Deep Sea Diving Adventures

Hello folks!! It’s been a while since I posted on my blog… That’s coz I was busy training underwater… Read on to know more.

(Pssst… for those friends who have been asking me to share pics, I have no pics of my dive, as I was too scared to click or get clicked.. Next time for sure 🙂 ) Here’s the post for now… our little story of Scuba Diving at Perhentian Islands, Malaysia.

Sweat moistens my forehead as I stop salivating, my tongue sticks to my palate and my lips go dry and pale. The only thing that echoes in my mind is “Just stay calm and breathe normally, with your mouth!! Do NOT take the regulator off!!!”

Splasssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!  I see nothing except water, as I drown… I know I’m being engulfed by the endless ocean…..

Let’s rewind…

Our relocation to Malaysia made us wanna try something new! More often than not, it’s something that’s right in front of you that you tend to ignore, thinking you can do it anytime. So we thought of making the most of our opportunity in a land surrounded by water, marvellous beaches and amazing shores. We put the mask on, the regulator in place and geared up for the giant stride…

Phase I: Mixed feelings

To dive or not to dive; is it even worth the risk; what if I drown or never see the shore again – these thoughts crippled me, till I decided to hush them and give it a shot! Every adventure in life is worth a try, plus my dive buddy (the enthusiastic and adventurous hubby) was so determined that he began teaching me swimming and floating. Diving had to be it!!!

 

Phase II: Let’s do it

The preparations began! We got our books after testing us for a day underwater with a few basic skills like mask removal, tracing back a lost regulator, basic swimming, breathing, buoyancy control etc. Shuttling between studying, giving tests, quizzes and diving, with higher than normal heart rates (and heart pounding so hard and loud, you could hear it) we kept practising and diving relentlessly.

Phase III: The battle underwater

I had what I could call an ‘anxiety attack’ underwater and that made me immediately ascend to the surface. My body froze, mind went blank and I nearly blacked out, all this in a matter of a few seconds. And as I looked away from the shore, the ocean beckoned me, “Don’t be afraid, come embrace me” with its tone becoming fierce and darker than ever, changing to “I dare you to dive in” and THAT WAS IT!!! I thought ‘it’s now or never, it’s time to tame the ocean, it’s time to tame my fear!’ and I yelled right across to my instructor and buddy saying “Sorry, I panicked! I’m ready, let’s go back and LET’s GET CERTIFIED!”

 

Phase IV: We did it

We were thrilled on being certified Scuba Divers!!! But now that the momentum had picked up, the adrenaline rush was at its peak and we were really excited, this just wasn’t enough!! We wanted MORE!!! We spent a few extra days and an umpteen number of hours training for it, pushing ourselves, writing tests, giving quizzes and exams, training underwater, learning freakier skills frantically, undergoing immense physical exertion, trying CESA and the likes.. Phew!! That was smooth, it went really well.. I knew we had done it!… and we levelled up from Scuba Divers to PADI certified Open Water Divers!!! <*Happy dance*>

This by far was the best certificate ever!  😉

Fear factors and moments:

There were more than one freaky and nearly life-threatening moments that I embraced, with my fingers crossed, hoping I would survive the ordeal.

The boat ride: Having to kit up in water after jumping off the boat was by far the scariest one. What if I can’t reach to my kit or the water is too deep or cold; what if I drown?! And finally, a nearly teary-eyed me took the plunge…

Taking the mask off and swimming: That feeling of helplessness when you are literally blinded and have no clue where you are moving around underwater.

Switching to an alternate air source: The few freaky seconds of unstable heartbeats where you need to focus on NOT stopping your breath.

 The debates and arguments: My mind kept cooking up endless reasons I could give to ascend to the surface immediately, during the initial dives- faking leg cramps, dizziness, earache or severe stomach cramps… or how about saying ‘cut the crap’ and “focus”!!!

Heart-warming moment: When I looked at my buddy with scared and blank eyes just before taking the plunge and he blinked softly as if to say ‘I’ll meet you at the other end …’

Diving adventures to be continued…

Thanks to the immense training we received through our world-champ instructor that all skills above became as easy as swimming in water. Whew!!!  Being the kind of person who would take a shower facing away from it, who would hate beaches and getting wet in the rain to being a certified Open Water Diver, I couldn’t ask for more!!! A big shout-out to our dive master Tyler Michaud for his patience, perfection, consistency and discipline!!!!

Awaiting our next adventure… Bring it on!!!!!  

Lyf&Spice speaks:

Stay tuned for more tid-bits/escapades on Scuba Diving.

 

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