Diving Underwater - Scuba Diving What An Experience

Diving Underwater - Scuba Diving What An Experience

Have you been considering learning to scuba dive. I overheard my coworkers talking about how much fun it was and I took the bait. I took lessons and entered a different world. Once your head slips below the surface there is an explosion of color, the strangest organisms you will ever see, the sensation of weightlessness and you have the ability to fly. The following is my account of the dive that turned this sport into a passion for me. Read on and enjoy, see if scuba might be something you would be interested in.

It was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico along the Pacific coast that I made my first real dive into salt water. I had been certified basic scuba diver for about two months and had made several fresh water dives in the lakes of central Texas. I thought that this type of diving could not be surpassed. A friend suggested that I join a dive club in the Houston area which offered dive travel at group discounts. I went to my first club meeting at Rice University, joined and signed up for the next trip they were offering.

That trip took me to Puerto Vallarta. Upon arrival, we made an afternoon check out dive off the beach. Once the dive master was satisfied with our abilities, he assigned buddy teams for the morning dive trip. Up early and eagerly waiting at the dock our boat finally arrived. A line was formed and gear, tanks and supplies were loaded. The boat ride was about forty five minutes and ended by anchoring near a small island offshore.

The dive master took my buddy and I aside and said that due to our inexperience he wanted to lead our first dive and for us to stay with him. That was just fine with me for I did have some anxiety being this far offshore and unfamiliar with boat diving. We planned our dive for seventy feet maximum depth for no longer that fifty minutes or 500 pounds of air which ever came first. We entered the water, our group of three giving the OK sign, deflated our BCD's and down we went.

I had entered a new universe. Immediately there was an explosion of color. Beautiful multicolored sponges, corals and fish. As a mater of fact we were surrounded by fish looking for a hand out, evidently this was a popular dive site. We descended along the slopping bottom until we reached our seventy foot max depth, leveled off and found neutral bouncy. We swam around looking in every nook and cranny for whatever we might find. Finally my training kicked in and I decided it would be a good idea if I to check my pressure gauge. To my astonishment, I was down to 600 pounds and we had not been in the water for thirty minutes. I swam over to the dive master and showed him my gauge. He looked at me with big eyes, got my buddy's attention and gave the thumbs up sign for the three of us to surface.

We arrived and the surface and he said "man you are sucking some air", I replied "I am, this is the greatest thing I have ever done!!!" The smile on my face was from ear to ear and my heart was pounding. We located the dive boat about fifty yards away and he said "Let's dive to about ten feet and swim to the boat under the surface so that we don't have to fight the waves". We took a compass bearing, dove down to ten feet and headed off towards the dive boat with the dive master and my buddy leading the way.

You must understand the feeling of euphoria that I was experiencing. I had just seen an amazing new world with strange new creatures. I was in heaven as I followed my two buddies, then suddenly Wham!!! Something straightened out my right leg. I turned around in the water, two feet straight out from my left shoulder, as big as my fist was a black eyeball. To the right of my right shoulder, as big as my fist was another black eyeball. In between these two giant eyeballs was the ugliest face I have ever seen. Immediately, I pulled my knees to my chest and got into a ball while thinking "I 'm not feeding you a hand or foot, you're going to have to eat the whole thing".

I stayed in the ball position and stared eye to eye and it seamed like forever. Slowly it descended and went underneath me. I turned and watched as it swam underneath the dive master and my buddy. The dive master immediately turned to look for me and gave the up sign as we made eye contact. We all hit the surface with the dive master yelling Dave Dave did you see it? I replied, "see it hell, it grabbed me in its mouth!!!" " No, No" he replied, "their plankton eaters he only bumped you with his wing, you could have rode him!" as he realized my anxiety and tried to calm me down. Needless to say, I was ready to walk on water the rest of the way to the dive boat.

Of course the creature I now know was a manta ray and yes I could have rode him. It would be ten years before I would actually get the chance to again ride a "devil ray". This is my favorite dive story, it is true, it occurred in 1978 and I remember it as if I was looking into those giant black eyes right now!

The outcome of the encounter was as profound and strong then as now, "I am hooked on diving and always will be!!!" If you have been considering scuba diving, then know this statement, "diving is like going to a different world, you have the sensation of weightlessness and the sensation of being able to fly, on your journey you will encounter the strangest and most colorful organisms in the universe". Come join us, I look forward to sharing dive stories with you.

David Duane Wilson has been certified for over 30 years. His passion for the sport and desire to help others safely enjoy the underwater world has lead to the publishing of the blog http://divingunderwater.com You can join us there and enter the blog.

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By David Duane Wilson