Iām not the most adventurous person youāll meet. It’s not so glamorous thing to say, but it’s the truth. I consider myself courageous, but my bar was very low as an ordinary Korean nerd who was brought up in a conservative family. Spending night in the mountains to photograph stars was considered a behavior of a rebel.
Against all odds, Iām doing the craziest adventure, traveling the world. How did I turn out like this? Beyond me (ask my parents, they seriously questioned themselves.)
But there are certain things Iām not so proud of. Iām not good with a bike (still traumatized by the big bike accident). Worms are my biggest enemies. I donāt drive (I can, but Iām inexperienced ā I blame Seoul). I love swimming in the open water, but the thought of mysterious creature pulling my leg underwater is vividly alive (watched too many horror movies as a kid?) I hate horror movies, and darkness. Mosquitoes love me for some reason, and I have a bad reaction to it. And the lamest of all, Iām almost blind without my contact lens (this post from BuzzfeedĀ is the reality). Secretly, Iām terrified with fast speed.
Iām up for trying most of everything. Weird food? Bring on the deep fried frogs! Hiking? As long as my legs work, Iām game. Lake swimming? Why not? Biking around the town? I’m terrified but I’ll try. But I always draw the line at diving. So many excuses: What if I hit my goggle and lost my contacts? And it hurts like hell! What if I lost my prescription goggle underwater? Prescription goggle is so expensive. What if I lost control of my oxygen level? What if I lost my oxygen tank? What if we meet sharks? A series of very logical questions, Iād say. No?
During my travels, I stumbled into some of the most amazing diving beaches. It was affordable, safe (they said), and well managed. Because of budget, and my natural laziness, I always let the opportunities slip by me. Reasons? Same as always.
After meeting so many professional and leisure divers, my list of excuses shrined little by little. Itās another way of seeing this world, and I wonāt dive alone anyway, so most of my fears can be quiet now. I canāt fix my eyes, but there are alternatives.
So I decided to learn how to dive when Iām in the right place. It seems not so scary after all. But most of all, Iām done making excuses. Iām just going to be a bad-ass. I mean, whatās the worst thing could happen? Well, I could die, but highly unlikely (Iāve been told). Since I wonāt be diving alone (I donāt think you are supposed to anyway), they wonāt leave me underwater to die. I can invest a little more to get the prescription goggles (remember the scene from Notting Hill?). I have to commit to follow the diving schedule to get the certificate, but thatās an easy part. The reasons that made me say no seem quite silly now. It can be solved by one question: why not?
This little determination is connected to the attitude in general. As I mentioned in my life lessons Iāve learned from Tina Fey, itās important to AGREE. Life is like improvisation comedy. When my beloved partner named life presents me a situation, I have to agree, and make the solution. Scuba diving is a simple example. Maybe I won’t look for a place to learn diving anytime soon, but I won’t say no to the opportunity in the future. I made a peace with my mind. It isnāt easy as a (almost) blind person to jump into the water, but itās not the worst thing. Iām done making excuses. Iām agreeing. Maybe I want to jump from the bridge someday, who knows?
How about you? What’s your diving in life?
Awesome! Supporting you all the way – it opens a whole new world, literally! I’m about to do a PADI refresher course myself to get myself ready for some GBR diving in AUS when I make it down there in 2 months. š
My “diving” would be finally getting over my fear of heights. One of these days, I’ll be able to conquer that.
Nice! I don’t know if I can conquer my fear of speed anytime soon, but hopefully I will.
I am glad you did Juno! I fell in love with the underwater world it’s just so serene!
I can’t wait. Don’t know where will be, but I will do!
I am terrified of open water, and sharks, and sea monsters pulling me under water. I would still like to try diving one day though. But only if it is not that deep, there are no sharks in the nearby waters and if the water is crystal clear. Does such a place exist?
Well, Malaysia has lot of great diving place to offer. Check out Perhentian Islands,for instance. Actually me myself haven’t taken steps towards diving,but I’d loved to! There’s many things in live that I want to try out and experience, but that’s it….. I’m a coward. =_=’ I’m just like you in some aspects, maybe I watched too many weird movie when I was a kid,I’m terrified to many silly-sometimes-doesn’t even exist-things! For now I’d really love to learn swimming, because in Malaysia,it’s not likely parents HAVE TO/MUST teach their kids how to swim and so on..
I always said “never” to diving because I am also scared of the “mysterious creature pulling my leg underwater”… there are so many things that scare me. But I also decided to try when I go to Roatan… and how awesome would it be if you could join me? š
Any recommendations for prescription goggles? Been thinking about getting a pair for our next adventure!
I have no idea. But I have a few friends who are dive masters. I’ll ask them!
No problem! Just thought since you mentioned prescription goggles that you might have a pair you really like š
This is the answer from Talon of 1Dad1Kid: For masks they tend to really all be equal, although Mares is a great brand.
Yay! You go girl! You know, I was scared of the ocean, but I went snorkeling once, and just like that I decided I will conquer my fear, as I really loved snorkelling and wished I could go deeper. You’ll love it. Not a ‘cheap’ hobby for me, but like travelling, I wouldn’t mind spending for more of it :))
Just so you know, Indonesia has some of the best dive sites in the world š Come and visit once you are certified, or you can even get certified while you are here!
Hi Juno, a pat on your shoulder for mastering up the courage to go travel under water!
I look forward to your first diving post. š
I always desire to go diving one day too, the only problem is, I cannot swim well nor can I tread water. I need to overcome the fear of not being able to touch the ground under water. :S
It is actually ok to wear contact lens with the normal mask under water right?
Diving is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. I often feel like giving up with I’m hauling air tanks and equipment around or just lazy. The courses are tedious but safety is very important! Once you get down there, all the hard work is worth it! Diving isn’t as extreme as skydiving which I would NEVER do! (maybe)
I think it would be easy for you to decide that you are too scared to dive and just be done with it, but there is obviously a reason that you feel compelled to grabble with this fear! I think you are meant to dive! I am always a bit nervous before I go diving, especially if it’s been a while, but once I’m down there, it is so relaxing and freeing and wonderful.
Diving is quite frightening indeed. But like has been said before in the comments, once you’re out there you sort of forget you fears as the awe for the underwater beauty takes over. For my it was driving. I finally took lessons, but I’m still a bit shaky when I hit the road. I always find a reason to walk or take the bicycle.. Well i guess it good for my general health š
I’m glad that you took a big leap and conquered your fears. Yes, diving can be scary at times, but once you are underwater and you get to see the wonders of the deep, you’ll eventually forget that you’re scared and you’ll just be there, at awe at the sheer beauty of world under the sea.