Scuba diving was an amazing
experience. I’ve always had dreams where I was breathing underwater, and scuba diving made it possible to actually live
out those weird and wonderful dreams.
Getting used to all the new
equipment wasn’t too bad. We had weights strapped across our waists to help us sink to the ground. The oxygen tank wasn’t
too heavy, but the flippers made it hard to walk around on land. Our vests were inflated so that we could float on the surface
of the water and were equipped with release valves that were opened when it was time to sink.
Since we were all noobies when it came to scuba diving and weren’t trained to adapt to the pressure changes in deep
sea diving, we only descended to 10-15 feet, plugging our noses and blowing out in order to keep the pressure from building
up in our ears. We each had a container full of fish to feed the stingrays that were swimming by, who were gliding their
slimy bodies across our bodies and faces.
We also fed sea turtles and nurse sharks the fishes we had through circular holes on a glass wall, which separated
us for our safety. In order to feed the nurse sharks, we only had to place the fish at the edge of the hole and the nurse
sharks would come by and suck the fishes from our hands, creating an impressive vacuum. The sea turtles would continue to
swim toward us even though their heads were up against the glass wall, begging us to feed them. As I began to place a fish
through the hole, their mouths would open wide enough to bite off my entire hand, and they would chomp on the fish with delight.
This experience was something I will always remember and I can’t wait to do it again.
