My First Scuba Diving Experience,Goa India Part 2

  Even though Goa doesn't offer top visibility,there are days when it is "not so bad" in Dec-Jan.I was a lucky few to jump when the water was stable and with great visibility.Look at the color of water along the grande island completely Blue without the rarest hint of wind that could storm up the sea.

For complete details on Scuba Visibility along the Indian Ocean

Visit : Scuba Diving in India:How and Where

My advice to those who would love to go Scuba Diving

Complete DSD at Netreni Island,Murudeshwar

Go for higher courses in Maldives or Thailand

or

Take up a pool session at various Scuba schools in India

Fly to Andamans,Thailand or Maldives for sea experience

GOA AT NOON

Previous post on Scuba Diving:Scuba Diving Part 1

I had pastas to lasagnas to macaroni to Desi food to beef.Shopping at Goa is always fun,where you can shop at flea markets at throwaway prices.As the day was bright and sunny,I got a little tanned.

 The titanium dioxide,the myroxyl and the likes on the sunscreen do these even work!!I never had a sunscreen which helped me be the same before and after my vacation at a beach.If I was an angel before,I got to return as a monster.

 My skin woos come first and next comes water sports.That's how its for me.So based on the temperature,climate,skin and the hot sunny weather I decided to skip the water sports.I had tried all of them in 2006,and wasn't interested this time.I knew I'll be having enough time to display water stunts at the sea tomorrow.

MIDNIGHT SCUBA AT GUESTHOUSE



How do you start a book "you might not be interested in "?.I follow my own method of reading books box wise which means I am fond of boxed DOS and DONT'S more than the content itself.Two warnings:

 1)Do not Dive with an allergy : I got allergy ever since I started living in Bangalore,and nothing can be done with the warning now when I have the will to try this sport and expenses are paid.

 2)Do not hold your breathe underwater:I don't know how to hold my breath on the surface ,forget underwater.

Now the time to complete the review quiz,since boxes and warnings can never be adequate to complete a quiz of say 75 questions and not all objective,I had to flip through few pages to get the correct ones.The terms were "Airway control","Alternator",and I thought scuba was easy.

THE SCUBA DIVING POOL SESSIONS

                                               
 If it was not the books and the video sessions and the quiz,I would've felt a lot lot better.Haven t we learnt since school that practicals are always better ways of learning.The pool session was interesting,I know swimming,but my swimming skills had nothing to do with scuba dive.

We had our wetsuits,we had our weights and we had our BCD jackets,we had our fins.All ready to go in,but the weights were too heavy for me,I was wondering if I would return as a single piece with the 5-10 kgs weights on my back.The moment I was in the water,the weights felt OK.Not as heavy as they did outside.

FIRST BREATHE UNDERWATER:SCUBA POOL SESSION

  The first breath underwater with the regulator was something I would never forget.A small swimming pool,made me feel like I was in a new world,when I was yet to discover the oceans.

   We(Me,vab and my instructor) sat at the bottom of the pool,and practiced skills.How to breathe without regulator,how to exchange alternators.I wasn't very comfortable with holding breath underwater,exchanging alternators.They said it correct,I should've listened to the warning,I had a blocked nose which made things a little difficult than usual.I cant complain for I may be out the moment I do..

Half day pool session didn't seem to be enough for the dive tomorrow at sea.Though swimming inside the pool with the fins was an experience which one can get only when you scuba dive.

SCUBA DIVING AT SEA,GOA


 The sun slept in and gave rise to a beautiful unpredictable morning.The whole night I kept asking myself "Am I in for it?" or "Am I not" and "whatifs".This wasn't the harness I was attached to,this wasn't bungy jump,somehow I feel more comfortable when things are attached.This was open sea and This is India.




What started out as a smooth sail over the backwaters of sea graduated to a tipsy Topsy boat at the middle of the ocean.The names and types of fishes were also being told,in case we spot one mid sea,we should know what it is.


FIRST DIVE AT SEA

                                                                         Scuba is a leap of faith

Leap Dive: A cute big step forward from the edge of the boat,makes you go several feet underwater before you come to surface.I loved the leap dive.Then we swam with the regulator,with the snorkel,off the regulator,with the mask,without the mask.

Somehow my own haircut was in the way of my mask,and 1st time when I did dive in there was water everywhere,in my nose on my mask.If you have ever had the salt water of the sea in your mouth,you would exactly understand my experience.I wish sea was more sugary...


SECOND DIVE AT SEA : WRECK DIVE


  To begin with,my second dive was great unlike the 1st one where I had to swim in this choppy rocky sea.The sea above the wreck was more calm,welcoming.They had this rope,with which everyone was told to descend so that one doesn't loose track.Once you're on a certain level of comfort with your ears,and your regulators and breathing techniques you can go on your own.

My instructor was tony,from UK,and he was a very nice gentlemen.We both went underwater several feet down and there was this amazing ship wreck right in front of my eyes.


 A ship on the surface is magnificent,a ship inside water is huge,grand.And kudos to those sign languages,ok no ok etc etc,I loved the whole experience of no nuisance talk.Silently,we move our fins,cutting the water,touching the ship wreck while the fishes stare into your eyes,inside the wreck,hitting the lows and gradually moving up.


GOING SOLO AT SEA : WRECK DIVE

                                                         Scuba is about teamwork and more teamwork

 The next dive was when my instructor told me to go solo.He accompanied me to a certain feet,and then when he started dispersing,I wished I could somehow hold on or convince him to be with me,but then again,regulators don't help you speak,all you can do is signal.I tried to signal him saying "no" as I dint find anyone else roaming in the mid sea alone.But then when he signaled "go",I gently moved away,and started on my own.And for the first time in my two days of scuba experience I wasn't scared.

I wanted to touch every fish,kiss,play with them,play hide and seek,move the group of fishes,go and hide in the wreck,touch every damn coral,every beautiful creature.It felt so alive,my nerves kicking.I felt the need to click snaps with them,wish they had underwater photography.There is a whole world out there,the same we have in on earth,people moving walking,the difference,I was a giant in front of those tiny miny moving fishes,creatures.


A few feet up I found my instructor,and he smiled and said "ok"?I said fantastic,in sign language.With the experience so unique you got to thank your instructor.I got into my boat all tired and tanned but with an experience of a lifetime.

  While returning we shared each others stories,on how he became an instructor.And Yes,we are still in touch.The best part of travel is you meet a whole new set of people,some like you,some better than you.And it adds on to a new perspective a new experience to your life.Looking forward to more dives with the group at Goa,to niche my naive skills.Lets see when that happens!

ON WHY IT IS NOT SO COOL TO STRUGGLE

Please don't force yourself to something you might not be into to prove you are cool.For beginners : Try Snorkeling or a Discover Scuba Diving Course for a day.That makes you more comfortable with gadgets and of course water.Proceed onto next courses.Take one at a time.Higher courses allows you to go solo in water,and also do the rescue operations.

                                                       
Thanks to:Barracuda Diving Center
Instructor:Tony