Hey gang, I’m Mags! Technically it’s Magali Côté but you can call me Mags. I started off as another average PADI scuba diver…
Though I wanted more than just an open water diver course, being Canadian, one of the only PADI specialities accessible were under the ice and drysuit diving. So I took those. I was so excited about the water species, I ended up with a pet yellow perch in my parents pool. Its kind of silly, but it was a good time!
As my interest in the underwater world grew I started doing underwater photography with disposable film cameras available at the local drug store. Remember, the big stupid looking bulky cameras right by the cashier? Does that make you feel old too?
Anyhow, after multiple sessions at the local pool and waiting a week period (after paying 6 dollars to find out that all the photos I took were complete crap…) I realized I wanted to do this for a living and made it my career goal.
With all of my motivation, I could move mountains. Instead, I moved water. Wanting to become an underwater videographer, I ended up working in the cold and murky Canadian waters as a commercial diver. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Chasing dreams and getting lost in your everyday life trying to pay the bills… Meh.
Being a 5 stars member of the ADD club (borderline 6 star member), I often get lost in my short term passions. These take most of my time, then quickly fade away… But one thing has been following me the entire time. My passion for the water!
Warm, cold, green, brown, fresh, salty, fishy, bloody, name it, I’m all over it. I now freedive deeper than I ever dove with a surface supplied umbilical. I prefer polespears over speargun, cold over warm and silly over serious.
If you want to hear the ins and outs of the diving trade (and probably have a good laugh) stay tuned. The Gatku guys suckered me into writing some diving articles on a regular basis so get excited for Diving with Mags!
