So after dinner last night (complete with waffles for dessert) we headed back to the hostel where we were allowed to stay up until 11:00pm (what a privilege) as the next morning was going to be much more relaxed, so we all sat up together chatting on the communal balcony until we all drifted off to bed.
This morning we were ready by 8:30 when we were picked up by the dive company and taken to the marina where we got on the boat to Gaya. Being on the boat was lovely; it was so sunny and we were skipping along the waves with the breeze in our faces and everyone was smiling and laughing. I could have stayed on the boat all day long!
When we arrived and clambered off of the boat onto the jetty we were briefed about life here on the island and what we'd be doing over the next couple of days. We quickly put our bags into our tents and then headed over to the main cabin where we met the diving instructors and went through all of the basics of what we'd be doing and the skills we'd need for our first confined and open water dives. Then we got kitted up, finding the right size fins and BCDs etc. Split into groups of four, we were each assigned an instructor and then one pair from each group headed off to the sea to begin. Gemma and I chose to go second so we had a while to sit around and enjoy the sun in our swimming gear.
After lunch, it was our turn. We went through the procedures again and then headed out into the sea. I was so, so nervous. I've wanted to learn to dive for nearly as long as I can remember, and finally the moment was here... So, typical me, I panicked BIG TIME. I started crying, shaking, and just couldn't do it. In my head, I'd always thought that the confined dives would be carried out in a nice clear, still swimming pool, just as I'd always seen it done in England. But here it was all done in the sea, and even though it was shallow, the weather had turned so it was really choppy, and the water became really murky where the sand was all disturbed, so it was stupidly hard to see and even to stay upright! I think it was mainly the fact that it was so different from how I'd imagined it in my head that threw me so much. It was all happening really quick - I literally felt like I'd been thrown in at the deep end.
I tried again and again to get used to it and carry on, but I couldn't get used to breathing through the regulator. Gemma's a complete waterbaby so she fell in love with it as soon as she was in the sea, whizzing straight through all the exercises and skills whilst I was still trying to learn how to breathe. I didn't want to hold her back, and I was just growing more and more frustrated with myself, so I came back in.
At first I was really upset because I couldn't understand how I'd wanted to do it for so long, yet as soon as I tried, I struggled immediately. But in the end, I calmed down, because at the end of the day, I did try, and I guess some things just aren't for everyone.
After a shower, we all watched the diving videos and were given our theory books, so this evening I've read through all of the theory and helped everyone to answer all the questions. I already knew some of the stuff from various discussions I've had about diving with Dad, so I felt like I was achieving something at least by being able to help the others.
Now, after dinner, we're all sitting in the main cabin together, overlooking the beach. It's pitch black, but you can just see the lights of Kota Kinabalu in the distance across the water.
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