and we took a spring break trip to the FL springs and down to Key Largo. It was the best diving trip I ever took. When we were going to Pennekamp park in Key Largo, it was the first day that dive boats were heading out after some rough seas had kept them in port. Seas were still about 10' the first day and we definitely had a few people sea sick. The craziest thing was getting back onto the boat in 10' seas. While waiting your turn, you could see the back of the dive boat raise way up and even see the props clear the water. You had to time the part where the ladder came back into the water in front of you and leap onto it and hold on for dear life while it rocketed you upwards. the momentum pretty much threw you up onto the deck. Good times.
One of those days, the first mate had to go in to grab somebody that was down current and floating away from the boat. He was a big guy, about 6'3" and built like a linebacker. He accidentally swam into a Portuguese man o' war and was incapacitated and in severe agony while we loaded up and hightailed it back to the marina where an ambulance was waiting for him. I always remembered to look up when ascending after that.