I woke up at 8:30 today. I hurried to take a shower, but I couldn't remember whether the meeting time was 9:00 or 9:30, so I messaged my buddy Simon on Instagram and he didn't reply. So, well, I decided to go at 9:00 for now.
I forgot my contact lenses
After showering, I grabbed a towel and some water and headed to the school! Instructor Calvin had already prepared everything and greeted me with a cheerful "Hi!"
On the way I remembered we'd be going to the sea and actually diving today, so I'd need my contact lenses! I decided to go back to the hostel to get them. I was worried since I hadn't worn contacts in a while, but I was able to put them in without any problem.
Failed the test once, then passed
I went to the diving school and waited. Simon had arrived, so I said "Good morning." After we gathered we went to a cafe for the final lesson and review.
Then I took the test. There were 45 questions, and at first I failed with 78%.
But I took it again and got 88%, so I passed! What a relief. Simon passed on his first try, which I thought was impressive. But then again, that's fine.
I ordered blueberry juice and a chicken wrap, and while eating them I took the test and passed! After that we had the final lecture from Calvin. Calvin was the most compatible and the friendliest among the Roctopas instructors.
Board the boat and head out to sea
After the cafe lesson finished, a taxi picked us up at 12:00 and we all headed to the pier. While in the taxi I was among the first five members.
We chatted a little and became acquainted. I realized I'm the type who wants to connect with people I can have deep relationships with, and otherwise I find it bothersome. But I guess that's okay.
As soon as we got off the truck we boarded the boats. The boats were lined up side by side—about ten in all. The staff threw the scuba bags, passing them from one boat to the next like a chain. I was impressed by how used to it everyone was.
There were a huge number of scuba tanks on the boat—I had never seen so many in my life. The boat rocked side to side and I got terribly seasick.
Right before departure Calvin gave me some motion sickness medicine, but I still got sick.
As soon as we set sail we began preparing. We put on our dive suits and attached gear to the tanks. I went through each step while reviewing what we learned yesterday. I did it myself while Calvin taught me. I was really happy to feel my own progress.
They also filmed a video of me. Once we were ready, he explained today's route and the flow of the lessons and organized the order. While on the boat high-energy music played the whole time and everyone danced like they were having a blast.
I'm not familiar with the music, so I couldn't sing along at all, haha. But it looked like fun, so I danced a bit, keeping time with the rhythm. The waves were rough and really knocked me around, so I got exhausted. But even with all that, it was truly fun. I went to the bathroom a few times to make sure I wouldn't have stomach pain during the dive.
Jumping into the sea for the first time
After arriving at the diving spot we immediately prepared the equipment and did final checks. There's something called BRAID: B is for whether it inflates with air, can it exhaust air, and are the straps and buckles tightened?
R is whether all buckles, straps, and the weight belt can be released and are they worn correctly? A is whether the tank valve is fully open; check the remaining amount on the pressure gauge and whether the gauge needle stays steady when you breathe. I is whether the compass, pressure gauge, and dive computer are visible and properly equipped. D is the final check of the dive plan.
Check maximum depth, time, and buddy signals. After checking these, we jumped into the sea. Honestly I was a bit nervous, but I felt more seasick, so that took over and there wasn't much room for nervousness.
When I jumped into the sea it was indeed deep. There were fish right away and it was lovely. But more than the fish, my head was full of thoughts about my equipment and I was focused on that. Since it was my first time diving to six meters, clearing my ears was really tough, but I got through it safely.
When diving you release air from the BCD; when you let air out your buoyancy decreases and your body sinks. That feeling of entering the underwater world was something I really loved. It felt like the gateway to the sea.
One minute after diving I found a sea turtle. It was resting near a rock block and was super cute. Honestly I saw the sea turtle but didn't have the presence of mind to be surprised. I was too focused on myself; being my first dive I was constantly checking whether I could control myself, whether my breathing was okay, and how much gas I had.
There were lots of fish and lots of coral. Fish lived among them, and when I got close they would hide. They were all so cute, really adorable. I even fist-bumped a fish, and it was a lot of fun.
When diving for a long time I felt like I was also breathing through my nose, and it felt like my nose was constantly exposed to water. That was really uncomfortable, and I wondered if it was because I was anxious. I hope that doesn't happen tomorrow.
I rewrote the fixed beliefs I had since sixth grade
The second dive was over. In the first dive we reviewed what we learned yesterday and practiced what we learned in the pool exercises. The part where you take off all your goggles and put them back on was really tough. Since water completely hits your face, I thought it was easy to panic.
Calvin randomly tested me on the coping techniques, and I cleared them all. I learned an incredible amount over these two days, and I was really happy to have new experiences. It reaffirmed that I can do it if I try.
When I was in sixth grade I tried scuba once, and back then I couldn't equalize my ears and water kept getting into my goggles, so I didn't enjoy it much.
So I was worried about that, but I was able to equalize my ears successfully, so I could rewrite that fixed belief. I wondered if this was one of those small successes, and I was really happy.
On the second dive we swam a lot and circled the reef. There were all kinds of fish, sea urchins, and starfish. There was even Nemo, and I thought it was so cute.
But I was still preoccupied with my equipment and myself, so I couldn't really focus on the fish. But since it was my first scuba, that's important, so it's fine. I did two 37-minute dives, totaling 74 minutes.
Heading back in the storm
We started packing up immediately and put everything back into bags before the boat docked. Everyone seemed to be in a huge hurry, and while I thought it was all hectic, I still enjoyed the situation.
On the way back the rain came down so hard it felt like a gale, and it was very cold. Getting onto the boat was rough because of the waves. We arrived safely at the pier and took a van back to the school. We cleaned everything right away and finished washing up.
It was really fun. Calvin was going to teach us how to record the final dive log, so we went to a nearby bar, but the internet wouldn't connect at all, so we went back and discussed tomorrow's plans there. Since it was a special occasion, the two of us decided to book the photo and video package; it cost 2,000 baht, but it's a good memory so we made the reservation.
After that we said bye to everyone and ate pad thai at a restaurant. It was my first pad thai since getting food poisoning, so I was a little worried, but it was delicious. I also drank coconut milk.
Tomorrow we meet at 5:50, so I'll do my best to wake up early. I'm having a great experience. Challenging new things makes me feel much stronger. I want to have more experiences and enrich my heart.
