Argonaut Aura

i’m not so sure if i’m actually cut out for extreme sports though i enjoy the experience, each and every time. Underwater diving is nothing like skydiving, no adrenaline rush (unless u see a shark) but yet similarly leisurely at certain stages (once you reach free-fall for skydiving and once you achieved neutral buoyancy underwater), something you don’t quite expect. In fact, i will think that diving is quite the opposite of other ‘normal’ sports. In most sports, you fight to retain control whereas in diving (above land and under water) you relax to attain control. In fact, i had quite some getting used to before i managed to get my buoyancy under control especially with regards to my breathing. Thanks to my calm and steady buddy (kat), my last dive of the 7 was the best. It was also a morning 7am dive after a party night.

It was truly a fun trip (thanks to mike for being one of the best organisers i’ve ever met) with loads of fun individuals. Hope that the group stay connected and not ‘drift’ away~ i was rather tense in the training dives coupled with some mask getting used-to as water kept entering. It resulted in me being ‘as dangerous diving as driving’.. thankfully my perception changed from the last dive. It was surprisingly manageable. In the previous dives there was always something that was not in control (e.g. dropping of weight belt, uncontrolled ascent resulting in buddy breakups) which made me quite a diving hazard.

Though there were not much to see at Aur since most corals were damaged by the begineers, i still enjoyed the fish feeding, corals and marine life observing. Don’t think i’m confident of a wreck dive yet though the idea of going back in time (to ’see’ history) is pretty cool. In any case, i’m glad that i went for the diving course and despite the few land cuts suffered, it was truly enjoyable. Thanks to Dave and Friendlywaters’ unique way of teaching, it made the whole experience safe and enriching. I’m still waiting for the dive card and will prolly head for a few recre dives in redang and other dive sites etc. Having a good buddy and remembering the ABCDE/SORTD/SOFTD safety checks are important for proper dive execution and an enjoyable time underwater. =)