How to Celebrate 100 Dives Without Doing The Naked Dive Tradition

how to celebrate 100 dives without getting naked

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Are you about to log 100 dives and not sure what to do to commemorate it? Continue reading to get some ideas on how to celebrate your diving milestones.

It’s a running joke among divers that on your 100th dive it is tradition that you celebrate it by doing a naked dive. Other divers have taken this 100th naked dive tradition to heart and were bold enough (pun intended) to strip down to nothing. But this may not be the case for everyone.

I have done more than 200 dives and to be honest, I have never been interested in doing a naked dive on either of my 100th or 200th dive.

First, I get cold easily and the idea of going au naturale and freezing my ass off just doesn’t appeal to me. Second, I don’t want to be exposed to dangerous sea creatures underwater. And third, I don’t want to deal with men leering at me above and underwater.

However, these did not stop me from celebrating my scuba diving milestones in other ways.

I think as divers we should celebrate these achievements and create our own traditions that best suit us. It’s not every day that you can say you’ve logged a hundred dives and that’s a good enough reason to celebrate.

In this post, I will share with you how to celebrate 100 dives or any scuba milestone without having to scuba dive naked!

1. Take an underwater photo

I think this is the easiest thing to do and execute as all you need is and underwater camera or a buddy with a camera!

I’ve seen divers decorate their slate or even their fins to indicate that this was their 100th dive. And I’ve also seen some who went to the extent of printing waterproof signs to take with them underwater. You can ask a dive buddy or your dive guide to take your photo to capture this momentous event.

If you’re wanting to splurge a bit you can also hire an underwater photographer for a real underwater photo shoot. Because why not, right?

On my 200th dive, I asked my dive buddy and guide to take my photo so I have a digital souvenir. He was happy to my portrait. I didn’t have to dive naked which prevented a lot of awkwardness between us.

Get your photo taken for your 100th dive
Here’s a “framed” photo of me in a full wetsuit on my 200th dive. Taken by my friend, Jorge. Read my full Bontoc Anilao Diving experience to find out what I did on my 200th dive.

2. Wear a costume or dress up

Rather than dressing down, why not dress up to celebrate your 100th dive? I’ve seen divers wear costumes underwater just for fun or during holloween. You can do the same for your 100th dive.

Wearing costumes can be fun and memorable. I’ve seen divers put on fun accessories like colorful tutus, headband or hats. I’ve even seen some divers wear cosplay outfits underwater.

Dye your hair differently for your 100th dive.
How about dying your hair for your 100th dive?

You can also dive in bright-colored scuba rashguards and leggings that are more fun than your usual dark-colored wetsuit. You can check out Waterlust, Blue Adaptation, Spacefish Army, Nudiwear, or Aurora Wetsuit for fun designs to make you stand out underwater while doing your 100th dive.

Dress differently to celebrate your 100 dives.
Wearing my Ocean Spirit dive leggings makes me look and feel like a mermaid underwater!

Just make sure that your underwater costume is not too complicated and that it will put you in danger underwater. And of course, don’t forget to take photos for posterity.

3. Buy a cake and share it with your dive buddies

You can celebrate your 100th dive by buying cake and sharing it with your dive buddies, dive guides, and boat crew. It is a fun and wholesome way to celebrate so you can share your joy with everyone you dive with.

I’ve also seen dive shops or dive resorts do this for their loyal customers. When they know someone is celebrating their 100th or even their 1000th dive, they buy cake so everyone can celebrate the milestone with you.

scuba themed cupcakes to celebrate diving milestones
Cute scuba diving cupcakes not just for birthdays but also to celebrate your 100th dive!

Not all dive shops will do this though. But if you ask me, there’s definitely nothing wrong with buying your own cake and eating it too.

4. Go on a liveaboard trip

Celebrating my 100th dive in The Great Barrier Reef
Celebrating my 100th dive in The Great Barrier Reef

I decided to celebrate my 100th dive by going on my first liveaboard trip. I specifically chose The Great Barrier Reef because this was always on my bucket list even before I knew how to dive. I knew I could time it perfectly so that I was in Australia fulfilling a lifelong dream while accomplishing this diving milestone.

I know several scuba divers who have done the same so that they’re on a liveaboard to celebrate their 100 dives.

You can check out Liveaboard.com for the different liveaboard trips you can take anywhere in the world.

To learn more, read my post on Liveaboard Diving for Beginners: A First Timer’s Complete Guide.

5. Dive somewhere new

Not everyone can afford to go on a liveaboard trip, but you can still dive somewhere new to celebrate your 100th dive.

You can go to a new dive destination near you and do a shore or boat dive instead. Or you might even stick to a familiar place but dive a site that you’ve never been to before.

For my 200th dive, I went diving in Anilao, a place I’ve visited before but I stayed in Bontoc Seaview Guesthouse, a bed and breakfast I’ve never stayed at before. As this was an important milestone for me, I asked my dive guide to also bring me to a different site I’d never been to before. He suggested we go to a site to see mandarinfishes mating. It just so happens that these are one of my favorite fishes so I immediately said yes.

6. Take additional dive courses

Reaching 100 dives also signifies some level of experience but learning should not stop after reaching a hundred dives. To celebrate your scuba achievement, you can take more dive classes to broaden your knowledge and skills.

If you’ve managed to log 100 dives as an Open Water Diver, you can go to the next level and take your Advanced Open Water Course. Or if you are already Advanced Open Water Certified, why not take a Nitrox Course or a Rescue Diver Course?

You can also take specialty courses in fields you are interested in. PADI, for example, has Distinctive Specialty courses for divers who love marine life.

Taking additional courses will open up adventures and opportunities for you. Who knows, these additional courses might also help you reach your next scuba diving milestone.

7. Do a cleanup dive

Do a cleanup dive to celebrate your 100th dive
Doing a cleanup dive is always a good idea!

For those who want to do something meaningful for the ocean, you can also celebrate your 100th dive by participating in dive cleanups. Many dive groups or dive resorts hold events so you can participate in dives that can raise awareness about ocean plastic pollution.

In the past I’ve participated clean up dives hosted during PADI Women’s Dive Day in July and International Coastal Cleanup in September. You can watch out for events like these in your local area and time it so that it falls on your 100th dive.

If not, you can also organize one yourself with your dive buddy. Here are some tips on how you can do a proper underwater cleanup.

8. Buy new dive gear

Logging a hundred dives is a good reason to buy that dive gear you’ve been eyeing.

Maybe you’ve been renting dive gear all this time, your 100th dive can be the perfect excuse to buy your own scuba gear for the first time.

I remember when I was nearing my hundred dives I gifted myself with a brand new dive computer. I also splurged on a better scuba diving camera- my Canon G7X and Fantasea underwater housing.

For me buying dive gear was my reward for making it this far.

9. Get tattooed

If you want something more permanent, you can also get tattooed to remember your special day. You can start your own 100 dives tradition and get a new tattoo every time you hit a hundred dives.

My dive buddy loves getting tattooed and each one has a backstory.

Maybe you can get a tattoo of an ocean creature you saw on your 100th dive. Or get a tattoo from the place or country where you did your 100th dive.

There are many cool scuba diving designs you can tattoo on your body. Each tattoo can hold a special meaning or memory that will bring you back to the day you logged your 100th dive.

I hope this list gave you some ideas on how you can celebrate your scuba diving milestones without having to go nude underwater.

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9 fun ways to celebrate 100 dives without doing the naked dive tradition
how to celebrate your 100th dive, 9 great ideas that won't require you to dive naked!

How did you celebrate your 100th dive? What have you done to celebrate your scuba diving milestones? Did you do the naked dive tradition, what was your experience like? Leave a comment below!

The links above may be affiliate links. If you shop through them, I’ll earn a commission at no additional cost to you. For full information, please see my disclaimer here.

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