My First Time – Ellen Cuylaerts

What did you first learn to dive in?

I had just a bathing suit, it was very amateur and I didn’t feel great – I was very happy to come back to the surface, and I said “I’m never going to do this again” !! Buying my own gear turned it around for me!

How was your first drysuit experience?

In the Cayman Islands – it was very sweaty!

At what point in your diving journey did you identify yourself as a “Diver”?

It was really when I had done a lot of specialities – I never felt comfortable in the water because I didn’t have the knowledge about diving and I only felt like a diver after I gained more knowledge.

What’s your favourite piece of dive kit now?

Its everything fourth element! Because it feels nice, it’s comfortable, I can’t wait to put it on, even sometimes when I’m at home, because I miss the diving! I really love my Argonaut because it feels like pyjamas and it’s very comfortable to take photographs in.

I also love the Halo undersuit – I wore it for the first time on the ice floes of Canada and it felt so comfy and warm! It is also made easy for women to go to the bathroom!

If there’s one thing that you wished fourth element made, that we don’t already make, what is it?

A Proteus wetsuit that goes on super easy!! It’s so warm and I love it, it’s my favourite suit for all types of diving but I do sometimes have a hard time getting the suit on!!