Days 64 to 66: The Life Aquatic

Water Baby

I’ve always loved the water. As far back as I can remember I’ve enjoyed swimming and floating. All the sensations of being immersed. The only reason I dislike baths is they just take too long to draw. From my first splashes in a pool with my aunt Alison to swimming lessons as a child, to summers growing up at Auntie Karen’s summer cottage with its huge private lake, the water was part of my young life.

For some reason the water and I lost touch. Even though I lived for several years at a place with the pool, I never used it. It’s only in the last few years that I’ve begun to swim again. Indoors first, then in various oceans on vacation.

One of the things which was on my ‘maybe’ list for traveling was learning to dive. My friend Jerry is an avid diver and his enthusiasm is infectious. Exploring the deep waters brings both the freedom of swimming and the curiosity of exploration. Plus I’d be in much warmer waters than I would be back home and that seemed like a good way to start.

Dive by Scheduling

This being the background, when Melissa mentioned a similar interest things fell into place immediately. We’d wanted beach time, and I was designated planner for that portion of our trip. I chose Amed since it seemed to have the highest chance of clean (if not white sand) beaches, isolation and abundant water activities. The description of the highly-rated Meditasi bungalows also intrigued me with their promise of peace and daily yoga.

Once I’d decided, Melissa went into research mode. I suspect this was primarily to make sure there weren’t any hidden problems with my choice that I’d missed. In any event her investigations revealed the extremely well-reviewed Adventure Divers dive shop.

By chance, we found ourselves passing right by it on the way up to Meditasi. Bowing to this obvious sign the universe had placed in our path we stopped. We gave co-owner Lisoette’s formidable sales skill very little strain as we were guided to sign up for an Open Water Certification. The idea of spending less than the full three days required for certification felt wrong to us; might as well go all the way.

And so, the first 3 days in Amed were scheduled.

Full Service

Adventure Divers quickly lived up to its stellar reputation.

Their entire operation runs amazingly smoothly, like a machine. They take care of everything: pickup at 07:45 AM, constant drinks to keep you hydrated, all the equipment, a delicious Balinese lunch and of course the education. That training was the heart of why we’re there, and it was superb.

Obviously, we’re new to the sport and have no basis of comparison. Even so, it is honestly hard to even conceive what a better learning experience would look like. Everything went so smoothly and we were so well taken care of we that had the feeling of being ‘naturals’ at diving from the start.

After covering the basic theory and fitting us for equipment, we were in the water for the first time on the first day. I was expecting a lot of “getting used” to the equipment and the experience. Maybe spend 5 minutes down the first time, then back up. Instead, from the first submersion we had a ‘real’ dive at Jemeluk beach: it lasted 73 minutes and went to 12m. We did some drills then went looking around underwater, seeing the abundant sealife of the Balinese coast. Then we rested for a bit and went back for our second dive. All before the first day’s lunch. It felt easy.

The biggest part of this feeling of ease came from our instructor, David. He is an extremely gifted teacher with exactly the sort of infectious calm needed to help us through the stressful early stages of immersing ourselves in water and relying on an unfamiliar contraption for your life. He explained all the theory thoroughly but in a relaxed, friendly manner. In the water he’s almost psychic in his ability to detect distress and guide us out of it.

Against Medical Advice

Here’s were our enthusiasm overrode our caution. Melissa had been starting a bit of a cold the first day, but dove anyway. This caused some ear squeeze problems. I developed signs the night of our first lesson: runny noise. We used Sudafed to knock down the symptoms for the last two days, but the result ended up with both of us having serious colds, Melissa with worrisome ear problems and me with a sinus infection by the time I made it back to Ubud.

No regrets. This was our time to dive. Besides, a little foolishness means you’re still taking chances.

Rinse, Repeat

The training proceeded much like the first day for the next two. Theory. Dive. Lunch. And always, always, rehydration. Despite our illnesses, our diving improved incredibly quickly. We were quite competent on our final dives on the shipwreck of the U.S.A.T. Liberty at Tulamben.

It was an exhausting three days, especially with the colds. But so fulfilling.

Thoughts Float Away

I’ll definitely go diving again. I’d love to see what it’s like at home, in a full wetsuit. I’d love to recapture the ease of the first day without blocked ears from a cold. Even through the short trajectory I’ve already made in the sport I can feel the technique becoming automatic, allowing more concentration on the fabulous marine life all around.

One of the many themes of my travels is freedom. Being weightless and controlling your movements with the most relaxed kicking and your simple breath is a physical freedom the likes of which I’ve never known. The silence and peacefulness of the water world is simply fantastic.

And that’s just the physical sensations. The life underwater is otherworldly and hypnotic in its strangeness. While learning the techniques of diving it was hard to focus on the experience completely, but even that slice of attention was compelling.

Diving has been compared to meditation and it has that quality to me. It’s not something I was aware of when I thought of adding it to my list of travel activities. It’s another one of odd coincidences which seem to propel my path forward; a theme threaded through activities I’d no inclination were akin. Another sign I’m on the right path.