Underwater love

One of the greatest dreams of men is to discover and explore other planets. There is, however, an ecosystem that, although being on our Earth, for all intents and purposes can be compared to another planet. A world in which life for humans and other mammals is impossible, but at the same time holding a variety of life species uncomparable to anywhere else. An environment which was the cradle of life for all living species. Have you guessed yet? I’m talking about the realm of the oceans. Diving enthusiasts will know what I mean. And for those of you who have never tryed diving, my advice is to try as soon as possible. It took me 26 years to get around to do it and now... I am hopelessly in love.

The location of our initiation to the underwater world was Nha Trang, in central Vietnam. Nha Trang is the premier beach resort in the whole country; set on an enviable location on the South China Sea, whose deep blue waters attract me so much more than the Andaman Sea or the Gulf of Thailand. The town itself is nothing to write home about. Vietnamese and foreign investors went through a building frenzy in the last few years, with the result that now the town resembles a baby Surfers Paradise. High rise hotels line the pretty palm-fringed beach, but every cloud has a silver lining; increased competition means lower prices, and good service. After a spot of haggling we scored a rooftop room with adjacent 25 square meters terrace for the dong equivalent of $11... not bad.

For us however, the beach and the hotel room were of secondary importance. We’d come for the diving. And so, early on the morning for 5 days in a row, we jumped on a boat bound for the Hon Mun Maritime National Park, in the company of our diving instructor Jens. Keen as we were to start diving as soon as possible, we decided to skip the induction day in the swimming pool. And so, after a quick theory lesson, we jumped in donning all our gear. My first sensation of being underwater was not at all good. I could not get used to breathing through the mouthpiece, I felt like choking. Moreover, I could not appreciate the sensation of weightlessness; the weight belt was digging on my hips and the air tank sat uncomfortably on my shoulders. I guess it was just my reaction to a novel sensation, as after my second dive I absolutely loved being underwater. Jens said both of us looked instantly comfortable underwater, being able from the beginning to control our buoyancy. And over 5 days we completed both the Open Water and the Advanced course. The experience was one of the greatest I’ve had in my life, and will surely redefine the way we travel. Unfortunately, diving is rather expensive, but worth every penny in my mind.

Let me tell you, Nha Trang is no Borneo or Red Sea. The marine life looked fantastic to us, but underwhelming to other seasoned divers who joined us on the boat over the 5 days. We did see a variety of corals, colorful fish including the peculiar looking (and rather dangerous) lionfish, an extraterrestrial underwater squid and sea cucumbers, the softest thing I ever touched (ok, I know it’s naughty to touch sea creatures). We dived down to 30 meters, appreciating the darkness and otherwordly feeling, although I admit sea life is more impressive around 12-15 meters of depth. During my favourite dive we visited an underwater cave, teeming with schools of fish that opened like theatre curtains to let us past. The only regret we had was being unable to capture anything on camera, as we have no underwater equipment... a problem that, according to Nick, will soon be rectified.

As I said before, it was not what we saw that overwhelmed us, It was the actual sensation of being underwater. I’ll try to explain that. Jumping into the water with all the gear, one feels rather clumsy and constricted in one’s movements. But once all the body is underwater... we all become a cross between ballerinas and astronauts. The body has no weight; we can float and dance gracefully, roll on ourselves or do backflips, as the body is permitted a much wider range of movements than on land. It feels like flying. I enjoyed the feeling of my body way more than I enjoyed anything we saw during the 5 days. In a way, Nha Trang for me was the ideal place to learn diving. And I’ll never forget the time spent there, that’s for sure.