Moment In Time
November 4, 2011
I looked up towards the surface. Towards my life and everything I knew. Then I looked around. There was nothing but peaceful, carefree living. The fish were swimming freely like nothing bad would ever happen. Suddenly I knew that this was a new world, and I wanted to be a part of it.
“Andrew, get up, it’s time.” It was a bright summer day on Harbor Island. The air was crisp with the smell of the ocean. Still, I couldn’t help feeling something tugging at my gut. I had been waiting for this day, training for it. It was the day I was going to dive in the open ocean.
We had breakfast and got our stuff together. Once we got to the docks, we got on the boat with the rest of the group, but we were the only ones getting certified. We put together our scuba units, which are made up of a regulator, a BCD, which is an inflatable vest that you use to control your buoyancy, and a tank. Once that was together, we put on our wet suits and went over what we were going to do. Then we were in the water.
Once we were all good to go, we pressed the deflating button. There are two buttons on a BCD, one that inflates it, and one that deflates it. Once we were under, we swam to the descent rope. I’d gone diving in a pool as part of my training, so I was used to the feeling of breathing under water, but this was new. It might have been the salt water, or looking down fifty feet, but something told me that this was different.
We started going down, and because I’d had trouble with equalizing during my confined water dives, I was worried that I would have trouble here, but I was fine. Since water pressure counts a lot more than air pressure, and since the air spaces in your body are compressible, you have to add air to those spaces to make it the same pressure inside as outside, which is what equalizing is. Once we were down about 40 feet we started doing some of the things we had done in our pool work: taking your mask off and putting it back on, buddy breathing, checking air and depth, and so on and so forth.
The whole point of an open water dive is to re-enforce the things you already learned during your pool work in the open so your instructor knows you can do it in the new environment, with the coral and fish. Also so you can do some stuff that a pool is too small for, like learning to use a compass. But we were required to do four dives, so lucky for us, we didn’t have to cram everything into one day. When we were done with each dive, we still had a good amount of air left, so we swam around to see what else was down there. There was a large assortment of coral. As for fish, we saw some parrot fish, a few snapper, several species of tang, and we even saw a Barracuda.
I’m still not sure why, but I keep feeling that something a lot bigger than me getting certified happened that weekend. I’ve been diving several times after that, but no moment in time can ever eclipse the first breath I took under the ocean.
8 Responses to “Moment In Time”
November 8th, 2011 at 9:19 am
Andrew,
I really enjoy reading your writing. Your “Slice of Life” gives us wonderful descriptions of what it is like to SCUBA in the open ocean. When is your next diving trip? Do you have any pictures from what you saw?
Mr. P.
November 8th, 2011 at 9:21 am
Wow, you have such a big vocabulary! You are an amazing writer and I felt like I was in the ocean when I read your story. I wish I could go diving. It sounds like you had to put a lot of effort in training and I could tell that you learned a lot. My favorite thing that you described was how it was a whole different world under the water. How the fish swam as though nothing bad would ever happen. I read your slice of life and I learned many new facts such as what equalizing is, what kinds of fish you may see, and how the water pressure counts a lot more than air pressure. Thanks so much for sharing this story with me and keep diving!
-Are Barracudas dangerous?
November 8th, 2011 at 9:32 am
Andrew, I think it is so cool to under water and scuba dive. I loved how you described step by step how you prepare to go under because it could get confusing. Did you see a lot of fish when you were taking about the fish? You said it was a new feeling going deep in the ocean, if it was your first time doing it were you scared? Like Mr.P said do you have any pictures from it?
November 11th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Andrew, I am blown away by your writing! You did an amazing job showing what it was like to become certified as a scuba diver. Your vivid words and eloquent language make me want to read more of your writing. I think my favorite part was the end where you wrote; “I’ve been diving several times after that, but no moment in time can ever eclipse the first breath I took under the ocean.” I feel privileged to have a glimpse into your life as a diver. Can you write more on your blog? I would love to continue to read more about your adventures!
November 11th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Andrew, I can tell how important this trip was to you. You did such a nice job describing your emotions in your writing. I could feel your excitement and your anticipation. This was beautifully written!
Mrs. Edwards
November 13th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Andrew,I particularly love the line in this post that says, “I keep feeling that something a lot bigger than me getting certified happened that weekend.” Each time I push myself beyond my fears to try something new and found success, I have experienced that idea that something bigger than the event just happened. Adventures like diving, rock climbing, high ropes, etc., all serve to teach us more about ourselves and our relationships with others.
I absolutely love this post, Andrew. Thanks for sharing this experience with us. Your writing is powerful!
November 14th, 2011 at 11:54 am
What an amazing visual I experienced as I read your post! I didn’t want it to end. Also, you’re so knowledgeable about scuba diving. Are you planning your next big adventure?
November 20th, 2011 at 9:26 am
Thank you for painting such a detailed picture of your scuba experience. I remember how excited you were to go on this trip. I’m glad it lived up to your expectations! I look forward to hearing and reading about your future scuba experiences!