The first two minutes or so were terrible. My brain said it’s ok, it’s ok. And my instincts said no it’s not, no it’s really not. Come on, get up, get out. You’ve been underwater way too long. You are going to die. All the while my brain screams some more it´s ok, it´s ok. But then my scuba instructor gave me the hand signals to start practicing some of the various skills I had to learn, such as how to clear my mask when if floods, and how to control my buoyancy. That was a good distraction from the problem signals my instincts were trying to send me.

That was the confined dive, the first of 5 dives in a 4 day Open-Water P.A.D.I. certification course. This was my 3rd day. It seems to be the only reason that people come to this strange island: really good, really cheap diving. Some say it’s the cheapest courses in the world here, I think I can believe that. Another thing I can believe – but this one I honestly almost can’t – is how much life there is at least in this part of the big flat blue wetness. Being able to breathe underwater is a little hard to believe too. I mean, that IS the point. But there’s a big difference between knowing that and experiencing that. And once I got used to moving completely submerged and controlling my buoyancy the real fun was just starting.