Underwater : A tale of discovering yourself! | Guide to becoming Licensed Scuba Diver | PADI

Have you ever felt infinite? Have you ever felt like you can finally understand this world? Have your senses ever heightened to the level of utmost consciousness? Have you ever felt so happy that you could die?

Yes or not- read on, to know what made me feel this way like nothing at first and then all at once.

I wanted to become a certified scuba diver since I became a Volunteer at a camping institute. Don’t they say that your decisions are influenced by the environment you live in? And that is exactly what happened. But the only problem was I didn’t know when I would get to actually pursue it! But God has His own way of making things happen. And on my 22nd birthday, I experienced something truly ethereal!

STEP 1: Research

So let me make this easier for you! There are various scuba diving certification agencies in the world. There is PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), SSI ( Scuba Schools International), BSAC (British Sub- Aqua Club), RAID (Rebreather Association of International Divers), NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors), CMAS (The World Underwater Federation) and the list goes on. Out of all this, PADI is the largest in the world and it certifies majority of the divers all around the globe. And hence it costs a tad bit more!

I, of course, went for PADI Open Water Diver Course, as it gives me an opportunity to be able to dive at numerous dive sites all over the world (without restriction). What is Open Water Diver Course you ask? So basically all the agencies have different names for the courses but there is a way where you can term all of them under one Umbrella!

1. Introductory training programs to scuba diving
2. Supervised Diver who can go up to 12 m
3. Autonomous Diver who can go up to 18 m (PADI calls it Open water diver)
4. Dive Leader

And pursuing to become an Open Water Diver gives you the freedom to scuba dive on your own! ( But always with a buddy- this is one of the lessons that you learn in this course!) So make your choice about which agency you would go for but I would recommend PADI as its renowned worldwide.

STEP 2: Extensive Theory

So PADI has their standards set for a new trainee. Which I also had to go through. And let me be honest and break it to you – this theory is not the one which you can just read one day before and pass with flying colors.

As it is a 4-day course – 2 days of theory and in pool sessions and 2 days of open water dives I decided to go with a half and half solution.

I had it all planned out. I was already going on a trip with my friends to Goa for 4 days so I decided to complete the 1st 2 days in Pune (My Hometown) itself and the open water dives in Goa. There is this company called ABSOLUTE SCUBA who makes this possible. They give the 4 In-pool and 5 Theory sessions in Pune itself.

While forwarding the PDF to me they had warned me that the theory is extensive and it takes at least 3 full days to understand the 5 chapters. And as I started studying it I understood it’s importance! It consisted of basic knowledge of water, the equipment and how to survive inside the water. For the first time in my life, studying was actually going to help me stay alive underwater! Go figure!

It was lengthy no doubt, but moreover, it was interesting to go to the depth of it!

STEP 3: In- Pool Sessions

After I was done with studying the theory I booked two consecutive days for my in pool sessions with ABSOLUTE SCUBA. The sessions started in the morning at 08:00 AM and ended at about 05:00 PM in the evening. They were that extensive.

My instructor Shaun Patel was a joyful person and it was so much fun learning with him. So my sessions went somewhat like this- theory exams, 2 in pool dives and again theory exam and repeat.

I learned about the equipment, how to use it, techniques and tricks, but always with seriousness. Because it was becoming more and clearer that diving can be quite dangerous if you don’t understand and follow the rules.

Strapped myself up with the suit, and all other equipment, took my first dip in the water and I instantly felt like I was transported to someplace similar to heaven.  Inside I could see the water and every aspect of it very clearly. I could see people swimming above me, I could see the sunlight making patterns inside the water and all of this without getting out of breath because I had my cylinder strapped to my back.It was like I was in a movie dream.

I learned the ways of a scuba diver. Everything from all the safety measures and procedures to how to create bubbles with your fist!

These in pool sessions were a trailer but the actual movie took place during my first open water dive!

STEP 4: The Decider- Open water dives!

Our first two days in Goa were epic!! (of course, I’ll be writing about that too, you’ll just have to wait.) And on our third day in Goa which incidentally happened to be my birthday, I set out early in the morning on our rented scooter and went to the Dive Center. From there I met up with my dive instructor- Bipin and we with few other people went to the docking area.

All of us boarded the boat and set out for an hour-long ride to the dive site. During the boat journey, we were briefed about the hand signals and safety measures and all the other things needed for a smooth transition from air to underwater.

And so we did. I got prepped up with all my gear, double checked it and then sat on the edge of the boat waiting for my instructor’s go-ahead signal. And then I lift my legs up and did a backflip which landed me inside the water. Once in the sea we did the deflate technique to go underwater. And as I went down I could feel my heartbeats rising up in terror like an amateur diver. But once I got used to feeling the water pressurizing me I started to calm myself. The key underwater is always staying calm or else you are in big trouble. My breathing deepened and I was able to take account of my surroundings.

There is a term in scuba diving and it is called hovering. Hovering means staying afloat at one place underwater. Hovering allows you to swim parallel to the ocean bed or anything that you are exploring. And that can be achieved by controlling your breath. It is hard at first but you get the hang of it.

That day the visibility was good about 5 to 6 m. And I could see fishes swimming all around me! It was dream come true for me. I have snorkeled in my past but nothing beats what I was feeling during my first scuba dive. There inside water surrounded by various fishes, I was reminded of the dialogue from the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara – ‘Diving is not a drug it is more like yoga’. And believe me, it was just like that. I had never felt so calm in my entire life like I felt underwater with millions of fishes swimming with me.

My first dive consisted of exploring S.S Rita shipwreck! When I had heard what we would be doing underwater I got so excited that when I saw the shipwreck I couldn’t believe my eyes for even a second. It was just as fascinating in real life. We peeked inside the dark windows and doors where there were schools of fishes staying afloat in a group.

I got to explore the entire shipwreck. In the middle of which we saw many different species of fishes. Their names go as follows- Sweepers, Butterfly Fish, Pufferfish, Yellow snapper, Sea whips, Groupers, Damsels, Parrot Fish, Remora so on and so forth. How am I able to name all the fishes you ask? Simple, whenever we used to see a fish or a coral Bipin my instructor used to point at an instruction manual attached to his waist. It even had different fishes drawn on it with their names. As one can’t speak underwater (how much ever you try) we had to communicate in sign languages. And therefore there are hand signals which have specific meaning to them. Bipin always used to communicate in hand signals and I used to scamper here and there to understand what it meant. But slowly I got a hang of it.

For me, the most beautiful and huge fish on my first dive was the Parrotfish. As it swam we even got to see the Remora fish attached on his back. This Remora fish had black and white stripes and a slender body. It is even called sucker fish. They usually stay attached on top of the big fishes so that they can eat the remains of the food the big fishes caught for themselves. It was interesting to get to know the ocean/sea world live.

And then we came up! I just sat up there hungry from the 1-hour dive and I recollected all the beautiful stuff that I had seen. It was wonderful. After an hour of break, we again back flipped our selves into the water for one more dive. This time I even saw a Barracuda. Barracuda are scavengers with a snake-like appearance and fang-like teeth! They consume larger preys by tearing chunks of flesh out of their body! But it is quite rare to see them attacking divers.

After the second dive, we ferried back to the shore. The entire journey back was so tiring that I was literally sleeping on the edge of the boat even when the water was splashing on my face continuously.

After coming back to the dive center my instructor and few other people got me to cut a cake! By far it was my best birthday ever!

The next day, again I woke up early and went to the Dive center to complete my last 2 dives. We set out for another dive site that day. My first dive on that day was at a dive site called Turbo Tunnel. The visibility that day had reduced to 3 m, and it had become hard to spot fishes. But we managed and were able to see some new species as compared to the previous day. We spotted crabs and lobsters which was a bit creepy for me but well inside water it felt as if they could not harm me! Stupid logic but anything to stop me from swimming in the opposite direction.

We came up and had a lunch break. After filling our stomachs we again changed our cylinders and jumped into the water at a different dive site called the Shelter Cove. This dive site was situated between two huge boulders which protruded out and above the water.

This dive (last dive) was a fun dive. We swam around huge rocks and inside the tunnels and crossed the valley between the two rocks to reach the other side. I think my instructor must have felt that I was confident enough so he didn’t use to get worried even when I used to go ahead on my own. But he was always there with me. This is actually the most important rule of diving- You should never dive without a buddy even if you are the most experienced diver in the whole world.

In my opinion, if you want to do this course you should select a dive site or a city which has >10 m visibility for the best experience.

After coming back up we went back to the shore and then to their office. Got all the necessary things done for my license- which was basically the paperwork. I even took a video of my instructor talking about how I dived (wait for the Scuba Diving Vlog for that!) And said my byes to everyone and joined my friends as it were our last few hours in Goa.

This wasn’t just an experience for a lifetime it was way more than that. It actually made me see this world from a different perspective. Having climbed mountains for so long this was a completely different experience, one which made me want to stay underwater forever. Which was not possible technically and even health wise! But what I felt underwater was nothing compared to what I feel everyday breathing in the natural environment (of course)! It made me wish for the first time in life that I could turn into a mermaid! It was that overpowering!

At a height on mountains or depth of the ocean, one ends up understanding that life is precious and helping others or seeking help from fellow human beings enhances your power and one learns the intimate life philosophy. It’s called ocean way or mountain way. But the secret is never on top of the mountain or in the deepest oceans but it is in our heart. Which you understand when you take some risk and embrace them.

My Scuba Diving Vlog-