Mar
19
2015

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Learning to Scuba Dive with Ellie at Sun Divers

by Tara

Over the past three days, Tyler, Pete, Natasha and I have been pursuing our PADI Open Water Certification at Sun Diver on Roatan. It has been a thrilling, tiring, and nerve-wracking time, during which most of us have had some pretty intense bouts of being anxious and uncertain about the whole breathing-under-sixty-feet-of-water thing.

(Well, everyone except Tyler, who seems impervious to fear, and whose favorite pastimes include sinking to the bottom of a pool and staying there, and who would give anything to float around, weightless, in space.)

Our First Scuba Dive

On the first day of class, everything felt foreign and wrong. The gear felt awkward and heavy (until we were under water, that is), and my new mask leaked continuously. The confined shallow area where we were practicing was murky and uninviting, and I was consumed with an unexpected panic, stemming from feeling vaguely claustrophobic. As well, having to perform a series of uncomfortable-yet-necessary safety exercises meant that being underwater was more stressful than fun.

Thanks to the calming, comforting presence of our teacher, Ellie, however, we all stuck with it. I could not ask for a better person to guide us into the world of scuba. She's warm, reassuring, knowledgeable, laid back and light-hearted all at the same time. She empathetically allayed each of our fears and concerns, and helped us recognize that everything was going to be okay. I really cannot imagine learning with anyone else!

Natasha & Ellie

Thank you, Ellie! You're the best!


Now, all four of us are scuba certified. The stresses of our first day seem far away, and I honestly can't believe I was so nervous. As it turns out, scuba diving is far easier and more enjoyable than learning to scuba dive. I'm so glad we all stuck with it. How magical and freeing is to be weightless underwater! To explore new, fascinating worlds I wouldn't otherwise be able to experience! To meet sea-turtles face to face, to witness the majesty of an eagle ray, and to discover the dorkiest, cutest fish ever: the sharp-nosed puffer.

Turtle & Scuba Divers Scuba (by Pete) Scuba Diving w/Big Fish (by Pete)

Now that we've done our Open Water class, Tyler and I are taking our Advanced Certification!

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2 comments

Congrats guys, that's awesome!

I had the same struggle with a feeling of claustrophobia when I was doing my certification and some really useful advice I got was to image my tank was a huge room full of air that was following me around. Sounds a bit bizarre, but it did the trick for me. Sounds like Ellie had some great approaches for you too!
Posted by Sim on April 19th, 2015 at 2:19 AM
Yay, how fun! Welcome to the world of underwater. Now you know what you've been missing! And it sounds like Tyler is like Travis, just at home under water.
Posted by Magalie on April 28th, 2015 at 9:39 PM