My First Underwater Exploration

February 8th, 2008 | Posted by Sharon Joy

the big blue

From my photo album: Underwater Exploration

Is made of pure AWESOME.

After years of procrastination, I’ve finally been able to scuba dive yesterday. (Thanks Cedra!)

When Cedra invited us to go diving with her in Hilotongan last week, I was again a little kid excited to venture on something I have desired for a very long time, and finally see it happening.

I had been so excited that I heeded every advise Cedra told me like a very obedient child. She said I shouldn’t take any alcoholic drinks 24 hours before the dive, so I got myself pissed drunk last Friday because I couldn’t drink on Saturday. She said I shouldn’t stay up too late, so even though it’s unusual for me to go home before 4AM after a saturday night out, I went home a little after 12 midnight. (My mom would have been proud of me for coming home early out of my own volition)

So that Sunday morning, though I’ve resolved to sleep at least 7 hours, I woke up 3 hours before my alarm was set to go off and couldn’t get back to sleep (probably from too much excitement)

We agreed to meet at 9.30am and though last minute changes on where to meet were made because Lineth and Angel couldn’t come, I left on time. Nino (Ced’s BF) and I were still waiting for Ced and Bula by 10.15. (Grunt.)

We hitched a ride to Mactan with Carlo and Alfred who were Ced’s old diving buddies, and who were also going diving with us. These guys dive EVERY WEEKEND! (They make me green with envy I want to stab them.)

At first I thought there were only going to be less than 10 of us but it turns out that there were 23 of us who were diving in Hilotongan, a natural marine sactuary in southern part of Mactan Island.

Cedra introduced me to Mark Israel who was to be my Discover Scuba Diving instructor (It does sound like a course for elementary school children) and Mark took me through the theories and the manual for first time divers. Though I have the attention span of a child with ADHD when it comes to learning, I’ve never paid more attention in my whole life than this. Mark then assigned Carlo to be my guide and babysitter.

I went through some questionnaires and signed some contract which declared that if I died, it was no one’s fault, but it simply was just my time to go… (Just kidding. But I will refuse to say that I popped my clogs due to my own stupidity.)

But nonetheless, this is definitely my first of very many!

The photos will tell the rest of the story.