So, yesterday, we finally took the plunge (literally as well, off the 3m diving platform), and had our first scuba diving lesson. Sis no. 2 (her hubby, busy with work, will attend the Thursday class), sis no.3 and her hubby, and me, went to the Stampark pool for the first confined dive. My hubby came along to help and give moral support (and also escape from babysitting).
Sunday was a day dedicated to us only, kids (totalling 12 between the 3 of us) were all dumped at home with maids or grandparents! It's about time we did something for ourselves! Otherwise we'll be learning diving at the old folks' home! :)
So, our instructor is Edward from Borneo Scuba. Hubby learned from him and says he's the only fun instructor around! Yesterday we went through all the basic things. Obviously, we had to learn how to assemble, disassemble and clean our scuba gear. Then we learned some compulsory skills.
First he had us swimming around to warm up. Then we had to put on super tight wet suits. These are really uncomfortable and extremely hard to get on and off, but they really keep you warm in the water. Sis no.3 put her leg in a sleeve once! That had us rolling in laughter!
Next on were the flippers which were really long and clumsy and made one empathetic towards Ronald MacDonald! We were then taught the wonders of spit for keeping goggles from fogging up! You had to work up a good amount of saliva, spit and really rub it into the inside surface of the goggles, then rinse only once. It's pretty gross, but it actually works! (Instructor's tip: cursing with plenty of emotion before spitting will help produce more saliva! -works better in hokkien)
Initially we swam around with fins and snorkels to get used to the fins mainly. It looks and sounds simple, but the kicking is a bit different from swimming sans fins, so we had to adjust a bit.
Next came the gear, mainly the BCD vest (inflatable to control 'floaty'ness), gas tank (70% nitrogen + 30% oxygen, similar to normal air), regulator (breathing mouthpiece), gauge (tank pressure and depth) and weight belt. You'd think with all that heavy gear on, you'd sink to the bottom, what with a weight belt thrown in. As a matter of fact, the wet suit increases your buoancy, and the BCD helps even more. So, without a weight belt, you'll actually find it hard to go down!
We had to get used to all the equipment. It's like learning how to drive. For the first-timer, there seem to be so many things to keep track of, the gear shift, brake, accelerator, clutch, steering, speedometer... Then you have to learn the delicate balance between clutch and accelerator. After plenty of practise, it'll become second nature. It's the same with diving I guess. Initially there seem to be so many things to remember, regulator, pressure, BCD valve, octopus (extra regulator for helping others)... Then we have to learn the delicate balance of buoyancy, between floating up too much and sinking to the bottom! This can be controlled by filling and releasing air from the BCD, or filling and releasing air from our lungs by controlling our breathing.
Mainly, we had to get used to the idea that we could now breathe underwater and also remember not to use our noses for breathing. We had to learn how to clear water from our goggles if they get filled, practise removing and replacing our regulator, goggles, and BCD, all underwater. Initially, when taking off the goggles, we forget that we can still breathe underwater and start to panic, then you get water up your nose and everything goes wrong and you have to get up! After reminding ourselves to relax, slow down and breathe, it gets easier.
Another important thing to learn is surfacing without your regulator. You cannot move vertically up too fast, as the air in your lungs will expand due to the pressure difference and your lungs will basically explode! So, we had to learn to surface slowly while looking up and saying, "ahhhh...". This helps remove all the air remaining in the lungs. Breathing out only removes about half.
Once we got familiar with the whole set-up and relaxed, diving around the pool was fun and surreal. It's definitely a great experience, and this is only a swimming pool! I'm still not 100% confident and panic-free, but I'm glad hubby got me to learn because it opens up a whole new world previously inaccessible to us land-dwellers!
(Sis no.3's hubby is not in most pics cos being an ex-water polo player, he takes to water like a fish, and was doing other things while we were doing the baby stuff!)
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