Another adventure and this time this one didn’t happen on the road…for once! This weekend I started my scuba certification in preparation for my Fiji trip in November.
This isn’t the first time I’ve gone scuba diving, but all the other times I’ve gone out since I wasn’t certified I always had to hold someone’s hand. This of course gets in the way of my picture taking abilities…no bueno!
Getting back in the water though, felt like home. I have always been more comfortable in and around water, especially when I am in high desert and it is 100°+ outside…water seems to be the best choice.
My love of the water was reestablished when I took that first breath of air off of my regulator. Prior to the start of class my husband and I were talking about our first experiences with scuba and he had said that your first breath of air on scuba is something you’ll never forget. It is such a memorable experience! Even though this particular breath was at a pool in Hagerman Idaho, the statement still stands.
Going back over memories of diving in Mexico, Hawaii and Australia I found myself longing to be in the depths of a salty ocean surrounded by marine life. I have spent my whole life studying and loving the sea and the marine life living in its depths that finally getting scuba certified seemed like a no brainer.
As I was going through the 24 skills required to perform in order to get certified in open water I had a profound moment. I was releasing bubbles as I was breathing slow and steady and a sun beam hit the water to where it caused me to look up. Just as I was releasing my air I was surrounded by glistening water stars (aka bubbles) reflecting little pieces of sun in every direction. It was beautiful, I would say breathtaking but that defeats the purpose of scuba.
This is why people get addicted to scuba diving! The beauty of the world around them and yet it is a world that is still undiscovered in so many ways. Like a world within a world, once you get a taste you are itching for more.
Now, even more than I was before, I am so excited for Fiji! To dive in crystal blue waters, to see fish, coral and marine life one could only dream of seeing in an aquarium. To have a place in another world, if even for a moment. This is the allure of scuba, “to go where no man has gone before” which depending on your level of adventure might very well be true!
More to come in the planning process of our Fijian trip!
Traveling photographer out!
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