Member Profile - Lynne Flaherty

Member Profile

By Lynne Flaherty

I often think of myself as the poster child for DIR dive training. You see, when I learned to dive, three and a half years ago, I was pretty hopeless. I did my descents on my back, had the situational awareness of a lead weight, and left a plume of silt behind me reminiscent of the Dust Bowl. But I loved diving, and I loved what I saw underwater, and I went looking for help.

Starting with a DIR-trained mentor, and then going to Fundies, and then Rec 2 and Rec Triox and what was essentially Rec 3 (then NAUI Helitrox with Andrew) and then Cave 1, I slowly and painfully acquired skills and judgment and the ability to think. Every step of the way, the improvement I managed meant more fun – less stress, more ability to observe the world around me, and more ability to communicate with the people who shared it with me.

And Unified Team Diving has brought me a fantastic community of friends and dive buddies, and a great set of experiences that range from Canada to Monterey to Los Angeles to Maui to Mexico.

Three and a half years later, I still love starfish and crabs almost as much as I love Mexican caves. And it’s my goal to share with newer divers, what good training can do to make this sport so much more enjoyable. Which is why, one of these years, you may see me in a UTD ITC.

http://www.unifiedteamdiving.com/profile/LynneFlaherty