First Open Water Dive!

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Hmmm, not that much really happened today. We didn't have class this morning, so I spent breakfast studying diagrams that tell you how much nitrogen is in your blood, and how long you can be underwater for and at what depth.

After breakfast I went and checked out 'shark bay', where there is supposedly fantastic snorkeling and lots of little sharks. I didn't plan on snorkeling, but when I got there a little shack was renting snorkel masks for $3. I didn't bring my wallet. Damn! Oh well, I'll be back in a few days.

At 12:45 we gathered to be transported to the main pier, where we hopped on a large boat that took us out to a dive site right off of a little island. The boat was packed. At least 50 people. I have never been on a boat specifically designed for scuba diving, and it was really quite cool. There was an on-board air compressor to fill the tanks, and two decks. We hung out on the top deck as the boat made its way to the dive site, and then went to the lower deck to gear up.

We were under water for about an hour, I believe. We dove to the bottom, which was only about 10 feet down, and practiced filling our lungs with air to float up, and then breathing out to float down. It was incredible how well it worked. When you're neutrally buoyant from weights and air in your BCD (like a life vest), the slightest inhalation will make you float up considerably. As we practiced this, though, a little fish, called a 'cleaner,' located a scab on my ankle and decided to make it his snack. Ouch! He repeatedly attacked my ankle, eventually tearing away the entire scab, leaving just a bloodied hole. He proceeded to attack my ankle even after the scab was gone, but I soon learned to protect my ankle with my other foot.

After practicing buoyancy, we went on a 'dive' to about 6 meters (18 feet deep). When I was about twelve I dove to 18 feet on a half-day scuba trip, but couldn't equalize the pressure in my ears, so I was a little afraid I wouldn't be able to do it today. I didn't really have problems though. Yay!

I saw lots of fish, and coral. I wish I could tell you what I saw, but I really have no clue. I saw some brain coral, and some more spiky-looking coral...oh and sea cucumbers and sea urchins. That's about as much as I can describe.

When the dive ended, we hopped back on the boat, replaced our gear, pulled into the pier, and hopped onto pickup trucks to go back to the 'resort'. I chilled with my dive group for a while, and then we grabbed dinner. I opted for fresh grilled marlin accompanied by Phad Keaw, a type of wide noodle with kale and soy sauce. Dinner was $6. Whoa! That was a splurge.

Well, it's 9:30 now, and I think I started dinner around 6:30. Been chatting with two Canadian guys and one Brit the whole time. Now it's off to have a beer at the bar I guess! Cheers!

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