Scuba diving is undoubtedly exciting and for recreational divers it should be a fun activity in the first place. But it is also complex and involves a lot of self-awareness and respect. Respect for your instructor or dive masters, for the boat crew, the other divers in your group, and last but not least you should definitely respect the natural environment in which you dive. Scuba diving etiquette is a real thing.
Manta point, Nusa Penida. During the 3 months that have passed since my arrival in Bali, I have heard from our diving guests at least a million of absolutely amazing experiences from this dive site. To be honest, sometimes it was pretty hard for me to listen to their stories (you see, it’s not always easy to smile at guests when you envy them so much and would immediately swap sweating on a chair in a dive center for a nice trip to Nusa Penida and, as a bonus, enjoy a dive with giant manta rays).
When we think about scuba diving, we also think about beautiful and pristine aquatic environments full of colorful corals and plenty of fish happily swimming around. But, to your surprise, as you dive you may find something else in the waters too. Shockingly enough, the world has been so polluted, that rubbish doesn’t avoid even the most beautiful dive sites. You see, even if the garbage is disposed on land, it frequently ends up in ocean waters, where it can cause harm to aquatic life.
While (according to statistics) there are still more recreational male than female scuba divers out there, in this blog post, we will speak to the ladies. So, gents, excuse us, but unless you are ready to read about some sovereignly female issues in scuba diving, then we recommend you to have a read of some of our other blog posts. This article’s main focus is on menstruation and scuba diving.
My joy of scuba diving lasts until Laci tells us that the next day we are going to practice a second round of practical exercises in the sea, including mask, compass and self-rescue exercises.
I slept awfully. I was constantly waking up and when I was up, I tried to breathe only through the mouth, without using the nose. When I came to the pool at OK Divers in the morning, I felt terrible, but I was determined not to give up. "Laci, I'm taking a snorkel and a mask, and I will try to do the impossible here in shallow water." "Yeah, I'm just gonna prepare the bottles and I'll be right there."
I try to calm down and immerse my face in the cool water, without a mask, just with a snorkel. Until I have only my face in the water, I don’t use my nose. But once I dip the whole head, I can instantly feel the salty water in my throat.
The dive sites in Bali are full of life and all sorts of beautiful, even rare, creatures. One of the most peculiar ones is with no doubt the large Ocean Sunfish, commonly known as Mola Mola.
