Live and let dive

In our boring daily lives, we all look for something new to do for that rush of blood to the head or that ultimate joy ride. Thrill seekers join a band, drag race on the highway, climb the highest mountain, or even skydive from a helicopter. After all, adventure surely fills the void in all of us.

Last weekend, I experienced scuba diving, a new thrill, which I have always wanted to do since I love the water so much. Well, let me put it this way – I had my wet suit on with weights and was breathing like Darth Vader, forcing my weightless body and senses to adjust to a totally new environment of marine life. Cool, huh?

"Scuba diving can not be described but only experienced," says, Louie Barrios, director of sales of Scuba World. "It is the most incredible thing ever because you get to see the marine world in a different light." As Princess Jasmine would sing to Aladdin, it’s an "indescribable feeling" that changed my life for more than a moment there.

Honestly, I was excited and scared at the same time. Carlos Norte, my dive instructor, gave a short briefing about my open-water dive, which Scuba World gives for free. He taught me the basics from removing water from the mask, hand signals, blowing the nose to release pressure, and so on. Before we submerged under water, he said, "It’s time to rock n’ roll."

And so we did. The first six minutes under water made me panic because I was breathing too fast. I guess I was nervous and had a sudden asthma attack. Drat, call me a wimp for swimming up. But hey, cut me some slack, I didn’t want to give up until I got it right. Take two it was then – as soon as I saw fish, my fear turned into courage and I felt one with the sea. It was so relaxing. The deepest level we got was 20 feet below. I saw corals and amazing creatures like moray eels, baby stingrays, giant clams, sea urchins, anemones and clown fish like Nemo (even his friend Doris was there). After 30 minutes, we swam back up. It was one of the best times in my life. Wish I could dive into the Tubbataha reef.

If you want to make the most of your dive experience, just check out Scuba World, the biggest dive company in the Philippines. "The company is a one-stop shop which has international standards. We cover every aspect of diving such as dive travel, explorer fleets, resorts, and high-quality Mares dive equipment," Barrios explains.

The most basic course is the open-water dive, which is the first level of certification in the PADI system. Here, Scuba World dive instructors will teach you diving principles, skills and the best part is practice diving. Mind you, it is important to get a certificate because it is your ticket to the underwater world. Without it, you just can’t dive anywhere at all.

"Whatever your needs are, we would like to take your dive experience to a deeper level," adds Barrios. If you don’t want to fly elsewhere to dive, just drive for two and a half hours from Manila to Scuba World’s Outrigger Resort in Anilao, Batangas. Since Anilao is the dive capital of the country, in this resort you get professional dive instructors and high-quality equipment rental. For non-divers, try other water sports like banana boat, kayaks, pedal boats, jet skis, wind surfs, and hobie cats. There’s a bar, pool, billiards and everything everyone needs.

The thing that impressed me the most with Scuba World is the live-aboard-based diving. The company has nine ships for Explorer Fleet trips stationed in Anilao as well. Divers are taken to exotic destinations around the world. The boats are fully air-conditioned with cabins, individual toilets and baths and jam packed with entertainment centers. "From the Philippines and Palau to Belize, Honduras and Pemba, the Explorer Fleet can offer divers their dream diving vacation."  

Ah, scuba diving is guaranteed to blow your mind away. It’s a new thrill that you can’t get enough of. You might think it is an expensive water sport but it’s not like golf that you have to buy golf shares. You can just rent the equipment and just pay for your accommodations. You might think it’s dangerous but with proper orientation, you are all set to dive. You might think you’re too fat or thin, and even too old or too young, but hey, there are no limitations. And after all, it’s never too late to learn.

Perhaps the greatest thing about scuba is that there’s just a whole new world under the sea that needs to be explored. And Scuba World is there to give you more than just a dive experience.

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For more information about Scuba World and Anilao Outrigger Resort in Batangas, call 895-355, e-mail info@scubaworld.com.ph or visit the website at www.scubaworld.com.ph.