My name is Charlitha Arney — people call me “Charlie” — and I am a customer service operations manager in Minneapolis.
I just got my Professional Association of Diving Instructors open water scuba certification this year at age 47.
For a long time, my biggest fear was the water. At some point, I realized that I’d already overcome so much adversity in my life and decided to tackle this fear head on. I started with swimming lessons and kept pushing myself until diving underwater was the next step.
It took more than a dozen hours of online learning, two days of in-pool testing and three days of open water testing; it was intense.
In July, I did my open water certification testing in Bonaire, which is an island off the coast of Venezuela. There are plenty of lakes in Minnesota, but I wanted to do my testing in a warmer environment because you lose energy and heat in the cold water.
It really is amazing under the water, and it feels unreal. In Bonaire, I was exploring a whole new world that I never knew existed!
I saw such incredible — and sometimes scary — things under water. I saw a pod of dolphins, an octopus and even a barracuda. Most of the fish are friendly, and they just come right up to your face. And you wouldn’t believe all the colors you can see down there.
It’s also a freeing experience. When you’re down there, you don’t think about what’s happening above the water — you’re just in the moment.
I haven’t been able to dive since July, but it’s important to keep up your skills. There is a place in nearby Maple Grove, MN, with a very deep pool where I’m able to practice with my equipment.
I haven’t convinced any co-workers to join me under water yet, but I have talked some of them into learning how to swim or enrolling their children in a swim class.
Later this year, I’m starting on my advanced open water certification, which will allow me to go to a depth of 130 feet. I plan to travel to Honduras for that test.
“Off the Clock,” a column on Postal Service employees and their after-hours pursuits, appears regularly in Link.
