Love at First Dive
Everyone who's had to listen to me go on and on about diving probably thinks I'm some kinda nut. Not that I blame them considering I've only been diving once. Yes, once. But that's all it took for me to fall in love with exploring the underwater world with a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. If it weren't for the expenses and a bunch of upcoming big events (family, work, choir), I'd probably get myself certified already and dive every weekend this summer.
Truthfully, I've only gotten as deep as 12ft and in poor visibility at that (it was nearly sundown). There wasn't all that much to see--maybe about 10 different varieties of fish, a few corals, and a whole bunch of long-spined sea urchins--but the experience of having been surrounded by water, where all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing, is something I find my mind drifting back to every time I get stressed out. I love the stillness, the peace of being underwater. Pardon the cliche, but it truly is an escape unlike any other.
Then of course, there's all the beauty I have yet to discover. Two-thirds of the earth's surface is covered by water, so it stands to reason that there's so much more to see underwater than above the surface. I've been gawking at pictures taken by underwater photographers, ceaselessly amazed by the diversity of marine life. Who knew sea slugs could be so incredibly beautiful and come in every color combination imaginable? I used to think that sea slugs were just, well, slugs.
Because I've decided to get into diving, I've come to appreciate living in Manila so much more. While North American and European divers have to go through so much trouble (plan holiday leave, book flight, ride plane for 20 hours, jetlag etc...) just to explore our warm tropical waters, some of the best diving in the world is just a two-and-a-half hour drive away from us! We can practically dive on a whim and without having to spend much on accommodations. Beyond the convenience of Anilao, Batangas, there's Puerto Galera, Subic, Cebu, Bohol, and Palawan, to name a few, plus the diving mecca that is Tubbataha. Even these relatively far destinations are just a couple of hours away by plane.
Even though diving has its risks and involves some physics and math (blurgh), I'm absolutely set on pursuing it. I've already stopped using my aircon at night, thinking that what I spend on electric bills could go towards diving instead! Haha! Things like this are why people think I'm crazy obsessed, but that's *makes hand signal* OK with me :)
Truthfully, I've only gotten as deep as 12ft and in poor visibility at that (it was nearly sundown). There wasn't all that much to see--maybe about 10 different varieties of fish, a few corals, and a whole bunch of long-spined sea urchins--but the experience of having been surrounded by water, where all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing, is something I find my mind drifting back to every time I get stressed out. I love the stillness, the peace of being underwater. Pardon the cliche, but it truly is an escape unlike any other.
Then of course, there's all the beauty I have yet to discover. Two-thirds of the earth's surface is covered by water, so it stands to reason that there's so much more to see underwater than above the surface. I've been gawking at pictures taken by underwater photographers, ceaselessly amazed by the diversity of marine life. Who knew sea slugs could be so incredibly beautiful and come in every color combination imaginable? I used to think that sea slugs were just, well, slugs.
Because I've decided to get into diving, I've come to appreciate living in Manila so much more. While North American and European divers have to go through so much trouble (plan holiday leave, book flight, ride plane for 20 hours, jetlag etc...) just to explore our warm tropical waters, some of the best diving in the world is just a two-and-a-half hour drive away from us! We can practically dive on a whim and without having to spend much on accommodations. Beyond the convenience of Anilao, Batangas, there's Puerto Galera, Subic, Cebu, Bohol, and Palawan, to name a few, plus the diving mecca that is Tubbataha. Even these relatively far destinations are just a couple of hours away by plane.
Even though diving has its risks and involves some physics and math (blurgh), I'm absolutely set on pursuing it. I've already stopped using my aircon at night, thinking that what I spend on electric bills could go towards diving instead! Haha! Things like this are why people think I'm crazy obsessed, but that's *makes hand signal* OK with me :)
posted by gloriagiselle at 9:29 PM
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