Koh Tao really is an island of wide variety. You can have a drink on the beach and go party at The Rock, or hike to gorgeous viewpoints of the island and the absolutely stunning blue water, but generally when you think of the Island Koh Tao, automatically your mind goes to one thing: diving. Here you can get your dive certifications for one of the cheapest prices in the world, in one of the most beautiful locations in the world. Really it's a win win situation if you're adventurous enough to brave the deep and unknown underwater world.
When i arrived in Thailand, I had no clue what I was doing or where I was going. I figured I would talk with other travelers first and see what they could recommend for me. I knew that I wanted to get my dive certification, but I hadn't really planned a where or when. A few buddies of mine and me went to a local tourist shop and booked out bus ride, boat ride, 4 nights accommodation, and dive course for 12,000 baht, or roughly $340 US dollars. Realistically, we could have gotten it a bit cheaper had we done it all ourselves, but the price was fine for all it included, and it was nice to have something arranged for us just putting our toes in the water of traveling Thailand versus jumping right in seemed like a safe bet.
My English friend, Billy, that I had just met, and I set off together to begin our diving. We went through Buddha View Dive resort that was on a quieter part of the island, which was perfect because of the early days beginning our course.
The first day we began our training in a pool and did all sorts of exercises getting us ready to go into the ocean. At first it was really simple for me because I had already done a discovery dive with my fiancé in Cyprus prior to the course. One of the skills I really struggled with was taking off my mask and breathing with only the regulator. I sucked water up my nose and couldn't breathe without plugging it. Day 2 we had the same sort of skills, only instead, in the ocean, in much deeper water. When i filled my mask completely with water and had to empty it, I panicked underwater. I couldn't breathe with my nose unblocked so when I tried it felt like I was choking on water and couldn't get a breath. I started to panic, but then i remembered Wayne, our instructor, telling me that feeling of choking is only that I had swallowed water. So I plugged my nose to calm my breathing, swallowed the sea water, took a deep breath, and cleared my mask.
In general, I really don't fear much of anything. That feeling of total fear is very few and far between for me with most things in my life, but that day really was something else. I really was afraid of that skill and when they told me on day 3 I had to do it again, the entire boat ride over I was preparing myself on exactly how I would handle it. I was dreading it. I was talking myself through the process that would work for me.
"Okay. Take a super deep breath then take your mask off. Let the air slowly out, and put your mask back on. Plug your nose with the mask on to take another deep breath. Unplug your nose and breathe out to release all the water out."
I went through this over and over and over in my head till we were finally in the water and it was my turn to do the skill. It was easy. I didn't panic. I wasn't afraid. That had to have been one of the best feelings in the world conquering that fear and overcoming that obstacle.
In the end, when I had passed my exam and done all my skills, I felt a sense of accomplishment not only because this was yet another thing I could cross off my bucket list, but the fact that I overcame my fear, becoming an even more confident, fearless person. If I can conquer one fear, why can't I conquer all of them?
When i arrived in Thailand, I had no clue what I was doing or where I was going. I figured I would talk with other travelers first and see what they could recommend for me. I knew that I wanted to get my dive certification, but I hadn't really planned a where or when. A few buddies of mine and me went to a local tourist shop and booked out bus ride, boat ride, 4 nights accommodation, and dive course for 12,000 baht, or roughly $340 US dollars. Realistically, we could have gotten it a bit cheaper had we done it all ourselves, but the price was fine for all it included, and it was nice to have something arranged for us just putting our toes in the water of traveling Thailand versus jumping right in seemed like a safe bet.
My English friend, Billy, that I had just met, and I set off together to begin our diving. We went through Buddha View Dive resort that was on a quieter part of the island, which was perfect because of the early days beginning our course.
The first day we began our training in a pool and did all sorts of exercises getting us ready to go into the ocean. At first it was really simple for me because I had already done a discovery dive with my fiancé in Cyprus prior to the course. One of the skills I really struggled with was taking off my mask and breathing with only the regulator. I sucked water up my nose and couldn't breathe without plugging it. Day 2 we had the same sort of skills, only instead, in the ocean, in much deeper water. When i filled my mask completely with water and had to empty it, I panicked underwater. I couldn't breathe with my nose unblocked so when I tried it felt like I was choking on water and couldn't get a breath. I started to panic, but then i remembered Wayne, our instructor, telling me that feeling of choking is only that I had swallowed water. So I plugged my nose to calm my breathing, swallowed the sea water, took a deep breath, and cleared my mask.
In general, I really don't fear much of anything. That feeling of total fear is very few and far between for me with most things in my life, but that day really was something else. I really was afraid of that skill and when they told me on day 3 I had to do it again, the entire boat ride over I was preparing myself on exactly how I would handle it. I was dreading it. I was talking myself through the process that would work for me.
"Okay. Take a super deep breath then take your mask off. Let the air slowly out, and put your mask back on. Plug your nose with the mask on to take another deep breath. Unplug your nose and breathe out to release all the water out."
I went through this over and over and over in my head till we were finally in the water and it was my turn to do the skill. It was easy. I didn't panic. I wasn't afraid. That had to have been one of the best feelings in the world conquering that fear and overcoming that obstacle.
In the end, when I had passed my exam and done all my skills, I felt a sense of accomplishment not only because this was yet another thing I could cross off my bucket list, but the fact that I overcame my fear, becoming an even more confident, fearless person. If I can conquer one fear, why can't I conquer all of them?
I am now a certified open water diver
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