http://www.augustman.com/Why-You-Should-Dive-1250

It’s Monday morning and somehow I’ve made it to the office. My eyes are bloodshot, I’m suffering from a mild case of vertigo, my back is raw from sunburn and my every arm movement induces searing pain. I have, in fact, spent my weekend fulfilling my diving assessment in order to attain my Open Water Diving Certificate. Yet despite the tormenting aftermath, I am very much looking forward to my next dive.

And it seems like many share my passion, over a million people worldwide become certified divers every year. “Everyone dives for a reason” explains the Equator Dive, Master Instructor Eugene Gunaseelan, “Personally, I dive because I enjoy the technicality of it.” And by ‘it’ he refers to the dive equipment whose functionality stands between your survival and a watery grave. Should you decide to pursue diving seriously, Eugene recommends that you invest in your own gear so you can familiarize yourself with it, “A basic set of scuba gear would cost around a thousand five and up, especially if you’re looking for better brand and more top-of-the-line models.”

The cheapskate that I am, I managed to spend only five hundred dollars on my Open Water Diving Course. This amount covered everything from gear rental, to study material (yes, you have to pass a written assessment), to pool sessions where you get to try out your gear, and lastly the final test spanning three days and two nights at Pulau Dayang that includes transport, meals and accommodation. Be wary that the dive “resort” isn’t exactly five-Star standard. Think shared bathing facilities, bedbug horror stories and dubious looking curries (which later proved delicious).

The real world all but fades the moment you embark on your dive. The wonderment that fills you as you descend into the ocean is akin to stepping through a portal into another realm. The black inky water surface parts and reveals a transcendental world, basking in a cerulean glow. Rays of sunlight filter through the clouds of plankton like a million minute spotlights illuminating the magnificent coral formations protruding from the sea bed. As you sink deeper into this secret enchanting universe, the first thing that strikes you is the overwhelming silence. With the absence of hearing, my sight heightens significantly and I swirl my head around (perhaps overzealously) to attempt to take in everything at once. To my right a gnarled chunk of coral houses a small family of neon yellow fish, a small swarm of jellyfish hover ominously to my left and the infinite expanse of the South China Sea beckons. A couple of light kicks propel me forward and soon I’m skimming over the ocean floor.

Contrary to popular belief, there is little real danger in recreational diving. Reef sharks are largely disinterested in the taste of human flesh, fish are generally unaggressive. Even in worst case scenarios like running out of air or dysfunctional gear, there are proper safety procedures that ensure that you can surface smoothly. The main problems, however, arise when amateur divers start to panic. It is understandably distressing to be submerged in an environment that your body is evolutionarily incompatible to, in addition to being strapped to bulky equipment that limits physical movement, it is not easy to feel at ease. On the first sign of trouble, novice divers tend to disregard all instructions and instinctively swim towards the surface. This is extremely dangerous because shifting pressure conditions could result in decompression, a condition where gases in your body precipitate into bubbles in your body on depressurization. Although rarely fatal, it requires immediate medical attention.

Fortunately, my dives were all complication-free. I spent my last night on the island sitting around a wooden table with my fellow divers. We were a mismatched bunch, a teacher, a couple of IT specialists, a sales manager, an airline steward and me, all coming together in our various states of undress without our computers, iPhones or Blackberries. One dive master had a guitar and started playing classics from Guns and Roses, to Radiohead, to the Scorpions. And maybe it was the island atmosphere, or the fact that we were pretty sure we wouldn’t run into each other again, but we started to sing along, unaccompanied by intoxication.

I had initially planned to accompany this article with a sidebar listing the top five dive spots in the world and spent the entire journey there relentlessly probing Eugene for suggestions. He countered my question with another- “How would you define ‘top’?” I then explained that it would probably be dependent on the amount of things that you see, whether you could spot magnificent creatures like turtles, sharks or even manta rays. “Diving isn’t about searching.” was his reply before he changed the subject. And it took me till the end of the trip to realise why.

Life is like a continuous expedition, we are always on the hunt for something, for that perfect job, house or car. And disappointment always entails when we don’t find what we’re searching for. Throughout the dive I was anticipating spotting sea turtles; I was constantly scanning the surface of the waters looking for a leathery head bobbing up and down in the waves. When a turtle finally appeared on our final dive, I missed it completely. Well, not completely. I did see Eugene make the hand signal for turtle, but rather than rushing over, I opted to remain where I was, calmly floating about the reefs not focusing on anything in particular. Was I disappointed? Not at all. Anyone can pay a couple of dollars for an aquarium ticket to see a turtle, but what I did see was the ocean- And it was beautiful.

Article taken from http://www.augustman.com/Why-You-Should-Dive-1250

Now… do you remember how it felt like? Share with us your comments on your last season’s Open Season dive trip! Any unforgettable events that are still playing in your head, seen any marine creature for that first trip of 2009′s season? We want to hear them all  from you!

Photo courtesy of Gloria Ngoi.