After Sydney, Lydia and I headed to Cairns in Northern Queensland, which was supposed to be a good destination for fun vacation activities in the sun (which it absolutely WAS). The day after we arrived, we embarked on a five-day intensive Learn to Scuba Dive course. This was mainly Lydia's idea - diving was the one thing she had promised herself she'd do while in this side of the world - but I jumped on the bandwagon pretty quickly, despite the fact that I'm not a great swimmer and am kind of afraid of the ocean. Fortunately, I passed the required swim test (thanks to Lydia's lessons and my own trips to the pool for the previous two months), and after two days of classroom and pool training, we headed out to the ocean for two nights living on a boat and diving in the Great Barrier Reef.
And then I punked. I was having a really hard time getting my ears to equalize (even at 2 meters in the pool, the pressure gave me a bloody nose), and the ocean hadn't gotten any less scary. The upshot: instead of doing 4 dives and getting my Open Water Certification (allowing divers to dive solo up to depths of 18 meters), I did 2 dives and a bunch of snorkeling, and got my Skills Certification (which means I can handle my own equipment, but have to dive with an instructor, and can only go down to 12 meters). Essentially, I did the same things underwater that the rest of my class did (sitting on the ocean floor and taking off my mask, removing all the equipment, etc.), but fewer times and at less depth.
Ultimately, it was a fun experience, and I saw some things while diving that would have been impossible to see while snorkeling. I got to scratch a turtle on the shell, and stick my hand in a giant clam (and then freak out when it started closing). But the GBR is so beautiful that even the snorkeling was cooler than I'd imagined, and snorkeling is certainly a lot easier and less stressful, at least for me. I'm glad I can say I went diving, and it's cool that I'm partially certified, but I have to admit it's a skill I'm not sure I'll be utilizing any time soon.
And then I punked. I was having a really hard time getting my ears to equalize (even at 2 meters in the pool, the pressure gave me a bloody nose), and the ocean hadn't gotten any less scary. The upshot: instead of doing 4 dives and getting my Open Water Certification (allowing divers to dive solo up to depths of 18 meters), I did 2 dives and a bunch of snorkeling, and got my Skills Certification (which means I can handle my own equipment, but have to dive with an instructor, and can only go down to 12 meters). Essentially, I did the same things underwater that the rest of my class did (sitting on the ocean floor and taking off my mask, removing all the equipment, etc.), but fewer times and at less depth.
Ultimately, it was a fun experience, and I saw some things while diving that would have been impossible to see while snorkeling. I got to scratch a turtle on the shell, and stick my hand in a giant clam (and then freak out when it started closing). But the GBR is so beautiful that even the snorkeling was cooler than I'd imagined, and snorkeling is certainly a lot easier and less stressful, at least for me. I'm glad I can say I went diving, and it's cool that I'm partially certified, but I have to admit it's a skill I'm not sure I'll be utilizing any time soon.
One of the big problems with diving is that it TAKES SO LONG to get ready! I'm sure that, with experience, it's faster ... but when you're new at the game, it always seems like there are so many things to check, and better to take a bit of extra time on the surface than to run out of air or something 10 meters down!
The boat did have a very cool dive deck, that at least made it easier to get in and out of the water.
The "Giant Step" entry method ... very easy as long as you remember to hold your mask and regulator (breathing apparatus) in place.
Going under with my instructor to complete my skills certification. We sat on the floor of the ocean under the boat while Lydia hung out, so that we could all go for a dive afterwards ... apparently, there was a reef shark just behind me, but I missed it!
Out of the water after my second (and last) dive - although I had to get geared up a third time the next day to practice my surface skills, including towing my diving buddy and taking off my vest and tank ... a LOT of effort to get all geared up, and then afterwards I stripped back down and went snorkeling!
Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of the marine wildlife ... I'd thought about getting a disposable camera that could go underwater, but there are so many things going on while diving that I thought a camera would be one more thing to distract me. And then, when I realized I'd be doing more snorkeling than anything else, I was out on a boat with no stores in sight! Oops ...
Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of the marine wildlife ... I'd thought about getting a disposable camera that could go underwater, but there are so many things going on while diving that I thought a camera would be one more thing to distract me. And then, when I realized I'd be doing more snorkeling than anything else, I was out on a boat with no stores in sight! Oops ...
No comments:
Post a Comment