If I only had myself to think for, I'd have gotten licensed within the first year that diver friend #1 had raved to me about it. Being a mom means my family gets first dibs on my budget.
Last June, I spotted a group deal for an intro dive package. 50% discount, it said. Wide-eyed and heart beating fast, I told myself, "This is it!" No hesitations, I sealed the deal within an hour. Eight more friends, who have also been wanting to learn to dive, also hopped on my plan. Before long, we were on the road to Planet Dive in San Teodoro, Batangas.
The divemaster Gerard Gozun introduced us to the essentials of diving ("Do NOT hold your breath!"). About an hour later, we were on a rocky shore, struggling to get into wetsuits. That alone should have made me lose 5 pounds. But, as soon as we got into the water, the wetsuit brought us a delightful sense of buoyancy. And then, on went the rest of the gear.
Our ex-Marine dive instructors patiently helped us get used to the oddly claustrophic sensation of bubbles drifting past both sides of the face; the initially confusing pattern of equalizing pressure underwater; and the purposeful control of one's breathing. Once you get over the strangeness of breathing underwater from a tank of compressed air, you settle into relaxed mode and just enjoy the sights. In particular, the first sight that changed me was the one I got from looking up and realizing I was underwater. Second was the closed gap between me and marine life. It is just mind-boggling how a myriad magnificence exists beneath the unassuming surface of the sea.
Now that I'm back on land, reality again has set in. But because I've had a glimpse of the beauty and peacefulness underwater, plus the fact that I'm doing my part to save our seas, I just have to go back. But I don't know when or how.
Lord, there's so much more that I want to understand about the sea.
*Photo credit: thanks, OJ Mano!
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