keep learning.

This summer marked 5 years of diving and North Carolina wreck diving still felt like a mountain I hadn’t climbed, despite over 50 logged dives. In June, I finally stepped onto a boat headed for the Indra — one of my dad’s favorite dive sites, and the place that first sand dollar came from. It was also his last logged dive. For years, I had imagined everything that could go wrong in North Carolina waters instead of everything that could go right. What I found was one of the most beautiful dives of my life. I even brought back a broken sand dollar, reminding me of my start.

I’ve continued to grow, earning my Mermaid Level 1 and First Aid certifications, and I’m currently working toward Advanced Open Water and Nitrox. By the end of this summer, I plan to complete my Rescue certification as I continue moving forward with my goal of becoming a Divemaster and Mermaid Instructor.

My “why” looks different now. I don’t dive to prove I’m not afraid. I dive with my whole heart because underwater is where I found peace I never knew was possible.