PHEW!

When Cayman Airways failed to put my bag on the plane I had a moment of relief and a morning relaxing by the pool. However, when the diving bag arrived on the next plane, my panic arrived too. It was four years since my last dive and although I’d had a refresher in Florida, the enormity of what I intended to do, suddenly hit me with force.

I wrote in my diary, ‘ I’m about to squeeze myself into a tight fitting wet suit, strap myself inside a buoyancy jacket with a tank of air strapped to my back. Once I’ve taken a huge stride off the boat and into the sea, I will press a small grey button and the jacket will fill with air and keep me bobbing on the surface. Oh my god……

As the waves lap around my face I will do a final check and when I’m happy (HAPPY?) I’ll hold the black air hose in my left hand, above my head, press the valve and release the air from my jacket and I will slowly descend dragged down by the extra pound weights in my pockets.

A I pulled the wet suit on top of my swim suit it felt as if I was pulling up an extra very clingy black skin. I amused myself by remembering this provided a neat, sexy silhouette and persevered, tugging it firmly onwards and upwards, until I realised something was wrong. There was no boob space at the front. Oh yes! The zip is down the back! Next job, pull off black skin-tight suit and replace it the right way round. Already I felt as if I’d done a day’s work and we hadn’t reached our dive site – Lea Lea’s View.

Next there were the clips, clasps, zips and weights,. Then the bootees, mask and snorkel. Finally, the ‘easy fastening, easy release’ shiny red tipped fins. If only! This was a fight to the death with fins that refused to clip and a would-be diver who refused to be beaten.

So let us pass swiftly over my re-entry into the deep, except to say I took one stride for Womankind and entered that wonderful hidden world of the ocean with a small degree of dignity. Waiting for me was my best buddy Merlin. Details of entries and exits may come later in another Blog in order not to frighten off those of a sensitive nature.

As I descended, myriads of multi-coloured fish and beautiful corals surrounded us. This is what I had missed. This was why I came back to dive again. I was swimming alongside other very experienced divers. I was back. I was diving and Merlin, of Diver Mojo fame (www.divermojo.com) who had helped this re-entry in such an amazing, supportive way gave me the biggest, encouraging big “O” sign. Slowly I began to relax, my breathing slowed down and I began to really observe the miraculous underwater world..

Reef Divers Valet Diving at Little Cayman had a great supportive set up. Therese, our first dive master, was a wonderful Irish woman who exuded expertise, attention to detail and Irish humour at its best. Later she told us she had been a scientist and then a tax advisor working for one of the major international financial organisations until at the age of 30 she decided to quit and become a dive master. Based on her communication skills, confidence building and wicked sense of humour I would let her manage my financial affairs any day.

The rest of the crew more than lived up to expectations and I especially appreciated their lifting skills when helping Grandma exit the Ocean.

Suffice to say – ‘First Dive done – Mission accomplished’. . PHEW.! Definitely a Pina Colada call for me and Merlin.

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