learning to dive in koh tao

When I took my first breaths underwater, I actually hated it.

I felt nauseous and sleep-deprived and claustrophobic in the concrete jail of the practice swimming pool. I couldn't get my ears to equalize, and we were only three meters deep. Every minute stretched to forever as my head pounded and I tried not to get sick.

The next morning was our first dive in the ocean. I dreaded it the whole night. But when we descended into the rainbow of coral and sea life, it was pure magic. I was floating in underwater space. Fish flew past me, unfazed, and some even came to nibble at me. I was a guest in a secret world I'd only imagined from Finding Nemo and Planet Earth (and I even got to see a few Nemos nestle into anenome). I completed my Open Water 20 and went on to get my advanced.

We applaud the fearless, but it's only human to be scared and insecure. Maybe it can even be more courageous to do something in spite of our fears. It's silly, but I feel a hint of pride every time I can say I'm an advanced diver. I went from struggling to equalize at three meters to being certified to dive at 30. In my past two weeks in Bali, I've explored shipwrecks and coral reefs, where I swam with turtles, manta rays, sting rays, barracudas, octopuses and many more stunning sea creatures. There's so much of this secret underwater world for me to uncover.

Thank you Roctopus Dive!