Care to dive with Sea Turtles?

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When we made plans off to Mexico. After say, 3+ years of not travelling outside Canada. We made a conscious effort to do some Scuba Diving as part of the trip. We hardly knew where Akumal was on the map or how it compared to famous destinations like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and the likes. All we cared about is its cheap and this will give us an opportunity to see Chichen Itza. Apparently “Akumal” is a Mayan word that translates to “Place of the turtles”. To our surprise, it was only after we arrived that a few locals told us that the place is a huge nesting are for Sea Turtle. Imagine that…

But before I get to enjoy this activity, I had to undergo a certification course which was nerve racking. As easy as it looks; breathing through your mouth and not through the nose takes a lot of time to get used too. Seemed simple but it’s not! Couple with some mask clearing and regulator recovery exercises in a 6 feet deep pool just added stress to whole ordeal. Oh! Did I mention that I’m not a good swimmer. All I knew about swimming was to paddle like a dog and keep afloat. I seriously doubt it would be of any help if I needed to swim great distances to save my own butt. I know, it not a smart thing to do but being the stubborn person that I am, I ended up pushing through it anyway.
Although our 1st dive was only 30 feet deep, nothing could have prepared me for that experience. Seeing the corals in full swing and varied school of fishes swim across was phenomenal. I told the better half afterwards that I loved the experiences so much that I was savoring every moment. I was so in to the whole thing and pre-occupied that I didn’t notice I was running low on air. It frightened the heck out of me but I was lucky that our dive master was constantly keeping tabs that he kept me calm as we ascended to the boats. Word of advice, if you’re a first time scuba diver, always stay close to the Dive Master.

Part of the whole PADI certification was to complete 3 more dives and this time, go to even deeper waters. The last two dives would have to be 60 feet below and they mentioned the water pressure/compression is so noticeable that it will throw anybody off (slow deep breaths is the key). As I entered that realm, everything was comparable to bear hug applied by a loved one. It was unnerving! Luckily enough I passed through my initial 60 feet with no issues.

The last dive was the most spectacular event. Minutes after we descended, as I work on my buoyancy to be up and snuff. I was recording videos of or reefs and coral formations just so I can re-kindle this moment. At first I didn’t notice it but afterwards a saw a huge sea turtle (around 3 feet) crashing into our party and the whole diving experienced turned from good to GREAT. These reptiles were so calm and curious that they swam near us like they were curious folks checking out whose entering their domain. They were lovable and interesting to see. Having an encounter with such an extraordinary wildlife in their natural habitat was more than I expected.

I was extremely lucky to get a glimpse of it on my early tries of Scuba Diving.

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