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As am sure you've all noticed, Whyville has a special new feature: The Reef! I was particularly excited for this new feature because scuba diving has a very special place in my family. My dad is a PADI instructor, and owns a dive shop. In fact, this was how my parents met. Last year, with a family trip to Bonaire on the schedule, my dad finally let my sisters and I undergo the Scuba Diving certification.
The first step was all reading and writing. Scuba diving can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Being under high pressure can cause nitrate buildup in your body, which can be very dangerous if it you get too much. For this reason, there are diver's tables, which help you safely plan your dive schedule. Many other dangers are associated with diving. One particular condition that stuck with me was nitrogen narcosis, a condition in which a diver's state of mind is foggy, and delusional. My instructor once said that a friend with the condition once took out his respirator and attempted to offer it to a fish. However, the condition is easily fixed by ascending.
There's a lot to learn to ensure your safety, however after you've completed the written work, the fun begins! Clad in our wet suits, my dive class headed down to the local pool to begin the hands on portion of the training. There's a lot more to scuba diving than just swimming around with a tank on your back and a respirator in your mouth. If your equipment isn't set up right, then you're in for some trouble; but don't worry! After you learn how to set up, it's pretty easy. I got the hang of it quickly, but still always had one of my parents check for me, just in case.
Once our group was all in the pool, we learned more about what each piece of equipment did and how to read all the gauges. We learned all sorts of hand signals, such as "okay", "low air", etc. Then we had to do various tasks like taking out the respirator, sharing tanks, or the "mask pass game" (a "game" in which we took of our masks and passed them around in a circle). These tasks made sure we would be calm and prepared in case a similar situation arose when we were actually in open water.
After several weekly classes, the big moment finally came when our trip to Bonaire began. The first time in the water was very cool. I looked below me and saw little fishes fleeing from the spot I just jumped into from the dock. The others splashed in around me, then we headed away from the dock. For my first open water dive, I had to complete some (now) trivial tasks such as mask passing, taking out the regulator, etc. Then I was home free!
My first dive off a boat was amazing. After jumping into the cool, refreshing water, I looked down to see a hundred feet of water below me. At first I was freaked out, but calmed down when I realized that I wasn't going to fall or drown. We descended about 50 feet, and were right amongst all the fish and coral; my dad playfully flicked little anemones causing the flower like creatures to close up. My nerves quickly dissipated and I really enjoyed the dive. Over the rest of the trip, I went on many more dives and saw so many cool things! I saw plenty of parrot fish, and I was pleasantly surprised when I recognized them in Whyville's own reef. We also saw a sea turtle! It was amazing!
All in all, the experience was great. I definitely recommend that anyone interested should try scuba diving. But keep in mind - it's not for everyone. A few people in my class decided to quit after discovering they were very uncomfortable, which is fine. However, if you do like it, try an open water dive. It's breathtaking!
-CLAMIE47, PADI Certified Open Water Scuba Diver
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