Summer and Scuba

Most of my life I grew up on an island surrounded by lovely beaches. Naturally I took up various water based activities such as swimming, jet skiing and scuba diving during my summer vacations. I remember going to university at the beginning of the term and everyone would compare notes about which beach they visited during the break. My friends and I would talk about our summer experiences and exchanged stories on the resorts we loved and loathed we sounded like a bunch of critics or reviewers back then. We would talk about how clear the water at the beaches and about our amazing dives marveling at the lovely sea creatures (colour and all). Once I was bragging to my friends about the beach my family and I stayed at in Thailand. The resort staff was the best and they even organised lunch at a nearby island (or sand bar I think it was) for my parents celebrating their anniversary. We had lots of fun getting into our wet suits and being briefed about scuba diving, etc. My sisters and I still talk about this first time we went diving as a family, and surely we bonded so much on that trip.

It was during that trip when I first went scuba diving and found out that one could not travel by airplane for at least a full day after finishing a dive (and I mean a full 24 hours!). It was explained by the instructor that it had something to do with nitrogen levels in our body, ensuring that we are fully safe and no air bubbles will form in our joints (or blood) while on board the aircraft.

During this first dive I also learned that the refraction underwater tends to make sea creatures seem larger by about 33 percent than what their size really are. They even appear about 25 percent closer to us than what really is. When I go diving I just love how I am transported into a different world. A world that appears crystal clear (must be my great eyesight too!) and I feel one with the fishes and other creatures. I particularly like seeing the colourful fishes and I am amazed at how much I still have to learn about underwater creatures. A lot of the fishes I never even knew existed, and all of them so beautiful I could stay there staring at them for hours if I could. I think it is now time to plan that next trip and dive!