Certified

I mentioned that there isn’t much to do in Taganga outside of scuba diving. So, thanks to the urging of Charlotte and Adam, I went ahead and signed up to get my Open Water Scuba Diving Certification. Adam is already a certified diver and Charlotte completed her certification the day I arrived. Their stories peaked my interest and I am glad they made the suggestion! I took the plunge, literally!!

Now, Da Kid is used to being on land, so there are certain activities that put a little bit of fear in me. Yes, I know it’s hard to believe that Da Kid I scarred of anything! Now scared may be the wrong word to use here. I guess I’m just programmed to be a land mammal and when I get high up or in the water, I get a little uneasy. However, I try not to let it get to me. I’ve been bungie jumping, snorkeling, love roller coasters, and now scuba diving. Next on the list is sky-diving…whose with me?
So back to scuba diving…I was so nervous about getting into the water. In speaking with the dive school, we implemented an opt-out clause, so that I could end things if I didn’t like them. Well, it turned out I didn’t need it! I loved it! Granted, it wasn’t an easy road, but after the first 5 minutes, I felt like I had the swing of things. Getting used to breathing underwater isn’t easy! In my first confined water dives, I got to the bottom, only 6 ft and even though I had a breathing apparatus, I felt the need to go to the surface and breathe! After doing that twice, I was able to focus on the task at hand and stay under water! There were about twenty task I had to complete under water – most were for safety reasons. Some were freaky like taking off your mask and continuing to breath and losing and retrieving your breathing apparatus. Others were cool like working on your buoyancy. Just by inhaling an exhaling you can reach a state when you are just hovering over the ocean floor. This was called the Buddha test, where we would sit as if we were meditating and just hover. It was cool to watch, but definitely not the easiest thing to do!

I went from being scared on the first day, to being excited on the second day. I couldn’t wait to get back into the water. On the second day, I completed two 12-meter dives. I had some initial hesitancy once I got in the water, but once I was able to touch the bottom, I was able to relax again. Once we started swimming along the bottom, the dive instructor quickly noticed something on the floor of the sea. He told me to watch as he went down and started to play in the sand on the floor. The next thing I noticed was this stick that seemed to be lodged in the ground started swimming towards me. It was a freaking eel!!! To be exact is was a spotted snake sand eel. Da Kid does not like snakes and an eel is just a snake in the water. As soon as I could make out was coming for me, I was headed for the boat! Luckily, the eel was faster than me, and just swam by me before I could turn and run, but I probably used of half of my oxygen supply with that one moment! With that past me, my heartbeat slowed and my breathing returned to normal, I was able to take in the beauty of the sea. It was awesome! I felt as if a new world was being opened up. I’ve seen diving shows n the Discovery Channel, but being down there in person, was HNL!!! (Hole Nutha Level) However, I continued to think every stick coming out of the ground was a freaking eel!

My last day consisted of two 18-meter dives. It was so calming and relaxing to be under water. I would get upset when my oxygen began to run out and would try to alter my breathing pattern to conserve more air. At the end of the day, I was certified! I just had to go to Santa Marta to take a photo for my id. So now I have my second certification since leaving my job. I’m now a certified Bartender and a Certified Scuba Diver. Maybe I can start an underwater bar with my newly developed skills. Hmmm…fish need to drink too!

I want to take some time to give some free advertising to Aquantis Dive School. Johan Ilsen is the owner/master diver. It’s a smaller outfit, but the attention you receive blows the other outfits out of the water. I spoke to other people taking their course at other schools and heard stories of rude instructors and safety issues. Adam and Charlotte recommended Aquantis to me and I highly recommend them to anyone looking to get certified in Taganga. They are located off the main road where the other dive shops are located. You can find them on the road to the beach on the right hand side. If you are looking for a place to stay, they also have accommodations – only for divers – that can be included in dive packages.

Aquantis
www.aquantisdivecenter.com
hostalaquantis@hotmail.com