REAF Scuba Diving

Yesterday, Lynn Borland and I had the opportunity to certify Dalton, the son of family friends in the neighborhood, as a NAUI Open Water Scuba Diver! He should get his Nitrox cert. tomorrow and he'll soon head off to Brisbane, Australia for a Master Degree program. Hopefully he'll get the chance to enjoy quite a bit of diving there!

I've really been remiss on posting updates to this page. This is a photo of our January 2026 "graduating class" for the crossover from PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) to NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) Instructors. Dan Murray from Dive Masters of San Antonio graciously invited us to join this crossover conducted by Greg Such of NAUI. Travis Wentworth of Dive Masters was also in the class. We are maintaining our PADI credentials so we can teach for both agencies. This is pretty much invisible for new students as the standards across agencies are very consistent, but it provides us with flexibility in how and where we teach. From left to right are; Greg, Travis, Lynn Borland, John Borland, and Dan Murray.

Puffer Fish. These little guys are pretty cute and curious.

Lynn & I had the pleasure of conducting confined water training dives 1 & 2 for Leo and Franssi yesterday on behalf of Dive Masters of San Antonio, and Leo sent us a nice note afterward:

Hi Lynn and John,

Thank you both for being such amazing scuba instructors today. Lynn, a very special thank you for the patience, encouragement, and confidence you gave Franssi throughout the experience. You truly took her under your wing and helped her accomplish every task with reassurance and care.

We really appreciate your professionalism, support, and the positive energy you both brought to the day. You made the experience memorable and enjoyable for us. Thank you again!

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Had our latest trip to Cozumel early Dec and Lynn logged her 600th dive!

Saw an article that basically said new divers should not feel ashamed on a dive with more experienced divers. Couldn't agree more. We were all there once and we love nothing better than watching novice divers improve their skills as they progress in experience. I helped certify a diver 4 years ago and he's now an awesome instructor. If you like water sports and wonder about what lies below the vast majority of the surface of the planet, you should be diving.

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If you or your student are interested in learning to dive or advancing current skills, PADI has 31 courses that can be used for college credit! Many of these courses can be completed in just a few days with some on-line academics. Message us when you'd like to get started!

Good buoyancy and trim are essential diver skills that help you maintain position in the water column, reduce air consumption, and protect fragile coral reef systems. That's me cruising over the largest field of staghorn coral I've seen. Picture courtesy of a mentor of mine of sorts, Terry Thomas, taken at Bonaire.

Bonaire is truly a diver's paradise. Very little to non-existent current, nearness of the reefs to the shore, phenomenal visibility, colorful reefs, and diverse marine wildlife make it ideal for shore diving. Do some boat dives to get to Klein Bonaire and some of the Bonaire dive sites not accessible by vehicle. Many operators include Nitrox at no additional cost and is a must if you're trying to get the most of your dive vacation. Water temp this time of year was 86-87 degrees F (I dove in shorts and shirt). If you like wrecks, you can dive on the Helma Ho**er. Currency on the island is the US dollar so it's painless for Americans. Hard to beat a world-class dive destination just a 4.5-hour flight from Houston. If you are not a certified diver and would love to experience this wonderland, Lynn Borland and I can hook you up in as little as 4 days of training.

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