Learning to scuba dive has always been on my to do list. It's one of those things I've always put off... too expensive, not enough time, too cold and lets face it - too nervous.
Well I finally did it!
Yep. I did. Last week while we were docked in Cozumel. We had been talking about it forever. It was time to stop talking about it and just do it. (sorry Nike).
We started with a class on a small boat where we learnt the 8 essential rules of scuba diving according to Hector, our dive master:
- breathe - in and out through your mouth. Do not hold your breath.
- Remain Calm, do not panic
- communicate - okay, something wrong (with mask, regulator, mouthpiece, slow down, go up, go down)
- follow instructions
- Keep horizontal while in the water
- Swim slowly and don't use your arms
Okay, so I only remember 6 of the 8 rules, but I swear I knew and followed them all on the day.
Then the boat left the dock and on the way to our first dive we learnt how to put on our mask, flippers, weight belt, bc vest and the tank.
Our first dive was just off the beach, in about 7 metres of water. It was all about getting used to breathing, all the equipment and learning to equalise our ears. I apparently hold my breath, which means I stay on the surface. That and I have a lot of natural bouyancy! I eventually got it all worked out. Our first dive lasted about 30 minutes. It was awesome.
(photo here, typepad is not being cooperative and won't upload photo)
Our second dive was a little deeper and a little shorter. I had some problems with my mask. It kept filling with water and I had to keep clearing it. Hector eventually took me to the surface so he could adjust it out of the water. Much better. Then my ears wouldn't equalise. There was a lot of holding and blowing my nose, moving my jaw and swallowing saliva. There's a lot of work involved in having fun.
Edgar and Gigli are doing their certification so they had some skills they had to practise underwater and we all got to watch.
While we did explore and see some coral, a few fish including a barracuda and some eels (but no turtles or sharks) we were too busy concentrating on breathing, fixing our ears, clearing our masks, staying on the bottom and not kicking each other in the head with our fins. I was hoping to see more colour, more fish, more coral... just more. However I am so happy I went. It was worth every penny and every minute. I would love to go again. Maybe one day I'll actually do a dive course and learn to dive properly.