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Published: October 17th 2006
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Coral Bay
Me!!! (after the amazement of seeing Whale Sharks!!) 'Do you want to take my snorkel with you', 'nooooo... why would I want to take a snorkel?? I don't like swimming in the sea' ... yeah whatever...!!! I soon got to swallow those words and a lot of sea water when I ended up doing my PADI Open Water diving certificate in Koh Tao. To be honest I had no idea what I was letting myself in for - which was most probably for the best: I can't see me of agreeing to do it otherwise!!
It seems I'm quite odd when it comes to diving (I don't know if that will come as a shock to most people!!)... Learning to dive in the 'safety' of the 5m pool or just out to sea at a depth of 5m didn't really suit me... Having my feet on the bottom, my head in the water and not being able to breath through my nose was one (!) trait that I soon discovered could be combated by me not touching the bottom! (My theory is it's just like standing and putting your head in a sink and believing you can still breath: that's wrong. Whereas when you're swimming you have your
Coral Bay
WHALE SHARK!!!!!!! Wow!!!! feet off the floor and you can still have your head in the water quite happily...????) Anyway...
First I decided to try diving without a prescription mask... two dives later and everyone going 'wooooo' and me feeling pretty chilled about it all but wondering what the fuss was about I moved onto a prescription mask... then I realised! Going down the line at Chumphon Pinnacle in the turquoise blue water with the sun breaking through the surface and the bubbles of the other divers trickling up to the surface past me was just gorgeous... it's an image I will always keep because it was so beautiful...
Awww...
The thing is with me, even though I'm under the water and have the respirator in my mouth I still believe I'm out of the water and can't help but talk!! 'Wow’, 'that's amazing', 'what's that', 'oh look!' and most frequently whilst pointing 'oh my god!!!' - now there are a lot of 'o' sounds in that... But more often I was prone to giggling (and it seems a task of all Dive master trainees to make all the learners laugh!). Laughing means smiling, smiling means raising your cheeks and
Coral Bay
WHALE SHARK!!!!!!! The most AMAZING day!!!!!! Loved it! letting water in your mask... a common occurrence!
Anyway... I soon got the hang of it! I even can understand the addiction. So much so I ended up doing my Advanced diving. It included a night dive which was mental!!! Jumping into the inky blackness and swimming around with a torch...
Koh Tao was the time of the Trigger Fish, but it was only when I got the Malaysia and Kecil Puala Perhentians that I was witness to an attack! - And luckily it was on the Instructor and, obviously, made me laugh! (Don’t worry I'm not being mean... the fish have a little prong on their heads - a.k.a. a trigger! - which goes up when they're not amused, they then dart at 'you' esp. your mask and bash you... thing is they are quite big!! - and as you can't see the size I'm making with my hands I'll leave it up to your imagination...). Sugar Wreck was my first wreck dive which was a bit eerie! We went inside the cargo bays!! It was mad!! I wasn't really looking forward to doing the dive but it was brilliant when we got down there. Just looking
Coral Bay
Octopus!! How cool! I was so excited! - Everyone else was off looking at a turtle! It looks like an eye and someones trapped inside... back up - corny as it sounds - but I did think of the Titanic!
Then onto Australia and diving led me to Coral Bay and the Ningaloo Reef and to Exmouth and the Navy Pier. My first dive was my most uncomfortable dive yet, strong currents, canyon like coral formation, colder water, thicker wet suit and different weights required my wits more than the calmer waters in se Asia. It knocked my confidence but I was determined to get back in the water and have another go. So onto the Navy Pier - yes when they say it's a stride step off the pier it's true, and yes it has to be one of the highest jumps I've done! - About 3m! And yes I didn't hold onto my mask tight enough so I got a refreshing blast of water up my nose! Nice! It was the most fantastic dive I've done! The amount of fish and underwater wildlife (not quite sure nudibranchs and cleaner shrimp are classed as fish???) in such a small area was phenomenal! Everywhere you looked there was something else to see... This dive also showed that I have developed as a diver as
Coral Bay
Me!!! taking it easy off the shore at Coral Bay... I have now become to appreciate what I see, especially the sea slugs and the little fish not just the huge and Jurassic looking fish! That was my last dive... we'll see where the next one takes me, but for a newbee I'm not doing too badly on my choice of locations!!! - And there I was thinking I'd just lie on the beach for a week in Koh Tao, how things can change...
But you don't have to scuba dive to see amazing creatures of the sea! I am also a new found snorkeler! - And yes there are weird Chloe traits associated with this too!! - But hey, I thought if I can dive I can hold the panic and meditate into calmness and begin the love of snorkeling... (It still freaks me when I first start but I'm getting there!!!). Walking off the beach at D'Lagoon in Kecil... seeing bumphead parrot fish (?), napoleon fish, trigger fish, angel fish, and black tipped sharks!!!!! (Oh my god they were huge!!!). Our heads popped out of the water and a mumble through the snorkel... 'awww oooo surrrrr daayyy wooont eaaat us???'... Coral Bay was another walk out and
Coral Bay
Manta Ray... They're bloody quick and you have to follow them with your head in the water snorkling and kicking like hell!! snorkel over the reef... seeing parrot fish, humbug fish, catfish, shovel head shark, white tipped shark, eagle ray, sting rays, even a dolphin and an octopus out deeper on the reef before my scuba dive! How cool!
In 'finding' diving I've realised I have a description deficiency! "What was the yellow one with the pouty lips??!!!" doesn't tend to get you an answer but a tip of the head and a little smile that seems to say 'I could make a name up and you'll believe me but shall I...?'
Whale Sharks and Manta Rays were two creatures that I did know! WHALE SHARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could quite easily do nothing else in Australia and feel happy and very privileged to have swum alongside a Whale Shark! It was the most magical experience and one that I will treasure forever. I know that sounds a bit gushy but unless you do it you cannot understand... It's one of those things that leaves you speechless. When you do meet people that have done it too there's just a silence and a look up... BLOODY BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!
The Manta Rays were cool, but I've been so spoilt with my
Coral Bay
Manta Ray... somersault! underwater life... and loving every minute of it!!! Next....!!!
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