Three Liner Pix

UNDER THE SEA...

(Brad Derksen Photos)

WHERE IS MEATBALL?

HUGS AND KISSES

READING WITH CAUTION

HOPPIN' WHITE PARTY!

THAT'S A PLANE?!

The Beautiful Blue

As I stand on the shore, the ocean calls me into submission.
As I feel the warmth of the tropical water, my heart beats a little bit faster.
As I submerge into the beautiful blue, I gaze at this world…

vast, magnificent, both eerie and astonishing.

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Brad and I went on our second couple dive at Lau Lau. We followed the familiar pipe that led us out into the open. As my senses were heightened to the cracks and pops of the crustaceans, Brad pointed at a Green Sea Turtle. While its rear flippers were steering itself and its front were gliding through the water like a bird using its wings, we found ourselves swimming alongside it. It was INCREDIBLE! The next morning, we drove and dove at the same sight before we headed to work…

The weekend before that, we went out with veteran divers, Harry, Kelli and Mike. Harry suggested we take a look at Wing Beach and Grotto. Brad looked at me and knew I was doing a silent dance of joy. In my excitement, I plunged in the waters of Wing Beach with the snorkel still in my mouth... drinking enough salty water to keep me hydrated for a marathon. The crevasses at this place were unimaginable.

When we immersed in Grotto waters and went through caves, I looked up and realized I could hardly see the surface. There was no shore waiting for me, just open water. I started feeling tense and woozy, it didn’t help that my mask was fogging up. But in spite of that, there was a greater sense of satisfaction than fear…

(pictures taken by Kelli Blalock)

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.

Diving Anyone?

I don’t know what it is but when I don’t see anyone within three yards I panic underwater.

At times, those lovely seaweeds that lend beauty to the underwater landscape scare the beejezus out of me. When I swim over it, I imagine creatures dragging me underneath the deep dark end, even though I know that those large marine algae grow exclusively in the shallow waters. Once, we were snorkeling at Forbidden Island and I had to muster all my strength to swim through a small cavern.

So here I am on a beautiful Friday morning searching online for a dive instructor. That’s right folks I am determined to overcome my inhibitions, my ingrained fear of the deep beautiful blue.

Now, will anyone help me out of my dive-despair?