Scuba Diving Day 2: The ocean, the girl and the dive

After the emotional and dramatic pool session, I felt back on my game when I woke up on July 20th, 2021. If you haven't read my previous blog about this pool session, check it out here before you read any further.

The venue for my actual dive was the 'Temple Reef'. Temple Reef is an artificial reef where the divers opting for Discover Scuba Diving are taken for diving by Temple Adventures. On the day of my actual dive, I reached the Temple Adventures office at 7 AM, got suited up in my scuba suit, and left for the location from where our boat was going to leave for Temple Reef. A very nice couple who was going to dive with me gave me a lift in their car. (I didn't forget their names by God's grace... Their names were Praveen and Preeti... I guess😀) A truck with all required equipment had already reached and the crew was unloading it from the truck and loading it in the boat. Their rhythm, morning breeze from the ocean, diving thrill, the boat, the equipment, everything was overwhelming. I started having a sensation in my gut again. This time I just breathed, inhale 1... 2... 3.. and exhale 1... 2... 3.. 4.. 5.. 6... I realized how a small change in breathing can calm you down.

We were a total of 10 people for DSD that day. Two couples, 5 you-tubers from Chennai and me (alone). Total 10! Along with us newbies, there were 5 PADI Scuba Diving Instructors and a lot of equipment! Almost all of us had taken a seasickness pill before leaving so no one was nauseous and thank goodness no one was throwing up! While on the boat we all were having small talks. All of the remaining people and most diving instructors could speak Tamil so basically they were having small talks and I was smiling awkwardly. The couple who gave me a lift knew I couldn't speak a single word in Tamil so they were talking to me in pure English, which was really helpful.

After a long boat journey, we reached the Temple Reef. Everywhere you see from here, all you see is a deep, blue, and endless ocean. Oceans always intrigue me. But there was not much time to appreciate the ocean from above because we were about to go under! Two professional divers from our boat jumped into the ocean and tied a rope for guidance. Now was the time we jump (backroll) into the water and start f*cking diving. The couple from Bengaluru went first. I was observing everything keenly and breathing in a calm manner to avoid another "episode". A song was playing on the boat,

"What you know about rollin' down in the deep

When your brain goes numb, you can call that mental freeze

When these people talk too much, put that shit in slow motion, yeah

I feel like an astronaut in the ocean, ayy"

No other song could fit the situation! The adrenalin was rushing and somehow I started feeling pumped up rather than nervous. The two couples backrolled into the water in front of me and yes it was my turn now. The weight belt came on my waist, fins on my feet, the BCD tightened, I could feel the weight of the air tank on my back and I was all set to dive. Just before my backroll into the water, I remembered ZNMD, I thought to myself, "What is my last wish? I don't have any estate to nominate to someone, I don't have anyone's responsibility on me, I am on my own... Oh wait, I want someone to publish my blogs with my real name... That's it... No strings attached." Buuuduuushhhh!!! Then all I saw were my feet with fins on them, water, water bubbles, and more water.

I came to the surface of the water with an inflated jacket. My diving instructor asked me basic questions from yesterday's session and then we started going down, into the water. I thought I was panicking again but I breathed like 1... 2... 3... then 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... I calmed down and we kept going down while equalizing time to time. My instructor for this dive was another great professional diver who was very considerate and enthusiastic. (His name was Anmol... I guess again😀) Soon after I could see fish... fish so close to me and there were so many of them. This was it, all the panic, nervousness, embarrassment from yesterday just vanished as I saw those colorful clans of fish. "It is just like they show on discovery channel," I thought to myself and smiled underwater. We saw a lot of fish there and my instructor even taught a fun thing. You clench your fist and then unclench it and the fish around run away. I really enjoyed this little trick. While all this was going on my instructor kept asking me (in sign language obviously) if I was alright and I really was alright, I was more than alright! I lost count of time, I felt like having the best time of my life in a long while. I posed for photos and videos, swam around, floated around, basically chilled around, and had a lot of fun.

It was only after getting back up I realized I was underwater for nearly 30 minutes. I was stunned. Was I the same girl who was dying to get out of the pool the day before? My instructor praised me, "Are you a swimmer? You were enjoying yourself down there. You have the potential to stay underwater for long times. You should definitely do certified courses." I was on heaven nine. The crying girl was smiling, blushing. It might be just their marketing strategy but the insecure and embarrassed girl inside me was hungry for this compliment. I kept smiling and blushing and breathing. On my return journey, I literally slept on the boat, and trust me it was the best sleep I've had in months.

The whole scuba diving journey wasn't just about scuba diving for me. It was an emotional rollercoaster for me. I can say it just changed me, my perspective, and my life. I am eternally grateful to Temple Adventures and everyone working there for this amazing experience and also to my cousin who convinced me to try scuba diving in the first place. Life is an adventure in itself and I believe the added adventures make it more bearable. Love to all!