Scuba diving..Done!

My 1st dive, with Dive Goa, Sinquerim.

I reached the Sinq club, where the training in the pool  was to be held. As soon as I registered,

I changed into the swim suit, Even when It was with the sleeves and knee length, I thought it would be uncomfortable because it was tight for a "not in shape" body like that of mine. I did feel conscious for sometime, but over a period I have realized, it's just ok, and the ones who talk/comment about it not looking appropriate, did not make it up to here. I got in the pool and  the instructors gave me the cylinder, the BCD suit (buoyancy control device), the googles, I was all in a state of surprise, whether am I really doing all this?

I did well, My instructor commented I was quick in picking up what she was teaching me, yes my instructor was a "she", Roopi such a badass diver she was.

Next we got in the boat , at the Sinquerim creek, that took around an hour to sail to the Dive site the  Grande Island.

It was a lovely ride passing by the busy and beautiful shore line. whereas we were told about the days activity, and the instructors got us educated about the different fish we were to spot at the site. 

We reached the location where we anchored our boat.It was unbelievably beautiful, I have never seen a sea this blue, I had only seen such a thing on TV. I  was spell bound by the rocks, the slanting trees waving from the island along with the soothing breeze.

There were people from the certification program which is also conducted by Dive Goa, had their training sessions, hence we had to wait. Now Roopi was stealing the show, she was demonstrating the flip with the scuba gear. Yes I know! I was just too fascinated by her,

She geared up with her suite, the BCD, the cylinder, it reminded me of the scenes from the discovery channel. She sat at the edge of the boat, while we all waited watching her, she plunged on her back it could not be less amazing the way she let herself fall in the sea making a loud splash.

She popped up floating and called out to us,

"Why are you on sitting in the boat when you can swim in the sea?"

At this, I couldn't wait to jump in the sea with the life jacket on, I felt the old fear building up, but I jumped before it could overtake me. The sea water was just blue, For the 1st time I was in such beautiful looking sea waters, I dipped my head I could see colorful fish swimming around, I still couldn't believe whether all this was for real,

The sun was right above, I saw the ripples created by beautiful light pattern on my palms dipped in the water. I felt like a child, feeling amazed by all everything around. My heart was pounding in joy saying "look at the rocks, look at the fish, look at the sky, look at the water", and I was looking at myself as well. Just as I could see clear sky and the water, I could feel my mind clear too. 

Swimming around with me There was the young school girl Nishita, she was such a bubbly kid, she had so many questions and was full of life, she studied in class 8 saying she wanted to be an international affairs officer, I asked her why the particular profession, she giggled saying that she loves to travel and would love to see many places across the globe. That was such an interesting answer. We both chatted about what where our favorite movies, music, actors. We were just relaxing and and pointed out to the fish around. I was lying on my back, it was so relaxing.

Now my time for the dive!

There came my turn, after my fellow divers. I was scared, that I would be under water yet excited. I heard Poorvi, a Punjabi woman, so excited after her dive, she was happy that she touched the bottom of the sea, I wondered if I will ever make it to reach there.

I got back in the boat to get geared up with my BCD, the fins, the oxygen. Nishita wanted to come with me, but then the instructors weren't there for our scuba round together, I was glad about it because I'd be embarrassed to get drowned and scared if at all I did, in front of the little girl. 

the cylinders were so heavy that I got help to sit at the edge, trying to imitate Roopi.

The boy helped me, and now I was really scared, with such heavy weights on my back. The BCD was blown up with air and I felt it squeeze me that I gave a loud scream and I let my self willingly or unwillingly fall back in the water.

Roopi was just around, she held me by my wrist asking me to calm down and breathe normal, now that was real time meditation commentary with monitoring of my pulse. I now had the breathing apparatus in my mouth, and could not talk. Roopi asked me to look in the water and start breathing, I did, but when I looked up,I realized Roopi was gradually releasing the air my BCD so that I sink, I had the water filled in my goggles, and my mouth, I left the breathing apparatus and felt panicked, Roopi shot me up to the surface by refilling the BCD with air. I felt that moment of death by drowning, as I was gasping for breath and trying to tell Roopi I am not ok. I hit the surface, Roopi gave me instructions, about which I had totally forgotten in all the panic mode.

Again we started going in the sea, I reached down and I missed out doing the neutral buoyancy (NB) act, and my ears began to hurt, I signaled Roopi that my ears are not OK, she got me back to the surface to remind me to do the NB, this time she instructed me not to fin my feet, which I didn't realize but I did it unconsciously. I was scared now, I was not seeing it happening, at this point I wanted to tell her I don't want to do this, let me go, but she didn't give me a chance to talk and just continued with her instructions and than again we started to sink down, and instead of going down straight, I was turning upside down, I couldn't help myself straighten up, she got me back to the surface, yes the third time! to tell me I was flapping my feet and that I shouldn't do that, I too did not know why was I doing that.

She added more weights to me. And again we were going down, I caught the breathing apparatus tight, I was paying attention, I didn't want to go up again, I was doing the neutral buoyancy when I could slightly feel the pain building. with the pop in my ears it would disappear.

Than the photographer guy came by, I was still in panic mode but he clicked some photographs, and asked me to do some poses, I am quite not so good at that.

I was still scared weather I am really doing it or no. But then I was breathing well, and we began to swim around the S.S. Rita AKA Suzy's wreck, she was an old rusted boat sitting there since the 1940's, now home to the aquatic life.We swam around and Roopi would keep a check on me whether I was ok or not and  yea, reminding me to stop fining. We went around the wreck, everything around felt like a slow motion movie. I could only hear my breath bubbling out. Roopi showed me where to touch and not touch the rusted wreck, as I peeped inside the window of the wreck, I saw a cluster of colorful fish moving inside, it looked like a little dance show as they all  moved in the same pattern.

I felt all this to be a dream I was awake to, the various fish, the oyster life, the shells that I have always found dead at the shore but for the first time I saw them thriving in their environment.

Then the exciting moment came when I saw myself approaching the floor of the sea, I was swimming parallel to the bottom of the sea, I buried my hand in the sand and I saw a slow motion turbulence effect it created in the sand. I saw the sand slowly slipping out of my palms. The effect with which it was flowing out of my had was mesmerizing me, I savored both, feeling the act of holding on and also the beauty of letting go. Roopi understood I was liking this so we were there for long, again we turned towards the inside of the wreck, we saw the banner fish, the angel fish, and I forgot the names of rest of the fish I saw.

We went once again around the wreck to devour the sea, and the life it held. I so wanted to be in this. This was such a meditative state, my lungs were filled with the clean air from the cylinder, my heart was overwhelmed with joy, my eyes with amazement not wanting to blink and miss a moment. Just letting my self be in this beautiful part of the world, all this had been on my wish list since long.

swimming back to the surface was like flying up and the small fish swirling around, and I could see myself moving towards the light from the blue. I was not in a hurry to reach up neither did I want to stay, but the moment to be savored was that of shooting up slowly towards light.

I came up, I was still, I swam towards the boat, Roopi helped me remove the equipment and I was breathing the natural air again, after a span of 40 minutes.

I thanked Roopi, and I sat in the boat, Poorvi and another lady inquired about my dive. I smiled and said it was good, a very unusual me who would otherwise be telling everything about what happened and what not. But this was a scared one for me, I was speechless.

I sat in the boat as others were swimming around and talking, but it was the most beautiful feeling after a very long time I was experiencing, I was watching the bat island, and the sea and the sky, it seemed all still, I was in a peaceful state of mind. what took little courage, and some money was just unbelievably much more to be paid back for. The peace of being in the moment, getting scared and then to overcome the fear, the islands, the fish moving around me were all magical. And all this really happened, or was it just a beautiful dream? I wanted to live the moment of blank space, the calm ,

It just serene as if I had gulped not only the sea water but the serenity of this place. It all felt as a part of me now. I take this peace back with me, I feel grateful for allowing myself to go through this experience.