August 8th, 2019-

Today was my first open water dive to gain my diving certificate! Yes, that means the wet suit, the heavy vest and oxygen tank, boat full of rad instructors, island corals and fish, and beautiful blue waters. Doesn’t get much better than that. Excited to get in the water and see what it truly feels like to dive, the most common concerns lingered in the back of my mind. Would I be able to equalize my ears easily on decent? What if I forget a procedure? And the most famous concern my friends never forget to mention, what if I see a shark??? That being the least of my concerns, I suited up, and excitedly hopped on the boat with my fellow diving friends.

Today I swam with the diving program, Sunreef. They have a spectacular crew that adjusts to your every need, and brings a fun atmosphere to every dive. I highly recommend there program! Pulling up to the island, we anchored on the East side of Mudjimba Island, famously known to appear as a large ship wrecked from shore near the harbor of Alexandria Heads. Some of my German friends still believe it is a ship, but today I was able to experience the full beauty of the island with my own eyes. The weather was perfect with the sun shining, only a slight breeze, and crystal clear waters. After going over what we would be tested on in the water today, a group of four of us took a giant stride off the boat, and made our way slowly down the rope towards bottom. The concerns I had above had no effect on me, as everything went smoothly, and I felt very comfortable with my equipment and surroundings. Taking our time, we did some tests, then began to explore parts of the island’s coral.

Still so new to the salty, deep, blue waters of the ocean, coming from my world of mountains, the world of coral and ocean life astonished me. Seeing it from above is one thing, but the ability to glide close along the variety of colors, shapes, and movements across bottom is remarkable. As of wildlife, no I did not see a shark, or any big sea creature for that matter. But I did see plenty of tiny, colorful schools of fish. My favorite being the groups of bright neon blue ones. They were pretty neat.

After a slow ascent, we jumped back on the boat (in reality it was a slow climb up the latter as the gear was so heavy,) then enjoyed a warm chicken noodle soup on the boat deck. After getting warmed up, the boat moved to slightly different waters, and together we took another giant stride to start our second dive. Similar to the first, we completed our tests, swam around with the fishes, then ascended to the boat. Completing another successful dive. Warming up once again, we gathered on the front of the boat and soaked up the rays of sunshine and the stunning views of the delicate island. Today was an amazing experience, and I am excited to come back for my third and fourth dive to receive my diving certificate! Don’t worry, I’ll keep you all posted, and make sure to let you know if I’ve seen a shark. Until next time.