It’s hard to believe it’s been 16 years since the first Total Submersion Dive Festival, since the first group of PADI Diving Society members came together to celebrate this amazing sport we all love so much. I’ve been fortunate to be part of 15 out of the 16 Total Submersion events, and as I see the faces — familiar and new — arriving at Buddy Dive Resort in Bonaire for this year’s event, I can’t help but feel grateful for this amazing journey that I’ve been a part of for so long.

Bonaire is known for its laid-back, easygoing culture and diving, and without a doubt, this vibe was present during every moment of the week. The diving was easy and awesome — can you say “manta ray sighting” on the first dive out the gate? The Buddy Dive crew was professional and fun-loving, and every attendee was openhearted and quick to make friends. Bonaire is known for its numerous shore-accessible dive sites, and it warmed my heart every time I saw guests, who were total strangers only days or even hours before, pile into trucks and head out together to explore new reefs. That’s the magic of Total Submersion. The diving, parties, special events, contests and swag are all great, but the people and burgeoning lifelong friendships make this event so special — not that anyone objects to the extracurricular activities, contests, events and free stuff, mind you. This year, new Total Sub attendee John Landes went home with a brand-new Aqua Lung Core regulator after winning the Grand Prize for the most images and points captured in the photo-safari scavenger hunt. Included in John’s portfolio were beautiful pics of blue tangs, spotted eels, peacock flounder and scorpionfish, along with island donkeys and goats. Not to be outdone, Society member and PADI Instructor Justin Williams scored first prize during the underwater treasure hunt after locating the golden egg (really, it was just a painted rock), and took home a brand-new GoPro HERO4 Silver with built-in touch display.

Our friends at Divers Alert Network (DAN) handed out a variety of prizes, including first-aid kits and rescue throw bags, to participants in the second annual PADI and DAN Rescue Challenge. And every Total Sub guest received a swag bag full of goodies and was a winner during the now infamous (and PADI staffer Adrianne Miller’s favorite event) duck hunt — if you don’t know what this is, it’s high time you came to Total Sub to find out.

A special thank you goes out to our Total Sub special guests and sponsors, including DAN medical information specialist Lana Sorrell and DAN vice president of marketing Rachelle Deal for running the Rescue Challenge events and providing the great prizes and swagbag gifts, including a complete set of the new DAN Health and Reference Series guides; Aqua Lung regional sales manager Ted Foreman for providing demo gear, donating prizes for the contests, sharing his dive-equipment knowledge and entertaining the guests with his dive stories all week; and Sport Diver photographer Craig Dietrich for capturing beautiful event images and brightening up everyone’s week with his outgoing and magnetic personality.

A huge thank you also goes out to Buddy Dive operations manager Augusto Montbrun and his staff for making our week — and our dives — so special. Stay tuned for details on the 2016 Total Submersion Dive Festival.

Total Sub Guests Tell It Like It Is

Ursula Darlington

PADI Certifcation Level: New Open Water Diver

Number of times at Total Sub: One

"Total Submersion was my frst PADI event; I became a diver in April 2015. As a new diver, I have been looking for dives to go on to build my skills and confdence. Afer reading about Total Sub and Bonaire in Sport Diver, it ft exactly what I was looking for — lots of dive sites and a safe environment — and I read Bonaire is an ideal place for new divers just like me. My favorite thing about Total Sub was, well, everything! I met some wonderful people and learned so much about diving, coral and fish."

John and Crystal Landes

PADI Certifcation Level: Open Water Scuba Instructors

Number of times at Total Sub: One

"This was our frst PADI Diving Society event, and we chose to attend because we had never been to Bonaire. There were so many great things about Total Sub — the unlimited shore diving allowed us to dive at our leisure on of-days, and the drive-thru tank exchange at Buddy’s was a very cool and convenient feature. I especially liked the photo safari — and not just because I won! It gave us the opportunity to explore the island above and below the water, getting as many pictures as possible."

Patricia Fitzgerald

PADI Certifcation Level: New PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor

Number of times at Total Sub: One

"This was my frst PADI Diving Society event, but it defnitely won’t be my last. I had a trip planned to Bonaire from June 20 to 27, but afer learning about Total Sub, I changed my departure date so I could attend the event and spend two weeks on Bonaire. The PADI travel ofce was extremely helpful in making this trip possible, even helping me fnd a roommate to help with the cost. In retrospect, I’m so glad that my frst experience on Bonaire was with a PADI-sponsored event."

Bill Durbin and Flora Teng

PADI Certifcation Level: Bill, PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor; Flora, Master Scuba Diver

Number of times at Total Sub: Eight

"I looked for almost two years for a good family vacation; some locations are just too expensive for a family of fve. I’ve always wanted to take the family to Total Sub, but the timing never worked out due to the kids’ school schedule. This year, when I saw that Total Sub was in mid- June, I knew right away it was the perfect event because it’s afordable, there’s a fun agenda and it puts us on a team that we can bond with while we share our love of diving."

Susan Adeletta

PADI Certifcation Level: Advanced Open Water Diver

Number of times at Total Sub: Four

"I’ve wanted to dive in Bonaire for some time but was concerned about going there alone and having to look for dive buddies to go on shore dives with. Knowing that PADI was sponsoring a trip there removed that issue, and knowing that friends I’d made on past trips would be there as well was just the icing on the cake. It was great fun this year, both to spend time with old friends and make new ones. Each year we end the week at Total Sub not with 'It was good to meet you,' but rather with 'See you next year.'"