Change of plans
After searching flights and hotels and beaches to come up with a great combination of price and experience for the two weeks before I met my son, Brian, in Taiwan, I completely threw in the towel. Between the rainy season in the region, challenging transportation to the beaches in Thailand and the cost of getting to Taiwan, I decided to skip Taiwan altogether and head straight to one of the best snorkeling locations in the world, the Gili Island in Indonesia. Brian and I agreed to plan a trip together in 2025, which helped me feel a little less regret over not meeting up with him in Taiwan. Going straight to Indonesia also meant that the flights to Perth, my next major destination, would be much less expensive.
A word about Gili Islands
With a flight to Bangkok and a flight to Denpasar, I moved the party to Bali. I had two nights there before moving to Gili Islands, also in Indonesia. Entry into Indonesia was one of the most difficult customs experiences in my life!
There are three Gili Islands, all off the coast of Lombok Island. Bali sits to the west. Together, these form a group called Lesser Sunda Islands. The area is predominantly Muslim. Many times each day, the call to prayer fills the airwaves, often with the most amazing voices.
I saw only one sign on a small back street, reminding tourists to be respectful. My habit of wearing temple appropriate clothing made that easy for me. I don’t think many of the 20-somethings even knew they were possibly offensive.
Whoohoo! Completed Basic Diver Training
I completed training and two open water dives to complete the Basic Diver certification! I have been curious about diving for a long time, not really driven to try it, but curious enough to take advantage of the opportunity to try it here.
Day 1 – My instructor, Sebastian, taught me the basics at a picnic table: Rule #1 – breath slowly and consistently. Rule #2 – don’t surface too fast.
We put on the gear and went in the pool to learn the basic hand gestures and skills, which include, retrieve the regulator, clear water from the mask, using the emergency regulator and basic buoyancy. Then out to the ocean for dive to 12 meters.
The experience was both terrifying and exhilarating. Lizard brain definitely kicked in to flood me with warnings, even in the pool. The act of simply submerging with my only source of air coming through my mouth from the regulator triggered mild panic, claustrophobia and a desire to abort. By hyper-focusing on following Sebastian’s instructions, I was able to move thru the fear, giving my body time to override lizard brain’s warnings. It was fascinating.
In the open water, an entire new world opened up. Balancing buoyancy with breath took my awareness of breathing to a new level. Swimming deeper than I ever had with a snorkel was a sensory thrill. The edginess wore off, as I relaxed into the dive. I got tired half way through and needed a short break at the surface to re-group.
Several things about diving were surprising and a little stressful. The noise from each exhale, along with the bubbles themselves was distracting. It reminded me of flying gliders where you think not having an engine would make for a very quiet ride. Not so, air moving across surfaces makes noise in gliders and underwater, lots of noise.
The second surprise was how difficult it was to orient my body in the water. The instructor had taken great care to adjust the location and amount of weight I was carrying. Underwater, the weight of the tank didn’t seem to be a factor but I struggled to be horizontal in the water, my feet kept sinking. It was fascinating to engage muscles to adjust my position.
Day 2 Training
More pool time skills training, then a second hour-long ocean dive.
I am proud to say this was not easy for me. I had all sorts of excuses for not doing the second dive. I was still recovering from a parasite infection, I was tired, I would be diving with a different instructor, removing the sense of trust I had built during the first sessions.
In the end, sheer determination to overcome the fear let me go through with it. I am so glad I did!
My instructor, Victor, was incredibly understanding, patient and kind. He coached me perfectly so that during the second dive I found my balance and was able to feel like a real diver. We swam with the current, seeing turtles, and fish of every color. We were threatened by Titan Triggerfish and Victor signaled we should swim faster to get out of their territory.
When snorkeling, I had seen the edge of the reef where the water suddenly gets deeper. As I diver, I was able to go down into the deeper area to explore a bit. Swimming between 6 and 12 meters was entirely different from surface snorkeling. It really was a new perspective. Victor was close every minute to provide a safety net and ensure we had a successful dive. Trust built quickly in a setting where there was so much happening.
By slaying that dragon, I opened a door to a magical world. Lizard brain was thanked and sent back to her cave. My certificate allows me to dive with an instructor during the next six months. Let’s see where that takes me!
The underwater images are from my instructor’s collection. I was way too busy breathing and looking at fish and coral and turtles to film anything during my dives.
Heartfelt thanks to Sebastian, Victor and the crew at Mango Dive on Gili T!
