WAHHHHHHHH I WENT SCUBA DIVING FOR THE FIRST TIME YESTERDAY
before i begin this little story, please bear in mind i have only been free diving with nothing but eye goggles. i have never been into masks and snorkels because i regulate the air with my nose and having it blocked is very uncomfortable. the eye goggles were only because after a while my eyes start to get irritated by the salt water and it shortens my diving time significantly. but other than that, i am an awesome swimmer and not usually nervous in the water.
here are the rules of scuba...
1. don't run out of air.
2. don't panic, stay relaxed and breathe slowly, normally if you will
3. never beat your bubbles to the top
4. don't touch anything, especially if it is red
let's just say that without an instructor, i would have tried to remember the number one rule, but that would be assuming i actually made it underwater without that same instructor and it's pretty clear that would have never happened. not in a million years. maybe if i was practicing in a pool. maybe.
as for two, i totally panicked. when i say panicked i mean, i freaked the fuck out bad. we had just gone under the surface, think top of head still out of the water, and i totally lost it and went into a blind, short shallow breaths in the chest, omg we're all going to die, thrashing around, screaming anxiety fit. throwing up in the regulator was not only way less funny, but way more likely. i puke when i am very scared, or very excited. this would have been a great example of very scared puking. also, were it not for my bc and instructors ability to stay calm when the person in front of you is in a state of extreme hysteria, i would have drowned us both for sure.
three is still up for discussion because we only made it to the first reef which is not deep enough to get the bends but there is concern with how fast i ascend...
number four. once we were done going up and down a million times to show me nothing would happen and texas, my instructor, was able to get me close enough to the bottom to distract me from my fear with pretty colors, i got to see the reef. it was so awesome. although, while learning how to control my buoyancy, i kept hitting the reef and every time i put my hand down to soften the blow... you guessed it, red. and then, you guessed it again. freak out. at least we didn't have to surface every time and it just equalled sudden movements and rapid bursts of bubbles, which i'm pretty sure takes out number two again. that's a double hitter friends...
so.
all said and done, once i was over the initial scare and got my nerves back to jh normal, i was told i was a fantastic first timer. i don't know if that is true or if being the fabulous instructor he is, tx knows that to get me back in the water i have to have my confidence stoked. either way, i'm taking it. both hands.
okay. while down there, tx, who had gloves on mind you, caught a puffer fish that looked just like this little guy...
a spotted ray who blended into the ocean floor so well, i didn't see him at first. i saw a fish that resembled a trumpet fish, but isn't one, and i can't for the life of me remember what it's name is. it's good for bait. or chumming the water when hunting for sharks. i'm not sure what kind of angel fish i saw but i'm pretty sure it was a gray.
there was a massive medley of other fantastic fish that i won't pretend to identify but you better believe i'll be able to some day. i just truly hope to see one of these swim by one day.
scuba lingo is silent. hand signals. the ok sign means you are okay. the thumbs up sign means go to the surface. i did not know this and every time he asked if i were okay, i would sign a hearty and exuberant two thumbs up and we would immediately surface. he caught on before i did. i want to pretend i was finally quiet for an extended period of time but that would be a filthy dirty lie. i was laughing and talking the entire time only something was in my mouth and for once, no one could hear me. interesting.
oh, i almost forgot. once i was able to see through my haze of horror and we were actually moving around, what did i spy with my little eye but a pair of shiny keys. now four of us went out. after it was realized that i was going to take a while, the other two split off, one to free dive and the other to hunt for dinner. when we got back, texas told me to show everyone my first diving find. i take out the keys and the free diver is all no way man, you found my keys. while free diving, his keys came out of his pocket and who would have thunk that on the vast ocean floor, it is the first thing i would not only come across, but bring back. i don't want to get all spiritual or anything, but i am clearly meant to be a diver.
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