Addicted to you!

Let's talk about my new addiction that has me falling head over heels in love with. Diving! 

'Scuba diving is swimming underwater using SCUBA - Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Using a cylinder of compressed gas to breathe (usually air, but sometimes other gases), scuba divers can stay underwater much longer than would be possible by just holding their breath - for hours or even days!' (extracted from: http://scuba.about.com/od/whatisscubadiving/a/About_Scuba.htm) 

Scuba diving has been on my bucket list for years now.. Since when I was in school? And that was a good 8 years back or so? Hahaha. I have been procrastinating coz it was 1) expensive 2) time away from work 3 days straight and having theory lessons was hard to arrange for 3) I was juz plainly procrastinating. So when I finally made up my mind on this trip. I was planning on doing only 3 things for the 16 days. 1) diving 2) white water rafting 3) surfing. 

What I didn't expect was really to complete the whole Open Water Dive (it cost me S$545 - theory. Confined water waters. 4 dives at Camiguin Action Geckos Dive and Adventure Resort.) and I was totally hooked on it! Arno is a fantastic instructor. He was super patient with me. Especially when I think it was super obvious how much I was panicking on my first confined water and especially during the flooding of mask and clearing it out part. He was calming me down as we were kneeling on the seabed. Don't ask me how he calmed me down. He juz did. And I really did calm down and took my own time to clear that part. I almost wanted to give up actually coz I was so freaked out by the world down under. I am so glad I didn't!

I became a pro setting up after 2 days of continuous practice. Hahaha..

The wetsuit was a killer. I took like 30 mins each time to get it on? Only after a few rounds of putting it on and removing it did I manage to get the hang of it and get in on in less than half the initial time. =)

As the days past. It was no surprise that I was out for dives every single day that it was automatic that I would wake up by 6.30am daily to get breakfast by 7.30am and then to leave by 8.30am or so. 

Of course I won't forget my first dive site. Sunken Cemetery. It was ok. I didn't do much of a tour coz I still had exercises to clear. Ah damn. I wanna go again!

At White Island there was quite a massive dive site know as Kilambing (and spilt into Kilambing South and North). I did 3 dives in the whole place and it was simply amazing. *heartz*

Happy diver - me.

Another amazing dive site at Mantigue island. But pity about its visibility. It wasn't that good. But the sand - *2 thumbz up* and the sea was as amazing.

And here I am at Siargao and juz finished planning my dives for my Advanced! Yes you read right. Advanced Open Water! Before I head over to Maldives next month. Coz Michele did an outstanding job of selling the dive sites in Maldives to me (she has been) and some of them needs AOW due to the depth. Hahaha.

Cheerz to my new found love and I am looking forward to my dives on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday before a 5 days break and Maldives here I come! And Camiguin. You are not forgotten! I'm coming back for you next year!