Any divers here?

Taking the plunge! I did two "confined" dives today. "Confined" off this particular Philippine island means you wade into whatever the heck body of water it is and have at it.

So far, the scary part is losing the regulator. I have heard the whole "don't hold your breath" thing too many times, and I fumbled trying to find the damn thing and ran out of breath doing the "ahhh."

I had to take an hour ferry across some strait to get here, and looking down at the water, I kept thinking, "Now why would I want to just jump off the boat?"

Still don't know the answer to that and I have had some little panic attacks, but I am so far good to go. Slightly terrified, but good to go.

It is pretty down there, even in shallow waters. I'd never seen a live sea urchin before.

 

Awesome, KJIM! How deep did you go? When I was doing my cert dives they were in rivers in Florida. Day one was clear and beautiful. Day 2 had visibility so bad I could barely see four feet in front of me. Taking my mask off and putting it on in that muck was pretty shitty.

 

Where in the Philippines are you, KJIM?

My mother got PADI-certified many moons ago in Batangas, off the southwestern coast of Luzon.

 

Yes. Uncle Junior taught me how.

 

I am at White Beach on Midiro (sp?), which is about an hour by high speed ferry from Batagas. I did my third dive today and my God, it's phenomenal.

We went to a shipwreck (think large jon boat, not yacht) and just hovered and held bread while the fish ate out of our hands. "Magical" was the only word I could come up with.

 

Oh, you're down in the Visayas. We never left Luzon. At least you're on a solid-sized island among the 7,107 (at least that was the count a lot of years back).

I take it the typhoon didn't affect that area nearly as much as Tacloban and Leyte?

 

I used to be able to do a mean Triple Lindy.

But seriously, folks. A good friend was into it for a time, but I never got certified despite his pestering. Too expensive a hobby for my blood. Would love to do it, but I think I would panic.

 

Sebang Wreck, Giant clamshell and something else. I totally understand how people love this.

Where I was didn't seem to be affected by the latest storm; they said the rainy season would be starting now, though, and run until late summer. I have a three-day holiday in early October and might change my plans of visiting Nepal and just go back.

The Manila airport is horrible, though.