Diamonds in the sand, sapphire in the ocean

It wasn't until daylight savings ended that I knew I had been in denial that those short-lived, gorgeous summer days are officially over. Goodbye to all those lazy sun-kissed days at the beach, those blissful days of warm sunshine and cloudless blue skies, which felt like aeons ago. 

Gazing blissfully into the horizon, mesmerized by the stunning colors of the ocean
(Stumbled upon a swimming hole at the Sorrento Back Beach)

Twenty-fourteen (2014) has officially become the year that I discovered my yearning passion for the ocean and the magical underwater world beneath it. Truth be told, I'm a big wuss when it comes to the vast, mysterious ocean. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love the beach. Heaven to me is reading a book or snoozing on the sand with the sun blanketing me with those warm rays, cooling off with a refreshing swim in those enriched, turquoise waters, and of course - surfing those powerful, rolling waves (actually, those beginner waves are anything but powerful; but to someone like me, it felt as if I had a hundred rhinoceros trampling over my clumsy, tumbling body).

Yes, I'm afraid of the ocean. I'm afraid of being devoured alive by sharks, stung by jellyfish (thanks to media sensationalisation and my mom), or worse, being attacked/haunted by the sea-ghost. According to my mom, this is absolutely the primary reason why one should not be swimming in the ocean at night - I'm not sure exactly what the sea ghost does, just that you will most certainly encounter it if you venture out into the ocean at night. Despite my fear and all the warnings, the summer of 2014 saw my growing passion for the ocean. It started off with regular leisure swims and sunbathing at the beach which escalated to enrolling in surfing lessons. This brought out not only my fear of the great mysterious blue ocean, but also piped my curiosity in the open water. 

Gorgeous playful bottleneck dolphins in Port Phillip Bay, off the coast of Mornington Peninsula

Which brought me to this - last weekend, I officially completed the SDI Open Water scuba diving course. It was the most physically (and mentally) challenging task I've ever had to do. The skills we have to learn during the dive course are essential survival skills that should be honed and mastered to minimize risks of injuries and/or worse, death - which, in itself, was the biggest driving force motivating me to overcome my fears and focus every ounce of my energy on learning how to survive in the water.

Certifying as an open water diver was definitely an achievement for me - while the first day practising in the pool and doing one open water dive was strangely new but feasible for me, the real challenge arose on our second day. I thought walking 200m down the pier with 20kg of additional weight on my back was challenging, but little did I know, the real challenge was yet to come. We had to complete three open water dives on the second day, including demonstrating the skills we previously learned during the pool dive. 
I had two coffees plus an Up-n-Go for breakfast, which might have contributed to my lack of energy and rapid exhaustion - especially after the pier walk with all that gear on my back. Being a typical Melbourne autumn day, the water was cold - hence the additional hood we had to wear which made me feel like I was being choked by a life-sized condom (never felt more claustrophobic in my life). 

We did a roll-back entry off the pier, and that was when the nightmare began. I struggled clearing my mask and putting it back on my face while being suffocated by the rubbery hood. The difficulty doing this was compounded by the waves slapping me in the face and the current pushing me in the wrong direction to where my instructor had told us to gather. Oh, and let's not forget to mention that I also lost both my fins. Thankfully, my instructor managed to retrieve both my fins, which I thought was a miracle.

Long story short, we aborted the first dive - first rookie mistake, never hang around on the surface too long as the currents could carry you away and you'd probably exhaust yourself trying to swim with all that gear on. He briefed us on our second dive attempt, and advised to do a controlled descent as soon as we hit the water and paired up with our buddy. Up until now, I am still quite amazed that I successfully completed the three open water dives and ultimately obtained my certification. There was definitely one point during that course when I honestly thought I did not have what it takes to be a diver. 

Then again, maybe I was born to dive. Truth be told, I absolutely cannot wait for the adventures that await me underwater.