Bubble Paradise

I looked up and saw the stream of bubbles coming out of my regulator. I couldn’t believe I was down there. I couldn’t believe I was 38 ft. underwater. A wave of nervousness came over me, but I suddenly realized that everything as incredible as this holds a piece of peril. It was now up to me to either face my silent fear or bask in this beauty. I’m glad I chose the latter because I gazed and marveled at this new world.

(pix: I can set up my gear!)

Thanks to the other Brad, My Brad and I were fortunate to have met a marvelous PADI dive instructor, Mike. He and dive masters, Harry Blalock and Brad Derksen (aka: the other Brad) led us to scenic Lau Lau where we did our first two open water dives. During our first decent, I had trouble equalizing, causing a squeeze in my ears. It took me a good three minutes before I got to 20 ft. where they were patiently waiting. Truthfully, one of the three frequent divers made sure that I was taking my time to get use to the pressure and led me to slightly ascend if I had too. It made such a difference. As we swam towards the coral, it made me think of all the walk-through aquariums I’ve visited and submarine rides I’ve taken my classes to. I knew then diving was exponentially beyond compare. When we reached the reef, we saw a Hawksbill Turtle feeding from the corals. How lucky was I?! My first dive and a turtle was in plain sight! The reef was nothing like I imagined. An array of creatures brilliantly illuminated the water. From a school of diverse fish and a scorpion stonefish creeping in the sand to the marvelous tube worm and Christmas tree coral, everything was incredible. We swam for 38 minutes before we did our initial ascend.

During our second dive, we demonstrated skills that we learned the day before. We had to be able to take off our weights in the surface in case of an emergency, perform a snorkel/ regulator exchange, tow a tired diver, and remove cramps. Then we submerged back into the beautiful blue, this time equalizing wasn't a setback. We executed how to get rid of a flooded mask, what to do when someone or you signal that you're out of air, manually inflate our BCD (buoyancy control device), and breath bubbles when sharing air with another diver. Then we went back to exploring the reef. This time we saw a Green Sea Turtle, again, amazing!

Diving will undeniably be part of our adventure. Well, that is if we start reading our books and pass the certification test.

Battle Wounds

It was five past five. We were trying to beat the sunset as I drove up to the radar station with my mountain bike crammed in the back. Brad, on his bike, held on to the Rav for a joyride. This was going to be a great downhill ride, I thought to myself. I got on my bike and glanced around the unfamiliar path. To my surprise, we were heading the opposite direction… no pavement, just some good ol’ dirt and loose gravel. I felt unsteady on alien ground and focused on things that I didn’t want to encounter. Eventually, I skidded and fell off. Aside from busting the front brakes, I didn't really hurt myself but I held on to my hunny for dear life as he gently helped me up.

I finally gathered up the courage to shake off the shock and got back on. Oddly enough, I felt more confident and went whizzing downhill. But before anyone could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious I flew off, hit the ground hard, face and all! I knew I wasn’t superwoman because this time I was hurting all over… I couldn’t even tell where the pain was coming from. I had my face buried on my knees and was crying like a little girl. As I struggled to stand up, I examined the injuries I’m sure I obtained. My right calf was as swollen as a bruised peach, my thighs were bleeding mercy and a tiny piece of skin was hanging out of my thumb. My black clothes were filled with dust and dirt while my watch got all scratched up! It was one of those unfortunate moments where I couldn’t help but laugh in between tears.
We continued on our adventure with extreme caution and saw some amazing sights. Somehow because of the pain, i overcame a steep hill that I use to bike-walk. I’m glad I rode on.
Three days later, with a body filled with battle wounds and discoloration, I rode with the dream team (Vince, Rhonda, Tawny and other crazy bikers) up the dusty Far East Hill and down the paved road.
Riding is definitely a new thrill!