From the Caribbean to Saudi Arabia, these are the most memorable dives I’ve taken.

(The advanced certification allows me to dive in deeper waters and partake in more specialized dives.)

Fast forward to today, and I’ve logged 107 dives so far … and counting.

Scuba diving in Saba, Caribbean Netherlands

Credit:Courtesy of Erik Trinidad

For those in the divemaster community, dive counts can be in the thousands.

And these 12 dives have left a lasting impression on me.

(According to theNational Park Service, such sightings are frequent here.)

Kelor Island in an afternoon before sunset with turquoise sea and tourist boats, Komodo Island

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It’s also aTravel + Leisurefavorite island.

On a port-of-call landing during aVia Croatiayacht cruise, I dove off the coast here.

The lack of coral was compensated by the closest octopus encounter Ive ever had.

A sea turtle underwater in St John, US Virgin Islands

Courtesy of Erik Trinidad

The mollusc climbed a rock and I watched it camouflage itself with the texture while hunting for prey.

I dove at the “Man O War Shoals,” which is near Sabas iconic Diamond Rock.

It is home toover 2,000 speciesof plants and animals, including 145 endemic species.

Beautiful old town of Hvar, Croatia

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During my dive here, the abundance of giant kelp looked like submerged woods from fairy tales.

Not surprisingly, these giant kelp are collectively called a “forest.”

(Mnemba Atoll is a tiny island a few miles from Unguja, the largest island in Tanzania’sZanzibararchipelago.)

A school of eagle rays swimming in Bora Bora

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Now, divers may see a bead on the ocean floor and it’s a symbol of that emancipation.

That said, locals say you shouldn’t search for a blue bead, as it finds you.

In the scuba community, the centennial dive is done nude and I followed through.

A galapagos sea lion off the coast of Isla Rabida in the Galapagos

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A school of fish swims underwater at Saba dive site in the Caribbean Netherlands

Courtesy of Erik Trinidad

California Sea Lion swimming and plying in the kelp forest in the Channel Islands, California

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The Mnemba atoll on the east coast of Zanzibar

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The beach at Loreto, Baja Sur, Mexico

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The Blue Bead at the St Eustatius dive site in the Caribbean Netherlands

Courtesy of Erik Trinidad

The Grenada under water sculpture park

Courtesy of Erik Trinidad

Scuba diving in Ummahat, Saudi Arabia

Courtesy of Erik Trinidad