Hello Hive!
This is my first taste of the underwater world that made me decide to pursue open water scuba diving lessons.
I already mentioned in my previous posts that I will be having this Moalboal series. I actually made a few posts already and I think more are coming in the next few days. I will just provide the links of those posts I've done at the end of this post. Please do visit them if you want to know the context of this series.
Me, my friends from my previous work, and our guides after that successful discovery scuba diving in Moalboal last November 2020.
I have always been fascinated by the strange yet majestic world underwater. Since I got a hold of an old National Geographic magazine that contained a lot of stunning photos underwater, I always dreamed of a day that I will be able to experience what it's like down there.
We already had plans with @scubahead about the diving class and we planned it for months, but when it was time for me to pursue it, something unprecedented happened that made me postpone the diving lessons up to a later date.
When my friends invited me to have a long weekend in Moalboal last November, I immediately said I'll join them. They said we would have discovery scuba at Php 2,000 or around $42.00. I didn't tell @scubahead that I would be having a scuba diving because we had plans already and it was just postponed due to reasons that are beyond me.
I thought it was also a perfect opportunity for me to get a sense of what's out there and feel if I would like it before fully committing to an expensive lesson and certification.
After checking in at Pacita's Beach Resort, we immediately head to Mark's Diving Center, if I remembered that correctly, for the first activity of the day. We prepared for the dive, had almost an hour of a crash course on what to do and not do underwater, and then head to the water.
One thing I noticed during the preparation and briefing is that we were not taught how to set up our air tank and BCD (buoyancy compensator device). They have set it up already for us. That's one reason why I decided I should go back and have my diving lessons. I want to learn how to set up everything.
The Experience Underwater
It's a different world down there. One very important rule is to keep on breathing and I made sure of that. 😂 I initially had a problem with equalizing. That's what really made me worried. My left ear really hurt when we descended a few meters from the surface so I signalled my guide that my ear hurt. We ascended back a few meters and I tried to equalize again. It took a long time before I was able to do it.
Once I was able to acclimatize to the new surroundings, I enjoyed it very much. I was easily distracted by the corals and fishes, but the most mesmerizing of all was the school of sardines.
Panagsama is known for its sardines all year round. It is said that there are only two places in the world where you can see a permanent school of sardines. The other one is in South Africa.
While I enjoyed all the sights down there, I didn't like the idea that I have no control over my dive gears. Our guides were holding our talks from the back and it felt like we were just dragged along. That's another reason why I decided to pursue that diving lesson.
We were just swimming along the reefs of Panagsama until the part where there were sardines and then they decided it was time to resurface. It was only about 15 minutes underwater. Our air tanks were still 150 bar/atm. They said the current was strong. Bummer.
At the Surface
It can be seen from our faces that we were so happy to have ticked off one item in our bucket list. But for me, it was not enough. I wanted to have more photos underwater and that didn't happen. I wanted to have more photos with the sardines and the corals. It left me hanging that I wanted for more. That's the main reason why I decided to pursue that diving lesson which I will be posting in details in the coming days.
For some reason, they took more photos at the surface than underwater. It became like a photoshoot. I couldn't complain, but there should have been more photos underwater. I mean you could easily fake while at the surface.
More photos:
Was it worth it? At that time, yes. It gave me a glimpse of what's in store for me if I would pursue scuba diving, in which I did. Now that I'm certified, no. It was too short. We could have spent more time underwater or at least spent the air until maybe 75 bar.
I guess that's all for this post. Next post will be about Garden Village, a restaurant where @discoveringarni brought me after the meet up. See you in my next post!
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying hard photographer so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.
If you like his content, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want to. Also, don't forget to follow him to be updated with his latest posts.