I’ll start at the end of the beginning…
Travis and I are certified scuba divers. We passed our written
tests after the fourth day of diving in the Gulf of Thailand. Each day, we
completed two dives at two different dive sites—spending about 50 minutes
underwater each time we went down. I know many people have been certified in
scuba and I’m not sure what the impact of diving had on them, but for me and
Travis—we fell in love.
We plunged into the swimming pool the first day—with all of
our scuba gear-- gear which allows us to breathe in an environment in which we
should not. Our first goal was to sink to the bottom of the pool and sit down
for class. I must say the image that continuously ran through my head for the
next 15 minutes was Dustin Hoffman in the scene from The Graduate… sitting
there, Darth Vader like breathing and Simon and Garfunkel-- of course! (can you
imagine that move without that soundtrack?!).
It struck us both that you really do almost see into the
soul of another person when you are vulnerably underwater. When I would start
to feel a slight panic, it’s as if my Swedish instructor Claus could feel it…
he would turn to me, bring his fingers slowly to his mask—tap it to get my
attention—then we would look into each other’s eyes until we both knew the panic
had left. We would look away only after giving the okay sign.
One of our great friends that we have met on the island,
Jaime (he’s been diving for 20 + years) is one of the most boisterous and
energetic storytellers we have ever met (even more so than Travis!)… but
underwater, he is variable Buddha… calm and collected, sending out the vibe of
pure comfort and assurance.
By the way, a little history on Claus… he was one of the island's
first western inhabitants, brings over 20 years of diving experience to the job
and holds a SSI Platinum Pro5000 Diver card. The list of cardholders is a
“who’s who” of diving, containing the world’s most elite and prominent dive
leaders, scientists, photographers, etc. Jacques Cousteau earned his card the
same way – by diving 5,000 times. Claus now has well over 6,000 dives under his
belt. Now THAT’S dedication.
We plan to do a “fun dive” in the next couple of days… we’ll
just take off on a boat and swim around for an hour or two. I feel like diving
is allowing me to see all there is to see in the world… even though I truly
haven’t traveled much in the world at all.
Travis and I are in love… and we are in love with the
freedom of the underwater world and all of the beauty it fills us with. And it's not over yet folks.... not by a long shot.
