I got scuba certified a couple years ago and sought out any and every movie, show, photo and interest to do with diving. I liked Sport Diver and Scuba Diving on Facebook because they posted a lot of cool articles, photos and videos. That's how I learned about the Stuart Cove's Dive of a Lifetime contest. Until that point, I dove in the ocean only once at Catalina Island. It was amazing, and I desperately wanted to dive in the ocean again.

I told Stuart Cove's I wanted to dive with them because I was pretty sure I had shark blood in my veins, and I would love to meet my extended family. I guess they felt that was a legitimate reason, and advanced me to the next contest phase. The five finalists had to make a 60-second video to win the grand prize — an all-inclusive trip. We then had an entire month to promote and share our videos to try to win the most votes. I thought that month felt long … the week after the voting ended felt even longer!

When I received the email stating I won, I was glad I was sitting down. I was overwhelmed with so much emotion. Never in my life have I won anything near the magnitude of this incredible opportunity. The fact that it involved what I enjoy most in life - scuba diving - made it even sweeter.

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On the flights over, I still couldn't believe the trip was really happening. Once I landed, I experienced diving like never before. So many sites to see. So much life. We dove reefs, walls, wrecks, underwater Hollywood and a life-changing shark dive. All the while surrounded by big pelagics! Everyone at Stuart Cove's, and aboard our vessels each day, made everything so effortless and easy to enjoy. It was a nice slice of heaven that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for a one-of-a-kind diving experience.

For more information about Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas visit www.stuartcove.com or call 800-879-9832

Click here to download the free Stuart Cove's app, and start planning your next dive today.