Kristie Bertelmann
Dr. Sonia Begert
English 101
29 January 2013
Diving
with Nemo
Scuba diving is a sensational and eye-opening experience.
It allows one to see living ecological life in its own habitat without the
disruption of human activities. Creatures of all sorts of variety: large and
small, flamboyant and dull, swimming carefree in the open water. My first day
of scuba diving opened a whole new world that I never knew existed. A world of
undisturbed peace that could end in any moment.
My first day of diving was a memorable one. It was a
bright, sunny day with the leaves rustling slightly from the gentle touch of
the morning breeze. I started out learning the basic hand signals and the
different parts of my gear in a classroom. The session was only fifteen minutes
at most. Afterwards, I was given a suit and was directed to the closest
restroom. Inside, I had the hardest time putting on my wet suit. At that
moment, I thought to myself that this was going to be an interesting day.
After
I somehow managed to put on my wet suit, I waited outside for the rest of my
family to finish changing. We were all here together to experience scuba diving
for the first time. We took turns taking pictures and waited for our
instructors. There were two instructors present, a male and female, named
Enrique and Josie, respectively. My mother and I went with Enrique, while my
father and brother went with Josie. Our next objective was learning basic
diving techniques in the swimming pool. Enrique carefully strapped on the
oxygen tank to my gear and handed me a pair of goggles. When I put them on, I
glanced downwards into the clear blue water and saw my instructor sitting down
on the swimming pool floor, beckoning me to follow.
I
swam downwards, ignoring the popping sensation in my ears. I formed a
cross-legged formation and used both my arms to push myself downwards on the
swimming pool floor. Both Enrique and I waited for my mother to join us. From
the pool floor, we watched my mother trying to sink down on the floor however,
no matter how much she tried, the water pushed her upwards. After a couple of
minutes had gone by, my instructor pulled my mother's leg down and I held her
hand to keep her from floating back up. Learning the diving techniques was
interesting. We had to learn how to use our diving buddy's spare regulator in
case of emergencies and how to empty our goggles in case there was water
inside. My favorite part about learning that technique was learning how to do
it underwater. More importantly, this session was to allow us to practice
breathing through our regulator, which is the piece that goes on your mouth.
For some reason, some people have trouble with breathing through their mouth,
instead of their nose.
After
we practiced the diving techniques, we made our way to the beach. I was walking
through the beach, dragging my oxygen tank across the hot, dry sand. I waited
for my instructor and the rest of my family to make their way to the beach. I
sat down and dug my foot under the wet sand. When the wave washed up on the
sand, I dipped my foot into the water and felt a cool sensation throughout my
body. Soon, I heard voices approaching and looked back to see the crew walking
in my direction. I stood up and walked in the water, continuing to drag my oxygen
tank, until I was waist-deep. My instructor helped my mother and I put on our
oxygen tanks and weight belts and then motioned us to follow after putting on
his own mask.
As
I dove down and swam in the open sea, I saw so much life. School of fish swimming
in harmony, seaweeds dancing to the sound of peace, coral reefs standing with
great pride and the ocean floor glistening from sunlight. I swam deeper,
following my instructor, and began to feel my stress lifting off my shoulders
like a caged bird that has been freed. The sight of this beautiful harmonic
balance, made me forget about all my worries. I swam farther and farther away
from the beach and saw colorful starfish and fish with vibrant colors that
decorated the ocean like ornaments on a Christmas tree. I looked back from time
to time, to see my mother swimming right behind me. In a distance, I saw my
brother and father swimming with Josie. Occasionally, I saw my brother wave at
me and I waved back, then continued to follow Enrique. We circled around and
headed back towards the beach.
During
this journey, I saw an orange clown fish with white stripes swimming with a
small group. I called him Nemo and followed him. Luckily, he was swimming in
the same direction towards Enrique. I tried to poke him, but he swam away
instantly. Soon, he started circling around and around. Enrique saw my
fascination for Nemo and formed a rendezvous point. He signaled my mother and I
to the surface and told us to stay around this point for five minutes.
Afterwards, I dove back down and tried to find Nemo. His vibrant orange color
was easy for me to pick out. I swam down and tried to swim as close as I could
without scaring him away however, he knew what I was thinking and kept his
distance. I gave up trying to swim close and watched him from afar. He swam
carefree back and forth as though he wanted to send me a message. I watched him
from afar and saw the peace that surrounded him. Then, I watched him swim away
to join a school of fish, far off in the distance. Soon, I saw him no more. It
was a beautiful feeling to be a part of something bigger. I looked all around
me and observed the undisturbed wild life. I felt that my presence was a part
of something bigger than myself in the open sea. I felt like I had to protect
this beautiful image.
After
we circled around and made our way back the beach, we all regrouped on the
shore. We laughed and talked briefly about our individual experiences. We went
to the showers and changed back into our clothes. While I was in the shower, I
realized how much I enjoyed diving. I
was destined to dive. It felt right, since the first moment I touched the
water. Ever since I was a child, I always loved the water. I swam at every
opportunity I had. Perhaps there wasn't much to figure out. I loved the water,
therefore it was only natural that I loved diving. When we all waited for our
instructors, the family sat down at a table. I kept on glancing back at the
beach, yearning to go back inside. Enrique tapped my shoulder and smiled. He
talked to me about getting a diving license and a part-time job. I was very
interested and overjoyed to hear. I was inspired to dive and wanted to protect
the beauty of nature.
After
we got packed up, we headed back to our house. I looked outside my car window and
saw the beach slowly getting farther and farther away. How can I love diving so
much after one day, I will never understand. But one thing was clear. This was
not going to be the last time. In all my years, I never felt so free and
strong. I felt like I was able to do anything. It was quite a liberating and
powerful experience that I will never forget. Now that I look back on it, this
day has been many dives ago. However, each time I dive into the open sea, it is
just like my first day of diving.
Once you've experienced
nature in its own domain, it opens your eyes to the beauty of the natural
order. Animals and plants living in harmony, forming a delicate balance that
can easily be disrupted. While scuba diving, you can see nature untainted with
humanity's footsteps. How long will this peace last, I asked myself many times,
dive after dive.
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