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Most of my life, I wouldn't put my toe in the ocean. But I jumped in (literally) in a big way and got my first certification for my 50th birthday. Once I put a mask on, all the "terror" of what was beneath the waves disappeared. So if I were to do DM, it would only be for the sense of accomplishment.

I don't love or hate deep dives. I, too, like to hang at 50 feet or above. Love exploring at 20 feet as well. But I don't mind the deep dives and will go as long as there is something worthwhile - wrecks in particular for the big life we see on them (groupers and morays).

I'm all good on buoyancy now - that incident was in the first year.

But I had another little lesson when I switched from the 3mm to the 5mm. I forgot to take extra weight for the added thickness and brand new suit. Stupid people tricks. But the diving was effortless. I had been overweighting myself constantly. It was a lightbulb moment. Now, I still tend to dive with extra weight but it's because we sometimes get cruise shippers on the boat who seem to always underestimate their weight. I'm already better on air than almost anybody I dive with (except my sister) so it's nothing to take a few extra pounds. But it saves the dive for me because we aren't surfacing too early because some doofus was too proud to take the weight they should and struggles through the dive and blowing through air.

In Canada, we've been told not to vacation travel (although all our politicians think they are exempt) but I have booked for March 2022 in the Caribbean. In the meantime, I'm less than 1 hour dive from some of the greatest wreck diving in the world - in the St. Lawrence River. I just have to suck it up and realize I'm not getting to 82F water this year.