During trip to Thailand, I was most looking forward to my first scuba diving experience. Having never gone scuba diving before, I wondered if I would get nervous or claustrophobic under water, but you wouldn’t know until you tried it. After searching online for a while , I found a high rating Scuba diving center.
On the day of the dive, I woke up early in the morning and headed over to the Scuba dive shop on the KAO TAO beach. There were several people sitting out front chatting with each other AND waiting for the boat to depart at 9 am. We were greeted with a big smile and did some simply self-introduction. Our coach is a french guy, He partnered me up with two experienced divers to learn the basics and safety maneuvers in the shallow water before heading out to the nearby reef.
I was partnered up with an veteran named Stephen, Lidia and Cindy. They took us over to practice the basics needed to make sure we would be safe under the water and to practice using our regulators. Our instructors were so patient and calm with us as we tested our equipment and got used to the feeling of breathing under water. These two seasoned veterans made us feel calm with their patience and experience.
Once we practiced clearing our masks, popping our ears, and replacing our regulators, we hopped on the boat and headed out with the crew to explore the bottom of the ocean. Unfortunately, Lidia had just come down with a cold and was having some trouble popping her ears because of her congestion. It is impossible to dive if you are unable to pop your ears. I was a little worried about this too before jumping in, but I got the hang of it once we were under the water. Lidia gave it a try out at the reef, but on the way down to the bottom about 40 feet below, she couldn’t pop her ears and the pressure in her head proved to be too much. So she went back up to the boat and spent the next hour sunbathing and chatting with Juan, the boat driver. Hopefully we will get her back out there again soon.
Stephen and I jumped in with our gear, it was a little scary at first as we were descending into the ocean. One thing that I kept having to tell myself is to control my breathing and trust my equipment. I had to keep reminding myself of this the entire time because breathing underwater doesn’t feel natural, and it’s a little freaky! As we descended further and further, another world opened up. It was stunning and I couldn’t keep from smiling to myself in amazement of what I was experiencing.
This particular area has an amazing reef and is known for sea turtles and other unique sea creatures. The water was so clear and the reef was so beautiful, it was just stunning under the water. I loved exploring the reef and seeing all the different types of fish and wildlife living here. It was truly amazing.
It was an amazing experience that we will never forget. By the way, I ticking off my Bucket List.
