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discovery diving

Monday, February 5, 2007

Scuba diving–CHECK!

Another item ticked off my "To Try Before I Die" list.   Thanks to the  oh-so-generous Sister Extraordinaire Slash Sponsor, I finally had my introduction to scuba diving last Saturday in San Luis, Batangas.  

Intro divers.  Me, Jen, and Nika.

It was quite an experience!  I always thought, why invest on a ridiculously expensive hobby when I can just go snorkling?  I got my answers while I was fish-feeding 31 feet underwater.  The sight was magnificent.  There's a huge  difference between seeing the corals and fishes from above and being surrounded by them.  I felt like Ariel, the Little Mermaid, except I had plastic fins!  I think I was thrilled the most when I saw baby Nemos.

Here we go! 

I was shivering all throughout and kept giving Rob, my dive instructor, the "not OK" sign because I thought I was having a hard time equalizing.  Then I realized the water was freezing!  

After we surfaced, Rob told me that what I saw was actually nothing compared to the sights they encounter when they do check-out dives in other dive sites.  There are more unusual fishes and there are larger arrays of rich corals.

But before I can do a check-out dive, I would have to be certified which means I'd have to take lessons first.  Nowadays, diving lessons costs about 11,000 pesos (and I think that's still minus the equipment).  Oh, how I wish I could take them… (Ehem…ehem…Ate Ains, are you reading this?  Heehee).

Oh well, one at a time.  I'll get a chance to take those lessons someday.  Right now, I still have more items to check off  that  list ;)

 

—–

 

I never noticed how I'm always on guard until last Saturday when I was going through the experience like it was some kind of test or challenge.   When Rob was teaching us how to clear our regulators and masks, I was listening so intently that I was actually tense!  It's the same feeling I feel everytime I'm producing a segment–the pressure of always having to prove myself, to show people my worth.

Even during my check-up this morning, when the doctor asked me to read the letters on the wall, the thought running on my mind was, "Dapat pumasa ako dito kundi…"

My God, what has working for the media done to me?  On one hand, it's an advantage because it keeps me on my toes.  It makes a survivor out of me.   On the other hand, I couldn't even go through a freaking eye check-up without tensing up!  Geez.  I better get a hold of myself.  

 

Diving lessons.  Rob and Joe teaching us -three basic steps:  regulator clearing, mask clearing, and equalisation.


Posted by pennylane at 4:17 PM | permalink

Previous Comments

waw mamu… i am so glad to see a gal dive too… i tried a few times na since 2002… so cool diba… my dive master told me he’d see me in the industry one day… kasi 60 ft. agad ako first time… luck lang yung hehehehe… it’s a really cool hobby. i’m losing weight lang para magkasya ko sa diving suit ko. hehehe… PADI tayo!

Posted by issa at February 5, 2007, 5:35 pm

so wait…certified ka na? susko, saan ako huhugot ng diyes mil? (ehem…ehem…ate ains…hehe).

60 ft? grabe ha! at 31 feet nga lang feeling ko sasabog na yung eardrums ko eh! i had a hard time equalising kasi.

Posted by pennylane at February 5, 2007, 6:16 pm

Koryn! You did it! Buti ka pa 31 feet. ako hanggang 20 ft lang… I really had a hard time equalizing. But the underwater world was really amazing noh? Although I’d still choose snorkeling over diving any time. Si Peter ang walrus talaga. Iniwan ba naman ang instructor and went til 40 ft the first time. Hehehe. Ayan tuloy..your entry inspired me to post our scuba diving trip for my next travelogue.Hmmm… :-)

Posted by Sexynomad at February 5, 2007, 9:11 pm

Jen! Ako rin actually di nakapag-equalize as fast as I needed to. At one point feeling ko sasabog ang tenga ko! Oo, iba, it was like being in an entirely different world. I half expected mermaids to appear! No shokoys please haha! But if I saw Peter pop out from nowhere…I wouldn’t be surprised :p

Posted by pennylane at February 6, 2007, 10:33 am

oist, magtipid ka. para di mo istorbohin ang bank of ainna.

ako ang dami ko nang dive. wala lang tanungan kung saan.

Posted by Miranda Priestly at February 6, 2007, 5:30 pm

nagtitipid naman ako in fairness! pero kung generous ang BOA bakit ako tatanggi davah? pero baka di ko pa karireen ang pag-dive. di pa keri ng budget. meron muna kong ibang gagawin/pupuntahan.

saan ka nagdive? sa kama? masarap ‘yun! :p

Posted by pennylane at February 6, 2007, 5:53 pm

“saan ka nagdive? sa kama? masarap ‘yun! :p ”

Hala. Iba namang sisid yan Korina e!

Ewan ba ba’t ako sobrang comfortable underwater. Siguro nga in a past life walrus ako. Medyo nag evolve lang ako ng konti sa life na to. Although korteng walrus pa din naman.

Posted by Adam Mordo at February 8, 2007, 10:01 am

feeter feeter…huh? ibang sisid? di ko gets. *wide-eyed look* nyahehe. anong past life? current life! hehe.

Posted by pennylane at February 8, 2007, 12:43 pm

courtesy lang ng contacts sa phil navy hehe… libreng dive ito back in the days… nope, beginner pa din but open water diving na po ang susunod. :-) hamisshoo!!!

Posted by issa at February 9, 2007, 10:52 pm

issatoochi!!! syet sosyalan, courtesy of the phil navy hehe. amishu too mother! :)

Posted by pennylane at February 13, 2007, 8:40 pm

anak ng tipaklong! wala man lang ang picture!!! :-P

SCUBA DIVING IS THE BEST!!!

Kick-ass! :) hehe… obvious ba obssessed ako!!! hahahaha!

Posted by Ate Ains at February 14, 2007, 1:23 pm

i meant wala akong picture!

Posted by Ate Ains ulit at February 14, 2007, 1:24 pm

wow! bili ka na rin ng underwater casing ng canon mo ganda!( tapos pahiram ako ha hehehe:) meron parang ziplock lang for P500 nakabili si eric ng gnun sa galeria. sarap sa ilalim noh?! lalo na sa el nidom, at! friend ko na ung my divemaster dun. baka this march my dive ako sa el nido ganda!

Posted by mryuso at February 19, 2007, 6:36 am

i mean el nido:)

Posted by mryuso at February 19, 2007, 6:40 am

KEVIN!!! so nice to see you followed my trail hehe… sosyal, ingget ako sa’yo! ang mahal ng course fee eh..nasa 11k na… pero i do hope to take it within the year! kaadik ang underwater scene! kuha ka dami pictures sa el nido a tapos inggitin mo ko ;)

Posted by pennylane at February 20, 2007, 2:10 pm

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