In June 2016, I was able to visit Dauin in Negros Oriental and stayed at Pura Vida Beach and Dive Resort. It was an excellent and expensive resort. It's very serene. The restaurant cooks good meals. I wasn't able to take photos of the restaurant but it was just the beachfront. I was enjoying my breakfast and lunch while working on my laptop. Oh, I was living the life of a digital nomad.
This time again, I did a formal discover scuba diving session. This is more serious than the first. We went to the swimming pool for training. I had the proper attire for scuba diving and good-looking equipment which I paid for PHP 3500. I had trouble deflating and also for my ears. You need to get down under the water. There was pressure and the difference of altitude. It's the same thing when you fly in airplanes, better to chew some bubble gum to pop out the air.
You need to equalize underwater so that it would be comfortable to swim around. To be honest, it was painful and difficult at first. But if you get the hang of it, you made it correctly. To equalize, I had to hold and blow my nose and pop the air outside of my ears. You also need to move your jaws as it helps for your ears.
Scuba diving is a dangerous hobby but with proper training and guidance, it is best to be knowledgeable.
Another training is what to do if your mask has water getting inside while underwater? Well, you don't have to get out of the water just to remove the water out of your mask. You just need to open you mask down near your noise and blow. Then, the water gets out from your mask. The dive instructor will show you how it is done.
Another one is how to remove your mask while underwater? Oh, sounds scary. The idea made me uncomfortable because I was on a panic. I don't want to remove my mask underwater. I cannot see and the salty water gets into my eyes.
About the Pura Vida House Reef
According to divescover.com:
Diving in Pura Vida Housereef is Typically, visibility is Good ( 10 - 30 m)
The average depth is 30 m / 98.4 ft
To reach Pura Vida Housereef you have to do it By boat & from shore
This dive site is best suited for All divers divers.
Source: here
Oh my gosh, the dive instructor calmed me down. Don't do it too fast. So I have to calm myself before I remove my mask and put it back to my face.
It is dangerous when you go panic underwater. That is why an extensive training for scuba diving is a must.
It took us more than 10 minutes before I calm down. So I make sure I'm breathing properly with the oxygen octopus. I closed my eyes so that salty water cant get in then I slowly removed my mask. She counted to 20 seconds. I cleaned my mask pretending it has a fog. Put it back to my face. I know there was water inside my mask so I blowed out an air from my nose so that the water got out of my mask. Finally, ta dah! I made it. But still I was nervous.
Then, it's time to go real diving to the sea. The tank is very heavy so I need to carry the tank on my back. Gosh, I was thin that I needed assistance. But once you are in the water with the BCD, you float.
I don't have underwater camera at this time so no photos. It was a shore diving that eventually, I got scared because the more you go far, the more it gets deeper real quick.
It was a good experience though. I received a certificate that says I was ready for the Open Water Scuba Diving certificate when I had the money. The training costs about $500 for 3 days of training and exam.
Would you love to experience scuba diving?
Check out my previous post about Discover Scuba Diving:
Welcome to iTravelRox! Roxanne Tamayo is a Cebuana who is a traveler. Now a mom of 2 kids and a wife. She is a travel blogger and a digital nomad. As a Virtual Assistant, she does a lot of things like content writing, WordPress web design, WP updates and maintenance, graphic design, and photo editing. She is into wedding photography, as well.
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