How Much Experience Have We Had?

I started in 95, did the cert with 3 other guys I commuted to work with.   Did a bit of diving with them for a couple more years till they dropped away, but found a new cadre as I acted as an AI for my instructor, got me to about 2001.   This was mostly California diving, with a bit of Cozumel, Roatan, Vancouver, Hawaii.

Though I do a good amount of solo diving in the California tradition, still less motivating without partners, esp when it's a 2 hour drive minimum.  I shifted to skydiving for the middle part of that decade.

However, after a bad motorcycle crash, I opted to do an Aggressor charter in my recovery and had a great time in Caymans, and starting booking more exotic trips.   4 years later, met my wife and got her cert'd and the pace accelerated again.   At this point, at around 850 times, carrying a camera somewhere in the 500-600 count.

Camera:

In the 90s, I dabbled with the Aquashots using disposables, but when Ikelite released the 3 series with film loading (first APS, then eventually 35mm), I started doing it more heavily.  I played a bit of brand ambassador and occasionally got some freebies from Ike.  In an era that was still limited to very excellent/rich photogs, I thought I did pretty good with the fixed lens, fixed flash position camera in cold Monterey.

In 2003, Canon and Olympus were offering cheap plastic housings for many of their digitals for $200 or less.   So I got the S400 and then S410, and later the more controllable A570is.   With the exception of the focus speed, these were a vast improvement on the Aquashots, with the 100+ shots per dive, the preview and post view screen.   Though I was envious of the occasional dslr shooter, I didn't want the heft or the great expense.

At least until 2008, when I found a consignment package at Backscatter : a 20d + 8" dome + 10-22 lens for $2100.   Added one strobe and went to Cocos.   1 year later, added the second strobe and started getting in the dives.  in 2011, I parlayed an company's exit package into a spectacular 17 day, 61 dive trip to Palau and Truk.

In 2013 we added a gopro for video subjects, and as a compact option when conditions made the double strobe rig less tenable (Galapagos).

In 2015, I shifted to a 4/3rds system (GH4) for the easier packing size, bigger screen, and video capability.   However, I did not like losing the optical viewfinder and nearly unlimited battery life.     I do like the very small dome for WA, and have had several great trips with it.  I'm getting to a plateau now where I need to be diving more often to improve.   Retirement is still a bit away.

Thinking about the next generation model - unfortunately the 4/3rds seems dead from a sensor development perspective.  Panasonic moved to FF and Oly's em1-III was only marginally better than the priors.   Housing prices seem to have really leaped though - hard to justify > 3k on a housing for my usage level.   And I would prefer not to need 8 or 9" domes again.