My Quest for a PADI Diving License

I must confess that I got scared. Not for myself but for the one I love so much. What have I gotten him into? I persuaded him to try this adventure sports. He caved in after much prodding. And there we were, my husband and I, almost at the finish line before we get certified as PADI open water scuba divers.

Ervin, Willy, Marlo and Caloy

After a year since we started our confined water dives to get our license as certified divers, we were finally in Aqua Reef Club in Anilao last May 29-30, 2010 for our “check out” in the open sea. We started the morning with a review of the skills we learned in the pool. However, this time we did it 20 feet under the sea. We reacquainted ourselves with the technical aspect of the sport like setting up our scuba gears. We practiced emergency skills like sharing air or replacing scuba mask. It took us two hours practicing all these skills before our instructor, Willy Guevarra, decided we were ready for our open water dive.

Caloy and Ervin setting up our scuba gears

Practicing the "tired buddy" skill

The First Open Water Dive

I was excited for that moment to finally feel like a real diver. At around 3:30 pm, we rode a boat that took us to a dive site nicknamed Koala. We noticed that the water current was strong that afternoon. It was full moon the day before which may have explained the early tide. Nevertheless, we took it in stride feeling exhilarated by the adrenalin rush of a neophyte diver.

Fully geared up, I took a back roll and plunged under water. It was pretty scary at first not knowing what to expect when I finally hit the deep ocean. There were four of us who dove that afternoon – Willy, our instructor; Ervin, a 23 year old handsome gentleman; and my husband and I.

Caloy about to do a back roll

My heart was in my throat when I started to descend. I tried to keep my mind clear so I could remember all what I learned. It was generally a smooth descent until I saw my husband going down so fast. I learned later that his weight belt was too heavy for him that it pulled him faster than normal. In diving class, we learned that one should descend slowly, trying to equalize the air spaces in the body every now and then to avoid that “squeeze” in the ear which could really hurt.

Caloy had a rough time during his first open water dive

According to Caloy, when he noticed he was going down fast, he tried to fight it by trying to ascend. He sort of panicked when his ears started to hurt due to the drastic change in air pressure. He began breathing faster than normal and paddling vigorously. I saw our instructor swimming up towards him. My heart skipped when I saw one of my husband’s flippers slipped out of his foot as he was kicking hard to swim upwards. Willy retrieved the fallen flippers and put it on my husband again underwater. I tried to be stable and calm but attentive to what was happening to him.

Eventually, Caloy found his composure. He started floating along side Ervin and I. Then our instructor Willy had to restrain him again as he was swimming faster than the rest of us. Caloy kept on paddling his flippers, pushing him farther away from me, his dive buddy. The current was strong so it pushed him even farther away from the group. Willy was signaling him to go slow but Caloy didn't seem to understand. Willy signaled Erwin and I to be buddies while he kept an eye on Caloy the rest of the dive. I saw how tired Willy was as soon as we hit the boat. He apparently got exhausted just watching over Caloy!

(Dive) Buddies forever!

It was a 60 feet dive with a bottom time of 27 minutes. What could have been a thrilling and exciting adventure for me turned out to be an unpleasant experience. That evening, as I lay down in bed, I was anxious and worried for the next day’s dive. What if the same thing happened again or worse? Will I ever forgive myself if something wrong happened to my husband? What if it happens to me instead? All those negative scenarios were playing in my mind as I tried to fall asleep. I realized that diving is not one you can take for granted. No wonder one must get certified first by a reputable organization to avoid any of the underwater disasters. That first open water dive was a real learning experience for us. We learned the importance of checking the dive equipment thoroughly prior to making that dip. Like any sports perhaps, it takes practice to gain the necessary confidence.

A Breathtaking Dive

Good thing my husband was confident enough to give it another try. I was very hesitant to continue with the dives and willing to give up that dream of being a certified scuba diver. He overruled my weaker judgment and convinced me to finish off what we have started. So, off we went again for our next dives the following morning.

True to what Willy said that succeeding dives would be better and more pleasant, I had such great time during the next two dives. Caloy had finally settled down calmly and serenely throughout the dives.

For the first dive, we went to Twin Peaks site in Anilao. There I saw the most beautiful and colorful fishes my eyes laid on. As we were admiring the under water surrounding, a school of large, silvery fish (Talakitok or Jack fish) passed our way. They formed a giant silver curtain as thousands of them propelled towards us in synchronicity. Then just below us, I saw a school of yellow fish swirling around and around in circular motion. All of these were a sight to behold! I floated there, awestruck! It was the most breathtaking sight I have ever witnessed. There was also this huge butterfly fish that hovered beside me. It was fascinating how it kept following us wherever we swam. Our guess was that, perhaps, it was waiting to be fed with breadcrumbs. Fascinating!

The butterfly fish that followed me throughout my dive

This butterfly fish was huge!

Our second dive that early morning was equally mesmerizing. However, aside from fishes, we saw beautiful corals spread compactly in a wide bed of sand way 70 feet below. We witnessed it in the dive site called “Cathedral.” It was named as such because of the cross planted there by Fidel Ramos when he was still President. The cross lay in the center of two big domes. As we passed the cross, we swam beside a beautiful reef facing the dark and empty open sea. There I saw colorful corals clinging to the reef and small fishes feeding on it.

We made it!

Whoa! We almost missed that wonderful adventure if I succumbed to my unfounded fears. Diving is really fun! Diving affords you an opportunity to see a world that few can ever witness. Being down there amongst the fish and corals is a spiritual experience. It makes you feel one with all of God’s creation. It is really fascinating and awe-inspiring! I can’t wait again for my next dive, especially now that we are finally PADI certified open water divers!

Finally, am now a certified PADI open water diver!!!! Hurray!!!!