The new diver

Mario did his scuba diving training during our vacation in Zanzibar two years ago. Every time since, when he got back from a dive all enthusiastic and excited, I’ve been tempted to join him for these underwater adventures. But being slightly claustrophobic, it took me until now that the temptation outweighed the irrational fears I associated with diving. So here in the Philippines, with turquoise tropical waters and home to uncounted dive sites, I finally took the plunge.

And what can I say, after an open water diving course with my own private instructor in a great dive school on Boracay, I am hooked. The feeling of weightlessness in the 3D space that the open ocean presents is a sensation hard to describe. Since we were diving partly under typhoon conditions, there were quite strong currents, and we did a few drift dives – meaning you just let yourself be carried away by the current underwater, and the boat will pick you up at a different location from where you entered the water. Drifting effortless along the coral reef populated with fish of every colour imaginable was amazing, and it was certainly an experience that made me crave for more. Luckily, there will be lots of opportunity in Southeast Asia to practice the new diving skills. Today, I had to watch though from the boat as Mario went down to Yapak-2, as it was too deep for me as a beginner (35m). Damn it, they even saw a shark!

After a week in Boracay, we’re off tomorrow to the island province of Palawan, for more island hopping, wreck diving and beach time. That is, if the next typhoon that’s already around the corner doesn’t interfere with our travel plans…