Last year, I finally got around to doing something about my aspiration to go scuba diving
It stemmed from a desire to explore something new in our great city, Karachi
While doing my research on the best facility to go to, I was recommended by a few friends to go with Indus Scuba, from their personal experience
They said the training was thorough, the safety measures were more than adequate and the instructors were very competent as well as personable
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Myra Iqbal and Extreme Maneuvers Adventure Club[/caption] Scuba diving season in Karachi is from November to about February
Keeping that in mind, I enrolled in the October classes to complete my pool sessions
These consisted of demos, equipment-based training, basic procedures and safety drills, as well as working with a ‘buddy’, which is your partner for the dive
You learn to work closely with your buddy, in case of emergencies when in the deep, such as running out of air supply or malfunctioning equipment, and you do certain skill based exercises such as taking your mask off and putting it back on underwater, learning to equalise, and more
The pool sessions also give you your first sensation of being able to breathe underwater, a sensation that nobody can really explain to you, and it really got me excited for my first open-water dive
After completing a certain number of pool sessions, we finally ventured out into the open sea
On the day of the first open-water dive, the diving group headed towards Mubarak Village, from which we switched two boats to get to Charna Island
The long boat ride, the heavy equipment and the cumbersome wet suit, once in the water, stopped mattering, and a sense of excitement mixed with fear engulfed me
[embed width="620"]http://www
dailymotion
com/video/x16beby_charna-island_news[/embed] The instructors took the group down slowly, with the help of a rope
At this point, I surprised myself by going halfway down, and then panicking a bit and coming back up
As it turns out, my panic was caused by the thought of entering the great unknown, something that I had always looked forward to
The dive master helped me control these fears and brought me down slowly to the sea bed, where the rest of my group was, about 20 feet deep
We did our drills which, to be honest, weren’t very different in the actual sea, if you can just control your mind
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Zarmina Faisal[/caption] Once those were done, we were taken to explore the coral
Let nobody tell you that Pakistan has nothing to offer; the beauty of our marine life will leave you speechless
Being underwater and breathing, you become acutely aware of each and every breath you take, can feel the sensations of your body reacting to that breath, and in my experience, I think it just made me appreciate the beauty of what was around me
[embed width="620"]http://www
dailymotion
com/video/x16idk3_beauty-of-under-water-world-karachi_sport[/embed] Bright, red corals play host to a kaleidoscope of marine life; angel fish, tuna, sea urchins, are commonly seen
I came across more varieties of fish than I could recognise or name – it truly was a visual treat
I was told that there are barracudas and sting rays too, although I didn’t get to see either
The ever-changing visual scenery, the feeling of being in an unknown world and the majesty of nature at its best makes for a beautiful and humbling experience
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Photo: Zarmina Faisal[/caption] Time in the magical underwater world, however, is limited; we had to regroup and resurface
On subsequent dives, I realised one thing: even if you dive in the same spot again, no two dives are the same
The underwater world reveals different secrets each time, and plays a different host to your visual senses
Each has its own beauty, its own scenery, and its own feeling to offer, which can leave you overwhelmed and physically exhausted
I went on to do more dives, finish the practical dive section of the PADI certification, as well as complete the theory and take the test, which gave me my certification
Scuba season ended, life went on as normal, but now it’s almost that time of the year, and my little mermaid senses have started tingling again
| Date: | 18-Nov-2014 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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