I'm sitting outside the dive shop now, waiting for the instructor to get done teaching the safety rescues for day two of the course. She said I couldn't sit in and listen without paying for the full two day course, which makes me mad. This is also the most expensive activity I've done so far at 4000 TBH, (about $120). I'm pretty sure it'll just be me and one master-diver-in-training along with the guide. Our instructor holds national freediving records in Ireland, which is super cool.
*im officially hooked.
We went out on one of the longboats with the huge loud engine and slow speeds to a couple hundred feet from the one of the island's points. The boat dropped us off with the orange bouy and left us. With me, there was the instructor, a dive master in training, and a woman who was on day two of the two-day certification class. We went over the technique again and I watched them dive before I tried it. There was a 20 meter weighted line with a knot at 12 meters. On the first day, you aren't allowed to go past 12 (36 feet). We did some relaxation breathing and I put on my flippers. The first thing we did was constant weight diving. I had a weight belt on with a 1 kg weight on it to help counteract my buoyancy. We practiced duck dives a few times and then I did 6 cycles of the breathing before going down. The goal is to streamlined and very relaxed. The rope acts as a guide and is there for emergencies. The most difficult part was looking straight ahead (parallel to the surface) and not down where you're going. My first dive I made it down 6 meters but it felt so much deeper. You have to the equalize every couple feet to protect your eardrums and equalize the mask only at the deeper depths. We'd take turns watching each other dive and I hovered 3 styles of diving. The constant weight and two forms of free immersion. The free immersion is without fins and it's pulling yourself down using the rope either head or feet first. It was easiest to stay relaxed feet first and I was able to get down to the 36 feet on my first dive. I felt like I stayed down at the bottom for a while before coming up but it was probably only a few seconds. Until about 10 meters, you are buoyant but beyond that, you start to sink. I could just start to feel the downward pull at the bottom of my dives. The ocean was super deep and visibility was probably around 15 meters. Seeing the little diver in the huge ocean is the image of my fear of deep water. We saw few fish but lots of tiny clear jellyfish and one lion's mane jellyfish the size of my torso. Freediving is all about staying calm and relaxed. It's more similar to yoga than it is to scuba diving. We were out near the bouy for about two hours and I got about ten dives in. I want to go deeper. It was the dive masters first time using a GoPro but he got a couple passable photos of me underwater.
After the diving, I met up with Gretchen and we went for a walk to the beach on the other side of the island. We're staying on sunset beach and the other side is called sunrise beach. Gretchen walked back along the road through the center of the island and I tried walking around the circumference of the island along the water. I made it about half way when it started pouring sideways for about 10 minutes. I made it past a couple rocky points before getting stuck and having to climb up over the one hill to get back to our beach. It was a nice walk and took about an hour and a half. Herds (packs? Swarms? Groups?) of crabs would scatter across the sand as I walked toward them. I also cut my foot. It's not a real hike unless I leave with a momento.
I met Gretchen back on the beach and before we went for a thanksgiving dinner at this tiny backpacker cafe with cheap great food and tons of drink options, I got a Thai massage. It's a little like getting beat up, but I think I feel looser. I'm glad I tried it.
We had wanted to find an American to celebrate thanksgiving with but after two hours looking, we determined that we're the only two on the entire island. I would love to be able to be with my family but I'm also thankful for all they've given me. Not many people have the resources to be able to travel and the upbringing to want to.
I drank a beer watching the waves and then went to sleep.
-AB
Down below the waves
A jellyfish drifting by
The world is silent
Practicing a rescue
We are thankful that you are part of our family, and hopeful that you are done free diving! And getting lost in the forest. And cutting yourself on rocks and things. And riding on motor bikes without helmets. But other than that, we miss you!
ReplyDeleteI always wear a helmet!
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