“Why didn’t you go for scuba diving course?” Asked my then boyfriend, now husband sometimes around 11 years ago. He asked because he was doing an OWD course in Kuala Lumpur followed by underwater training in Tioman Island. Although scuba diving sounds interesting, the question was left unanswered. In fact, I didn’t know what to answer. After having a short ‘conversation’ within myself, I realized that there were two factors deterred me from going. First on the list was FEAR. Fear of depth or known as batophobia. Enough by imagining myself being in a dark deep water will surely put me into anxiety. Sea bottoms are full of mysteries, darkness and unknown creatures.
Still, I fancied for scuba diving just because I wanted to try something new. Overcome the fear should not be that bad, as I told myself. The only thing I have to do was just do it. The second reason was not a major concern for me but it was tough. Lack of financial or in a simple word, no money. Open Water Scuba Diving course (OWD) during the time cost around 700 to 1000 Malaysian ringgit. That’s a lot of money as it takes up almost 50% of my monthly salary. I simply couldn’t afford and wouldn’t spend that much money just for leisure. So, I told my boyfriend the former as the main reason I don’t go for scuba diving.
Years passed, never I thought of diving again. Only when I have three kids, my husband asked if I am still interested in scuba diving. His reason was, he wants me to be his buddy every time he goes for diving and I replied “yes”. Something I wouldn’t do back then but now I feel brand-new with a high confidence level. It is because my fear breaks slowly over the years since I spent more holidays on islands and beaches. I began with snorkeling in Krabi and did a Discovery scuba diving in Bali. I knew now, its all about the way you think. If you think negatively and afraid to try, you will not go anywhere but if you open your mind and stay positive, everything is possible. I was still in doubt about the course but I decided to go on.
After searching considerably about the course available nearby our home Bangkok, we finally chose the nearest course Centre which is in Pattaya. It is just 2 hours’ drive and easy to get there. Since the course will be a three days course, I have to consider the kids as well about what they can do while I am out for dive. We needed a resort with kid’s friendly facilities and not far from the Centre. For that reason, we booked Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya. I was certain that my kids will be very happy to spend their holidays even though it’s not far from our home. There were few options available for OWD course and I registered for e-learning so I could start to study the theory and complete the tests as well as the final exam at home.
Once I received confirmation and learning tools online, I began my homework diligently. To my surprise, it turned out to be exciting and I was eager to be underwater. The lesson consists of several sections with different subjects for instance skills, equipment, and safety. Furthermore, there was also a section which I need to do a calculation and learn about the law of physics. In spite of this, I enjoyed enhancing knowledge and skills for myself.
On the first day in Pattaya, I met my instructor at Pattaya Dive Centre. He introduced himself as ‘Dan’ and quickly gone through the documents that I brought along. He was happy to learn that I completed my theory and passed the final exam. “You saved a lot of my time today,” he said to me and briefly explained about my lesson for the day. For day one, I had to do a training in a swimming pool nearby. After I settled the remaining course fees, we were off to the swimming pool. Over there, I started with 200m swimming test and followed with skills required as an open water diver. Mr. Dan was very professional and excellent instructor. He demonstrated patiently on how to use scuba equipment and helped me to master the skills. The training took only half day as I’ve done my eLearning earlier. Mr. Dan was very satisfied with my performance and reassure that I will not have difficulty being underwater when we go to the sea on the next day.
At 8 morning on the second day after breakfast, my husband and I waited to be picked up at alluring Hard rock hotel’s lobby. A few minutes later, a small passenger truck arrived to send us to the jetty. There, we met Mr. Dan as well as other members and boarded a large boat. Before I jump off the boat for the first time, Mr. Dan did a revision to refresh the skilled I just learned, also adjusted my gears. Besides him, my husband was very supportive as he planned to dive together with us to stay close, watching me on training. The moment of truth finally took place. I had to jump into water while at the same time, I barely walk with oxygen tank hanged on my back. I was so nervous because the fear I had was not completely over. For that reason, I just stood at the verge for a couple of minutes to calm myself. After catching several deep breaths, I noticed that there were many people in the water waved at me including my husband. Slowly I gained back my confidence and jumped into the water. As soon as I became stable on the surface, I gave an OK signal to my instructor. When everyone was ready, we released the air out of the jacket to gradually decent to the bottom.
Descending was not as easy as I’ve seen in the video during eLearning. I went down too fast and not able to control my buoyancy, causing pressure in my ears. Consequently, I sank and fell on scattered sea urchins which stung my knee at the bottom. Although it was painful in the beginning, I had to go on. Water visibility was very bad as many small particles stirred up together with sea water. I could see almost nothing where according to Mr. Dan, it was not the best time to dive in Pattaya because of the raining season approaching. Strong wind and current contributed to poor visibility also causing diving more difficult. However, I was not scared and remain calm throughout my training. Maybe, it was because I knew that my husband was nearby and Mr. Dan will always ensure my safety as his student. My first dive was somewhat awful considering that poor buoyancy control which caused me to drift up and down, eventually separated from my group. I ascended inadvertently to the surface, not knowing that I should release the air to stay lower. Although my first dive was not very successful, I was ready with my second dive after lunch. This time, I could feel that my performance was slightly better than the first one.
On the next day which was also the last day of training, I asked Mr. Dan extensively on how to control my buoyancy properly and descent in order to avoid pressure in my ears since I had that issue several times. Mr. Dan helped me to understand the situation and clarified some areas which unclear to me before we begin to dive. The result was amazing since I was able to follow through with minimal issues. In the end, I had successfully completed my underwater training and received an applaud from my instructor.
The conclusion is, its all about your mind. If you think you can do it, surely you can because the brain will work according to what you think. Do not panic, take a deep breath and stay calm in every situation. Always be positive because any negativity will make things worse. I did it and succeed. So, it will surely work for most people.
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My first story 