I don’t know the rules for Basketball, Baseball, Football, Soccer, etc. I guess I’ve always preferred sports where points aren’t really kept. That’s starting to change a little but still think of sports as more of different ways to get exercise or release adrenaline.
I have nothing against team sports or competitions but prefer to exercise on my own if someone’s going to be jumping up and down screaming “look what I can do” or “who did it better” or “my x is better than yours” I’d rather do something else.
SCUBA
In cold salt water I normally dive with a 7mm semi-dry wetsuit and 24 pounds of weight. I think a 80 cu ft. tank weighs around 35 pounds so around 60 pounds of gear on the boat. The goal is to be neutrally buoyant though so once you’re in the water technically you shouldn’t feel the weight. In reality, if you couldn’t feel it you wouldn’t need to make adjustments on the BCD.
So far have mostly dove in California and the waves, surf, and current can be strenuous if you aren’t fit. I’m a newbie so my bottom time on 80 cu ft. tank is between 30 and 45 minutes. Experienced divers can go 2 hours on a 80 cu ft. tank. The cold water also causes your body to produce heat which means you’re likely to tire quicker than on land. It’s a fun sport, especially when you’re trying to photograph or play with marine life.
Hawaii as around 75 degree Fahrenheit water. I dove in Hawaii with just swimming trunks and a rash guard and 12 pounds of weight. Since the water was warmer, there was no current, and I had less weight, I was able to get up to 55 minutes of bottom time on a 80 cu ft tank. It should be pretty similar in most tropical SCUBA sites.
Snorkeling
I started snorkeling in Hawaii and have also snorkeled in Laguna Beach, CA and very briefly in Cornwall, England. The point of snorkeling is usually so you can see fish and other marine life while you’re swimming or floating in the ocean. You can snorkel in murky water to help you breath but if you are snorkeling in murky water or any open water environment because you can’t breathe properly, you are putting yourself at a high risk for drowning.
Places like Laguna Beach, CA or Cornwall, England can have strong currents. My sister did not feel safe snorkeling in Laguna Beach without a professional guide. I was also right next to her the whole time which helped with her confidence. She did really great snorkeling in about 20 ft of water but many people choose to snorkel with a life vest which is perfectly fine. The tour boats in Hawaii provide life vests and/or safety noodles for snorkelers. The water is a lot calmer but there is around 40 to 50 feet of water or more beneath the surface on most of the boat tours.
Swimming
At the YMCA in Whittier, CA I was training (practicing) for a scientific diver test with USC. One of the requirements is swimming underwater for 25 yards (metres) or 75 feet without surfacing. You also have to swim 400 yards (metres) in 10 minutes. This is not a requirement for regular SCUBA or snorkeling and I missed the mark by 1:26 so did not become a scientific diver.
I grew up around a swimming pool so just had to do a little bit of conditioning to get my body back into shape. I did not magically learn how to swim right before I started SCUBA diving. It probably took a few years over several summers to get to the point where I could swim back and forth across the length of the pool the first time around.
Swimming is one of my favorite things to do since I love being around water and enjoy oceans, lakes, rivers, etc. I like swimming in pools as well and outside any courses or tests, I find being in the water relaxing. It does not make me nervous or cause me to panic which can create other safety issues during group or team activities since not everyone is so comfortable in the water.
Hiking
This can pretty much range from walking on a dirt trail to practically climbing up the side of a mountain. I tend to stick with easier hikes so I can enjoy the forest (my favorite place to hike). My favorite hikes are in the San Gabriel Valley along the 210 freeway, you really can’t pick a bad spot. I’ve also done a few hikes in Griffith Park, the Los Angeles forest and in San Diego.
Griffith Park and the Los Angeles forest are awesome for hiking, especially if you live nearby. I grew up in San Gabriel so got used to going hiking without having to deal with rush hour traffic on the weekends. The hikes in Los Angeles are worth the drive though. Runyon Canyon is a famous spot that I never had a chance to visit since it closed down for a while during the time I was hiking. If you’re in L.A. and in a hiking mood make sure to stop by and take some pictures.
Run/Walk/Jog
I ran a half marathon on my own in March 2017. I just wanted to see if I could do it and wasn’t worried about the time which was about an hour and a half slower than the average male half marathon runner. I’m still proud that I did it regardless of how I ranked since I wasn’t competing and didn’t even know what a good time was. I think even if I was competing, I wouldn’t worry about the time too much. You either win or you don’t.
The fastest I’ve clocked myself running was in South Dakota at 19.9 miles per hour around June of 2017. The data backups are in the US and I don’t have access to them to get an exact date. In California it looks like my fastest time was 14 miles per hour although I struggled at 13.6 for several months.
I’ve always enjoyed going for a walk around the neighborhood, running in the park or around the city/town to clear my head. I’ve been doing it on and off since I was a teenager and started back up in December 2016 after stopping in 2012.
Sky Diving
I’ve done 2 tandem jumps from 18,000 feet and 13,000. My goal is to get a USPA “A” license or equivalent so I can do random sky dives while I’m traveling. I’m not sure how feasible that is because my schedule stays pretty full but I have options that I’m looking at that may be possible when my schedule clears up a bit.