Scuba Dives on Matt Zabojnik

An Underwater River

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 01:00:00 +0000

On our second dive in Cozumel, we picked up a really fast moving current a few meters below the surface and it really took us a long way! We probably surfaced half a mile from where the boat dropped us off! I can’t believe how clear the water is here, the diving is paradise!

Depth: 35 Feet

Time: 40 Minutes

Buddy: Lizzie

Location: Cozumel, Mexico

First Dive With Lizzie

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 01:00:00 +0000

Lizzie took a crash course in diving then we made our first dive together! Lots of fun, very clear waters here in Cozumel!

Depth: 35 Feet

Time: 31 Minutes

Buddy: Lizzie

Location: Cozumel, Mexico

Shark Awareness

Sat, 20 Jul 2013 01:00:00 +0000

This was cool. We descended, then grabbed onto some cinder blocks that were on the ocean floor. The dive master was wearing chainmail, and called in the sharks! They swam all around him grabbing fish from him like puppies begging for treats! They were even wagging their tails in excitement to see him!

Depth: 58 Feet

Time: 42 Minutes

Buddy: Balli

Location: Maine Park, St. Maarten

Big Octopus

Thu, 18 Jul 2013 01:00:00 +0000

We saw a really big octopus. I wish I had my camera!

Depth: 48 Feet

Time: 50 Minutes

Buddy: Michael

Location: Bridge, St. Maarten

First Wreck

Thu, 18 Jul 2013 01:00:00 +0000

First time diving a wreck. It was pretty cool, and the deepest I’ve been!

Depth: 90 Feet

Time: 33 Minutes

Buddy: Michael

Location: Porpoise, St. Maarten

Shark Attack

Tue, 16 Jul 2013 01:00:00 +0000

This dive went way better than the first today. I saw a few sharks and one darted towards me, looking like it was going to attack! We saw lots of wild life and brain coral, a huge shell bigger than my hand with something living in it. Karen had an early ascent, and I found or later that she puked into her regulator 3 times.
There was lots of current since the dive was more shallow and the waves were so big. Overall it was a great dive.

St Maarten 1

Tue, 16 Jul 2013 01:00:00 +0000

I saw my first shark on this dive along with two octopus. Lots of plant life and colors. I was also able to test the gopro dive housing and red lens which worked well for color correction down there. A decent dive.

Depth: 72 Feet

Time: 40 Minutes

Buddy: Michael

Location: Cable Reef, St. Maarten

Open Water Refresher

Tue, 09 Jul 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Just diving in a pool a little bit.

Depth: 12 Feet

Time: 17 Minutes

Buddy: Michael, Mom

Location: Pool, Arlington TX

Dubai 3

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 01:00:00 +0000

We descended the rope and began our dive pretty smoothly. Wearing 14 pounds on a weight belt and a 2.5mm shortie gave me the perfect bouyancy the whole time. Saw a few eels and some schools of fish, not too eventful. I found a cool shell on the bottom and took a few good GoPro pictures and videos. There were some intense thermalclines that dropped almost immediately from 90 degrees to 77! I had fun rollercoasting up and down through them feeling the temperature change. The cold water felt great.

Dubai 4

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Diving by Shark Island was awesome. Great vis, maybe 40 ft. I saw two sand dollars immediately after descent. I saw lots of coral with beautiful purpules and greens. I got a little footage and some pictures with the GoPro. I saw a couple eels and some huge flat blue fish that would lay flat in the cracks in the rocks. There was also a fish laying flat on the bottom blending in with the sand that I got some video of. I saw my first puffer fish, then I saw 3 more of them! They were pretty big compared to what I had imagined. I saw another fish that looked like a puffer but it was about the size of my fist and it was bright yellow on top and blue on its sides and bottom. I also saw an anchor laying dormant at the bottom that has probably been there for years, and around that time I lost my group. For the first time since I began diving, I was completely alone. I couldn’t find anyone in any direction and after spending about five minutes searching for them, I knew they were gone. Since I didn’t have a dive computer and was relying on the Dive Master for our safety stop, I didn’t want to ascend immediately. I kicked in the direction of the island where the rocks had an upward slope, and watched my depth gauge until I was comfortably floating between 5 and 6 meters. Since our last safety stop on our first dive of the day was for 3 minutes between 5 and 6 meters, thats where I decided to stay for the rest of my dive. About 25 minutes later I heard the Dive Master swimming up behind me, clanking a 2lb weight on his tank. I was able to remain with my group for the rest of the dive. The water temp was great and I felt more in control of my bouyancy than I ever have before.

Dubai 2

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:00:00 +0000

I used my GoPro to film the entry this time. I just fell backwards off the boat while holding my mask. This being my first day to go diving off a boat, I had a lot of fun. We relocated from the last dive and went around 3 large rocks. As soon as I got to the bottom I saw a crab in a shell and picked him up. Also saw two eels that looked like they were ready to strike, but neither of them did. They just watched me go by with my camera. This was great diving, really nice viz.

Dubai 1

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:00:00 +0000

SCUBA Diving in Dubai was pretty amazing! Saw tons of fish, only one star fish, and a big sea turtle and a sting ray! We went out about a half hour and dove off a boat. First boat dive ever, it was pretty cool. Got lots of pictures and video with my GoPro. That was my first time using that under water as well. I need a new lens for it- a flat one that has red color correction so things come out looking sharper and more clear.
Fun trip!

Lost Mask & Huge Shells

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Well, just after paddling out and right before we descended, I lost my mask. We swam around looking for it a little bit, but I was pretty certain it was lost. Michael tried to reassure me that we’d find it, but I was getting frustrated and explained to him that when you lose something in the ocean, its pretty much gone. No use looking for it, especially with all the rock and coral below us for it to fall into. After about ten minutes of searching though, he spotted them! The dive was saved! We dove near some rocks and followed a long ridge line down and out to sea. We found HUGE shells out there and lots of sea life. Saw some crabs munching on stuff and tried to grab one but he was too fast. Great dive.

Caves

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Visibility was amazing here! First time diving with Michael, had a great time. We checked out the shells and explored around on the ocean bottom. Went into a few caves that had holes in the roofs. Drifted through and checked everything out. Pretty warm water out here.

Depth: 30 Feet

Time: 37 Minutes

Buddy: Michael

Location: Mile Marker 4 - The Big Island, HI

End of the Rocks

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:00:00 +0000

We paddled all the way out to the end of the pier for this one, about a third of a mile out, before we made the dive. We saw lots of sea lions, tons and tons of beer bottles and trash people had thrown off the end of the pier, and we lost each other 4 times. I put dents in my knife while trying to break the beer bottles and watched the lightning fast sea lions go by. On the paddle back we insulted each other in good fun about getting tangled up in kelp, or bit by sharks or wrapped by octopus. Fun dive, had the time of my life.

Camera

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:00:00 +0000

Took lots of pictures with disposable underwater cameras.

Depth: 29 Feet

Time: 41 Minutes

Buddy: Eduardo Contreras

Location: Breakwater - Monterey CA

Moonwalk

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

We “walked on the moon” by taking off our fins and letting all the air out of our BCs. We jumped around walked in the sand, felt like we were on the moon! I also did a front flip like that too. We climbed out of the ocean on the rocks on the pier instead of exiting on the beach. That was a tough climb, the gear and slickness of the rock made it pretty challenging. We were up for it though and helped each other up.

First Night Dive

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Out with Contreras, we got to our dive site late in the day so we decided to make it a night dive- our first one ever! We picked up some chem lights and a few extra backup lights. We descended into the kelp beds and tried to take pictures of what we could with the underwater disposable cameras we had. None turned out amazing, but there are some good shots. Turning the lights off makes the place completely pitch back which is kinda scary. Contreras saw an octopus which was sliding through the water. We chased it for a while and he got a snapshot of part of it. Those things are fast! A great first night dive.

Kelp Beds

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Swam into the Kelp Beds today. From the surface it looks like a nasty pile of seaweed, but from below it looks like an underwater forest. Its amazing down there, and this area had more sea life and more colors and stuff to look at than any of the other dives so far. My favorite spot yet.

Depth: 18 Feet

Time: 44 Minutes

Buddy: Jorge Tobias

Location: Breakwater - Monterey CA

Some More Explorin

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Depth: 49 Feet

Time: 38 Minutes

Buddy: Jorge Tobias

Location: Breakwater - Monterey CA

Just Some Exploring

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Depth: 43 Feet

Time: 27 Minutes

Buddy: Jorge Tobias

Location: Breakwater - Monterey CA

Nice Shell

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Found a really nice shell with just about every color imaginable in it. Very vibrant and amazing.

Depth: 34 Feet

Time: 30 Minutes

Buddy: Jorge Tobias

Location: Breakwater - Monterey CA

Geocache

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Found a pipe under the water near a huge anchor. Followed the pipe down to the sand and found a box chained to it. It was a Geocache! We opened it up and signed it, noticing that other people had signed it earlier today.

Depth: 36 Feet

Time: 30 Minutes

Buddy: Jorge Tobias

Location: Breakwater - Monterey CA

First SCUBA Dive: Skills & Drills

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Did a few drills to make sure I felt comfortable in the water. Took mask off, took regulator out, put them back in and adjusted. Feelin’ good.