sunshowers and sea foam

In the real Little Mermaid, Arial actually ended up sea foam- not as romantic and as glamorous as Disney would have us believe. Egads- I don’t want to be sea foam, flotsam and jetsam!

Well, I lived my mermaid fantasy for a bit when I went diving with friends last week.

The three-day weekend was the perfect time to catch up on sleep, my laundry and chores, more work, and finally, an out of town trip. Sunday I was to sleep over at Gracie’s so we could head out early at 5am to meet the rest of the group in Cubao. I had to do a bit of work before I could turn on my :beach mode: then on to get some TLC- the cheapest and most sulit footspa, pedicure, hot oil and a back rub. I didn’t have time to do the whole nine yards anymore.

I met up with the Zuluetas in Megamall to buy aqua shoes but lotus feet that I am, they got the first pair they laid their eyes on while I had to drag them all over the mall just so I could find one for myself. Well, I did, eventually, at Speedo. Ugh, don’t ask me how much it cost. I don’t regret buying it though, as I intend to use it over and over again- until the soles run through or I grow scales, whichever comes first. And yes Annapot, I’ll even use it in the office, if I can get away with it. Haha.

We all got PizzaHut (of course!) for dinner and spent the night at their place for a movie and a lot of catching up. Then, as only the promise of the beach can do to me, I woke up really early and off we went. After Cubao, we met up with the rest of the group at McDonald’s somewhere in ATC, which was the start of out of town for me. Hey, I’m a batang west ave.

The group arrived in Pier Uno, Anilao with a bit of trepidation since most of us were first timers. The place had a nice welcome touch, greeting us with drinks and the instructors heading the introductions. A short lecture, a pop quiz, and after Dennis the valedictorian asked his questions, we first had to practice breathing through the mouthpiece and the oxygen. Sigh, fresh air.

Since we couldn’t dive without the instructors, we went in groups of three while the rest went snorkeling- yeah right, like that wasn’t part of my agenda. Now, am not the best of swimmers but damn, I’m a fish girl (being Pisces) and I was hell bent on being in the water as much as I could. The hissing sound while breathing through the mouthpiece and swimming with the fishes was more than enough to make the trip worthwhile. The silence that envelopes you while underwater, floating, weightless, and going where the current takes you made me forget all my worries- it was as if one could actually live only in that place and time. The feeling of being in the water’s welcome embrace, while at times scary, was so natural- which figures as in utero we were floating in our mums’ wombs. I could barely describe the things that I saw underwater and I know words wouldn’t do justice anyway. It was those you just had to be there moments. I could wax poetic about the experience too, but am too lazy now to think. Of course, there’s also the fact that I don’t know a lot of fish names. All I ever could recognize were all the Nemos and Dorys.

The actual diving part was for 30 minutes each person. A bit scary- ok, ok, a whole lot scary, if not for the promise of what I wanted to see underwater. I had to mind equalizing my ear pressure, the hand signals, the balancing of my tank, and I had the unfortunate experience of having to resurface at one point because of a leg cramp. Hah, I wouldn’t let a mere cramp ruin it for me, so I went down again and this time I went as far down as 20 feet or so for about 18 minutes. They say time flies when you’re having fun, but time flies a whole lot faster underwater!

I saw some old tires placed underwater as makeshift fish houses and I remembered a story about my grandfather going diving and helping in marine life preservation- his group used to collect old tires and planted them underwater. When I saw one, it felt a bit eerie- I felt a sureness that what I was doing, where I was, I was meant to be. Oh, don’t even get me started on the possibilities of underwater photography! This other diver we were with had a digicam that had a casing for underwater. Great thing about camera models now are the new accessories they come up with.

Comparing proper diving with snorkeling, I think I’ll stick to snorkeling- for now. Aside from the fact getting certified is expensive, I feel that being a diver is a lot of work. For one, you carry a lot of gadgets- your oxygen supply, your mouthpiece, your mask, etc. And then there are so many things you have to mind- equalizing, as mentioned, what to do when water gets in your mask (!), your mouthpiece getting knocked off, your throat drying up, those damned fins that you have to wear which I need to get used to, not to forget to breathe- which I do. I just need more practice and next time, it’ll have be another intro course so I could get a divemaster to mind all the other essentials. Hehe.

One would think I’ve had enough of snorkeling, but no. After a sumptuous buffet lunch and a yummy concoction of café mocha ala kapeng barako sipped along the shore while it was drizzling, I was raring to go again. The result- a deeper tan, fed more fishes, and a lot of laughs.

It was a great trip and I was sorry to see it end so soon. Met new people and would have been great to have stayed overnight, or have had the usual suspects come with us. Oh well, there’s always the next beach trip. Naturally, I couldn’t leave without my usual little rock token that I collect from all of my trips. I had to get it from the shore- I’d feel a bit guilty getting it from the ocean floor.

So, going home spent but happily recharged, I couldn’t help but wonder: If you feed fish tuna sandwiches, does that make them cannibals? Does diving and inhaling oxygen from tanks negate the effects of the occasional stick of ciggie? :)