My First Scuba Diving Experience

I do not know how to put in words the magnificent experience of my very first scuba dive at Havelock!

But I am still going to give it a try.

To start with, I was never afraid of water as a child but for some reason I never got a chance to learn swimming. The very first time when I dived into a swimming pool was during my offshore sea survival course. That was the very moment when I started developing an obsession about the underwater world, how it would feel to float your body on water or how it would feel to dive into an ocean full of miraculous sea creatures all around you. Though this thought was not new the decision of actually doing a scuba dive only came into picture after watching a bollywood movie called Zindagi Na milegi Dobara . I know it sounds kinda filmy but hey I am sure the Bollywood in our country has inspired each one of us to do lots of new/weird things at certain point of our lives.

                So me and my husband (who is an expert swimmer but novel to scuba diving) decided to book an adventures vacation with Barefoot at Andaman Islands. After enquiring about the place we decided to spend more time at Havelock and less at Andamans during our holiday (if you are planning a trip there I strongly suggest you to do the same). After reaching Havelock we decided to choose Barefoot Scuba, as it is the first and only 5 Star PADI Instructor Development Facility in the Andamans and firmly believes that quality matters!

                So when the day arrived we drove all the way from our resort to Barefoot scuba facility at 6 o’clock in the morning. We saw three other couples waiting there at the restaurant where we spoke about our enthusiasm and eagerness for our first dive over cup of tea/coffee. Few minutes later our instructor arrived who gave us our wet suits, wearing it was the easiest step J

It was time to suit up guys!!

Then the instructor  made us all familiar with all the breathing apparatus and other necessary equipment’s also taught us how to use divers non-verbal communication signs while we are underwater like- hand signals saying everything is ok, something is wrong, lets go up or down etc.

When we arrived at the shore a speed boat was waiting there for us, then we began this journey with our hearts in our mouth. It was a nice bright sunny day the ocean was as blue as it can be (trust me it was the most beautiful shade of blue). 30 minutes later we arrived at the diving spot and started entering into the cold water one by one, our individual instructors were already there waiting for us. Then while standing near the boat we started wearing all the apparatus one by one with the help of instructor.

First came the weight belt- It is a belt that has stones in order to make us heavier so that we would sink.

Next comes the mask- which fits onto your face and covers your eyes and nose (yes your nose is completely covered and you are supposed to breathe through your mouth) as I had spent the earlier day snorkeling it was much easier this time. Then the instructor advised us about the best technique to keep them clear underwater, it is to spit inside them and wash it with sea water (ewwww..gross! I wasn’t going to do that) everybody started looking at each other, next minute I saw that everyone has started spitting inside there masks, then I thought what the heck!! Lets do it..and let me tell you something, it actually works!! 

Then came the Buoyancy compensators device- which is worn as a vest and have the tanks (cylinders) strapped on your back. This was really heavy I must have added on extra 20-30kgs on my body but once you are inside the water you don’t feel this weight at all.

Next is Air regulator- which allows you to breathe through your mouth

Fins- Fins are your mode of transportation while diving but before the dive they make it almost  impossible for you to stand straight in water, I remember me and other gal next to me were holding each other for support while we were not floating :p

Then we spent some time practicing breathing under water and learning a technique called ear equalizing this allows you to create pressure inside the ear canal which helps you to match up with increasing underwater pressure.

So far so good!!

Then the instructors asked us to lie back on the water watching the sun while they dragged us further inside the ocean after certain distance they turned us upside down, and now we are all in action!

I cant tell you how exactly I felt but it was an exhilarating feeling of totally submerging your body meters under the ocean wearing wetsuit, mask, fins, air tank, and weight belt for the very first time.

We started descending into the water. It was time to equalize my ears, which I was surprisingly doing pretty well.

And we descended lower, and lower, and lower

I felt like I was in a completely different world. An underwater dream world, I was surrounded by corrals and beautiful colorful fishes more than my eyes could count; I was totally unaware of where to look next, I was trying to make the most out of those 50 minutes. I had totally forgotten all about my breathing and equalizing, it all didn't matter anymore. (Well, I am thankfully to my instructor who was taking care of me while I was lost in exploring this hidden domain) I saw different varieties of fishes (better than the ones we see in an aquarium), clown fish, color changing fish, sea horses, sea urchins, large groups of fishes which swam through us constantly, I found myself honestly lost appreciating this moment, 10-15 meters below mean sea level. My instructor pointed out to things that were hidden.

It was a sunny day and the water was so unbelievably clear, there was a moment when the instructor pointed towards the sky, I could see the sun shining while I was standing at the sea bed looking at it through meters of dancing water on top of us, there was a boat standing on the surface and I could see its anchor touching the ground. I could feel something in my heart; I felt it was the most enchanting moment of my life. Too good to be real!!

At one point my ears were hurting like hell, I had totally forgotten to equalize even though I was advised to do it constantly. The pain started decreasing with regular equalizing. After few minutes I noticed my husband and his instructor swimming towards us, the underwater photographer helped us taking some great shots to keep this moment alive forever.

Soon we started ascending, the water level started decreasing. I remember touching the seabed with my fingers as we were arising towards land.

As I reached the ground everybody else was already up there, my eyes were searching for my husband. He was standing next to the boat looking at me. We looked at each other and smiled, there was no need of any words to express ourselves. It was a one of moment we will always cherish together.