So, You wanted to get to know me better?
Hello, My name is Robert Berg. I was born in Miami, Fl in1972 (the Dolphins perfect season). I was raised in a area known as Norwood, known for its, uh, diversity. Shortly after I turned 14 my family "moved us on up" to a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, FL - the city of Plantation, FL. I spent the next three years there at South Plantation High Screwl. Growing up in South Florida had some great advantages. Namely, going to the beach whenever I wanted to. Shortly after learning to walk, I was at the local pool taking swimming lessons. The water and the Ocean have always been a big part of my life. As a youngster we would take family vacations to the Springs in North Florida, Still one of my most fond memories. I pretty much grew up at the beach. Swimming, snorkeling, boating, fishing, and eventually diving, were all just things to do as a kid from South Florida. As i got older, My "wandering" spirit started kicking in.
Two months after I turned 17, I was off to Paris, Paris Island that is.. Yea, You know you've been a pain in the ass to your parents when they are willing to sign you into the military soo young. I doubt that I gave them much of a choice though. The Marine Corps boot camp definitely helped me grow up in a hurry. It must have been the sand fleas, or maybe using a spoon to eat fried chicken, or maybe it was constant affection adorned upon me by my drill instructors, Duno, but I would do it all over again given the chance. My job as one of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children was as a "plane captain" and "power plant mechanic" on EA6B electronic warfare jets. (for you navy types, our 11a and 310 shops were combined). The EA6B is far from a sexy plane, but she definitely got the job done. Well after a while, that old "wandering" spirit kicked in again..
After My time in the Marine Corps I headed back to South Florida (I still don't speak Spanish) and picked up a trade. I could have easily gone to work for the airlines, but after seeing a family member beaten down by the airline unions I wanted no part of it (the collapse of Eastern Airlines). I answered a newspaper ad to be a carpet installer helper, and a year later I was a self employed flooring contractor. I've enjoyed doing the carpet thing, but the hard work catches up with you as you get older. The really cool thing about being a self employed flooring contractor is i could travel anywhere anytime. I've lived in Nashville, TN; Charleston, SC; Las Vegas, NV; Fort myers, FL; Ocala, FL; Whidbey Island, WA; and even a short time in Butte, MT. Did I say something about A "wandering" spirit.
Somewhere along the way, my brother introduced me to SCUBA diving. It seemed a natural progression for a young man living in South Florida. What an awesome journey it's been. SCUBA diving has always been a constant challenge for me. After getting my open water certification, my immediate goal was to become a dive master so that I could have some credibility and experience supervising divers for a project in the works. That project involved filming my brother's children diving for a show on the Discovery Channel called "wrecked kids". The show didn't pan out (yet?), but it's inspired far more daring goals. After attaining my goal of dive master in a little over six months, I needed a new challenge. My brother took me on a "discover cave diving" dive at a place called Little River Spring. I definitely did not enjoy that experience (sounds weird, I know).
After seeing the skills my brother gained in his cave class, I knew that would be my next goal. My transition into cave diving was done with intense commitment. As a "would be" cave diver I encountered some of he best divers in the world (most egotistical also). Cave divers have been labeled as egotistical, elitist, and condescending. That was my first obstacle in my journey to become a cave diver. I wanted the skills, but thought that the prevailing attitude was definitely not for me. Fortunately I met two guys that mentored and guided me in my diving pursuit. Johhny Richards and Dan Patterson have been, and still are, great friends and mentors. They are not the stereotypical "dive nazis" that cave diving is famous for. It's hard to stay outside the "politics" of cave diving, but so far so good. These two guys also guided me through my technical instructor ratings and most recently my basic cave diver instructor rating. If you end up in Florida and are looking for dive training, look these guys up.
Unfortunately becoming a recreational, technical, and cave diving instructor has done little to curb my "wandering" spirit. I spent 2005 teaching in Guam, and returned to Florida to attain some prestigious instructor ratings. In late 2007 I made my grand return to my beloved Micronesia.
Diving is not "fun" for me, It's more necessary than that. I actually feel "joy" when I dive. There is no other activity, no drug, and no distraction that cause me to feel this kind of joy. All is right when i'm in the water. It goes far beyond my ability to write, I was meant to spend time with the Ocean. As George Burns said; "Find what you like to do, then find someone willing to pay you to do it". I hope that you will give me the opportunity to pass on my passion for all things underwater. That is the truly rewarding part of teaching diving.
