Scuba diving in Nha Trang - Sunday 20th April

Dive day was here! I was very excited and went to the dive centre to meet the other divers and set off for the sea. There were quite a few of us and we all had experience in diving at different places. We were taken to the sea and then got onto our boats. The views were stunning and the breeze was wonderful. While on the boat, we were told our dive teams and met with our dive masters. I was diving with a Chinese couple and a German guy. Our dive master had done over a thousand dives! He briefed us on the dive site and we got equipped and changed into our wetsuits.

We jumped off the boats and descended below the sea. It was very cold to begin with but then we had warm water. The water was very different to any I had dived in before - turning from hot to cold very quicly. We saw a very cool jellyfish and made sure to stay at distance length from it. We also saw many snake fish and different types of shell fish. However, the best part of the first dive was swimming through a very narrow cave. There were fish everywhere that we swam through and it was increduble to see deep into sea cave! What an adrenaline rush! After the first dive, we rehydrated and fuelled up while excitedly comparing notes on what we saw. There was some fruit and cakes laid out for us and it was good to get some rest before the next dive. 

For the second dive, the boat took us further to sea and again, our divemasters briefed us on the dive site. BCGs, flippers and masks on, we jumped off boat and descended once again. I thought that there were extremes in temperature of sea on the last dive, but these currents were even more hot and cold! We saw some beautiful bright coloured fish and more unusual snake and shell fish. The visibility was not as clear as the first dive but it was good neevrtheless. We were all flowing through the water with more ease, having warmed up a bit from the first dive. Before I knew it, 45 minutes had passed and it was the end of the dive. Again, we excitedly swapped notes and then relaxed on the sun deck at the top of the boat whilst exchanging travel stories. 

I'd had a fabulous day so far with my two dives and now it was time to rest off. Diving was exhausting and I wanted to have enough energy for the evening. Shirely and I went for our last meal together and then walked around. We found a cute little night market and although I was all shopped out, I still managed to buy something for my dear mother! Just behind the market, we came across some traditional dancing and role play that was being performed. Perhaps it was for Easter Sunday? There were many children sat there watching and we stood and admired the traditional costumes. What a wonderful day.

Bali Part: Scuba Diving Day 2

This morning, I was picked up at 7am again to travel to my dive site. Today, we will be diving in Blue Lagoon. Famous for its white sandy beaches and chilled out atmosphere, it sounded different to the mountainous, stony beach of Tulamben yesterday. Blue Lagoon was an hour and half drive away and today we were picking up divers from other hotels to go to dive site too.

It was great to meet new people and fellow divers. They were all doing fun dives rather than a course. We were a nice mixed age group and from Singapore, Canada and Russia. We would be going on a boat and jumping off today. Yesterday, I just walked into the sea from the stony beach, so jumping off a boat definitely seemed more dramatic! 

It was exhilarating jumping off boat and diving down. The water was beautiful, so blue and warm. My first dive was a deep dive, so we descended 30 metres below. I expected it to be more of a challenge to equalise pressure in my ears, but it was actually just the same as any other dive. Going so deep had consequences which my instructor had warned me about before we descended. It is possible for nitrogen to build up in the body and cause the diver to experience something called Nitrogen Narcossis. The effects can vary person to person but resemble being drunk - having less acute sensory and feeling happy or anxious. It is not however, dangerous and passes within few hours. I don't think I experienced any effects, so probably didn't have too much nitrogen build up in me. I saw even more variety of sea life and coral and enjoyed the adrenalin rush of being so deep under.

We got back onto the boat just under 40 minutes later and relaxed and dried off. The other divers who were doing their fun dives, all returned back too and we all exchanged stories of what we saw. A cup of tea and some briefing for my second and last dive followed. My last dive was a fish identification dive. My instructor showed me a book identifying characteristics, both visual and personality, of different fish. I was to descend with a slate and pencil and circle the ones I saw. We jumped backwards off the boat this time and descended about 25 metres. Already we saw so many different fish! Nemo, the clownfish, was everywhere! There was such a range; from beautiful little electric blue fish to large, flat, camouflaged fish. I kept referring to the slate of fish and clutched tightly while swimming. Everytime something looked familiar, I circled the fish on slate with my pencil. My instructor helped by pointing out fish that were hiding away. We swam up and down changing direction often and weaving through things to best spot hiding fish. It was fascinating and just stunning to see such a wide array. I tried to soak up every second as I knew it was my last dive.

Climbing back onto the boat after the last dive, I felt incredibly happy, but sad at the same time. I'd experienced so much underwater and now it was the end of my course. I have definitely come to love diving as much as baking and reading! We all travelled back exhausted and falling asleep on the journey. 

Bali Part 3: Scuba Diving Adventures Day 1

I was so excited to be diving again, that I must have dreamt of fish! Finally, I would be back in the sea. Along with teaching English, scuba diving was an important part of my trip. I absolutely loved it when I first tried it, back in 2011 in Thailand. This time, I would be doing the Advanced Open Water course.

The diving school bus picked me up from our homestay at 7am. It was a two and half hour drive to the dive site, Tulamben. My diving instructor filled me in on the day's plan and we chatted on the journey. It was such a picturesque car journey to Tulamben. There were volcanos and lots of greenery. We were driving down windy little roads and normally I would be nervous about driving on such roads, but I was too impressed with the views to care!

Once we reached Tulamben, my instructor and I went through the diving brief and some basic theory as a reminder. I was provided with my equipment and wetsuit and taught about navigation skills underwater. Some practice with an underwater compass on land and I was ready to hit the sea! We descended down about 16 metres underwater and saw many different fish and other underwater creatures. There was a little current, so it was challenging at times to keep together. I used the compass underwater to navigate myself and find bearings. It was interesting how distracting fish and sea life can be when you are trying to focus! The dive was just under 40 minutes and I enjoyed every minute!

For my second dive, my instructor gave me a little background history. I would be doing a wreck dive. Tulamben is a famous wreck dive site as there are remains of shipwreck from 1942, which make for a great adventure and exploration dive. We descended down 18 metres this time. It was fascinating to see the ship remains and details of the wreck. I'd never experienced such a dive before so it was particularly interesting to swim and explore.

Diving is extremely tiring work - all that breathing underwater and carrying an oxygen tank on your back! We had a spot of lunch and relax before the brief for the third and final dive of the day. I would be practising my buoyancy skills underwater, so my instructor explained me some theory beforehand. We descended down 18 metres again with a hula hoop in tow. We swam to the bottom of sea bed and used weights and string to attach hula hoop. I was to swim through the hula hoop on my back, my front and my sides, in as smooth movements as possible. It was challenging at first as I was not kicking effectively, but once I got the hang of that, it was much easier. I really enjoyed swimming through effortlessly and felt like a fish! It was so rewarding to see improvement with my fluidity.

The three dives of the day left me deliriously happy and excited for more the next day! My dive instructor said that I was surprisingly confident underwater with breathing and flowing through, considering that I hadn't done any diving for almost three years. It was such a compliment and good to hear. I got back to the homestay around 7pm and was eager to tell Shane about my whole day. I didn't stop smiling all evening :)