What is Try Scuba Diving?
Let me first explain what Try Scuba Diving is. It is an experience that includes short theory session and a confined water dive. It is basically an introduction to the underwater world. You have an instructor who looks after you and makes sure you stay safe. The Try Scuba Diving is not a certification so it does not allow you to dive autonomously in the future. If you enjoy your Try Scuba Diving experience, however, you can decide to complete an Open Water course. This is the first entry level which allows you to dive autonomously with a buddy up to 18m. We will speak about all this in future posts. Let’s go back to the topic!
How it all started for me?
It all started with the idea of experimenting with something new. I knew I was terrible in sports, but being in the water was probably the only place I didn’t feel too clumsy and dis-coordinated so sounded logical to me to try to explore the options.
With my family we used to go to Sozopol, Bulgaria, every year for many years ever since I was little. On the day I went for my Try Scuba Diving my dad came with me to the dive centre as he was the one who recommended it. I was energetic, excitable and very curious. Didn’t have a clue what I was going to do, I had never really watched much about diving – just had a feeling I had to try this out.
By that point I had started writing a children’s book about an Underwater World with curious creatures and I really wanted to see whether I can get some more inspiration. All fairy-taily until here. So how did my first diving morning go…
The day of the dive – Diving.BG, Sozopol
The name of the dive center is Diving.BG and the owner our famous Bulgarian diver Ina Dimitrova. On the day when I had my first experience she was being interviewed all day at the dive centre. I was sat down by Pavel “the Swimmer” (we had an internal joke about me never being able to forget him which still makes me giggle) and I was given a medical form to complete.
There were another 2-3 people who were sat there doing Open Water exams. In my head what they were speaking about sounded like rocket science so I decided to ignore them and concentrate on listening only to the briefing of Pavel. It was simple and straightforward – the equipment, the breathing and equalizing and the procedures. I started getting from nervious to super excited.
The dive – and all those feelings I fell in love with
We got dressed with the guys who were doing the Open Water Course and I started asking more and more questions as my curiosity was growing. By the time we were on the boat I felt was deeply knowledgable about scuba diving ha ha!
And from the moment I got my equipment on my back the only thing I remember is the go ahead, breathing for first time underwater and.. staring at my instructor! I was the only one diving with Pavel and I remember him holding me from time to time by my cylinder and checking that I was ok. The water was murky (Black Sea at the end of the day) and visibility was terrible, I can’t even remember what we saw or what we didn’t.
What I remember is the sudden internal feeling of freedom coupled with absolutely overwhelming feeling of trust. I knew I had no idea what I was doing and had anything gone wrong my life was depending on the skills of my instructor. Might sound a bit dramatic an hero-y but this was actually what had drawn me into diving. The feeling of shared experience, bonding and trust.
I knew that person for less than an hour and I felt I knew him for years. He was looking me in the eyes and the eyes under his mask were showing me he was really enjoying my excitement. I don’t remember having problems with the mask, regulator or any panic – just a total feeling of serenity and trust..and a bit of murky water haha. The dive lasted 30 mins, but I kept diving for a while longer in my head.
The end of the try scuba experience – the beginning of my scuba journey
We came back to the dive shop, got changed, exchanged FB details with Pavel and left. Only a few hours later I was speaking to him asking about how I can do Open Water. Unfortunately we were leaving and I was travelling back to the UK so I had to postpone completing the course. But I was determined I was going to take Open Water and Scuba Diving was going to be “my thing”.
