Aquaviews recently caught up with Greg Davis, creator and the brain behind DiveBuddy.com one of the most active social networks for Scuba divers online and asked him few questions on what got him so interested in the sport to begin with. Here’s a look at what he had to say…
What was your first experience of SCUBA diving like and how were you drawn towards it?
My father and I learned to scuba dive together. It started off as a “thing to do” that we were both curious about. Once I took my first breath underwater, I was hooked. My first “real” dive was in Cozumel, the Palancar Reef. After having trained in Texas lakes and rivers, with an average of 10′ of viz, the ocean was a real treat. I never excepted to see so much aquatic life and I was amazed at how far I could see. I believe I nearly exhausted all the air in my tank because I didn’t want the dive to end.
What would you say has been your most memorable dive experience to date?
Diving with my father, a year or so after we both got certified, on the wrecks in North Carolina. It was, and still is, the coolest place I’ve ever dove. There are so many wrecks to enjoy, so close to shore. The temp is perfect in the summer and if you catch it on a good day, the water is very calm and relaxing. It’s the only place I’ve seen such a large congregation of barracuda…why do they all seem to hover and face the same direction? 
What dive gear makes up your setup for any dive?
I use an Aeris Atmos AI dive computer, a TUSA back inflate BCD, TUSA/Mares regs, TUSA dive mask and a steel tank.
Tell us a bit about Divebuddy.com. How did you get started?
I’m a skilled programmer and avid scuba diver. When my father moved away, I lost my own dive buddy. I began asking the local dive centers if they knew of someone that wanted to dive as much as I did. Their solution was for me to leave my name on a piece of paper in their shop and hope for the best. Plus, other social networks like MySpace and Facebook were too large and didn’t concentrate on a niche, they weren’t built with divers in mind. So I decided I could to do better…and DiveBuddy.com was born.
Did you ever imagine the site being this popular?
Actually, I knew it would be pretty popular. There wasn’t a single person that said it was a bad idea. Everyone I talked to seemed jealous that I bought the name and created it first. I receive so many great comments and emails from other divers, every single day…thanking me for such a great website. I think it’s the “community” of like minded people that we’ve assembled that’s most important.
What are your future plans for your business and the dive forum?
DiveBuddy.com will continue to grow organically for the time being. We have such a strong base of members that it’s really the “word of mouth” that continues to build the community at such a fast, yet sustainable pace. I may end up attending some trade shows in the future to spread the word more on the “trade” side of the business. We still seem to have so many “old school” dive centers and scuba businesses out there, so a face to face meeting with them might be in order But DiveBuddy.com is profitable and is very rewarding for us to own and manage.
What are the dive destinations or any particular sites that you’d love to do some time in the future?
Phillipines (helps when you have a good friend that just moved there), Belize, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico.
Any advice for readers who are looking to get into SCUBA diving?
Train well, spend smart, dive often, stay safe and most importantly…join DiveBuddy.com to make new scuba friends that share your passion.
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