At the beginning of May, Greece is not one of the warmest places to dive but if you are willing to brave the cold and take the plunge like us, you will be rewarded with some clear waters and nifty sights.
My sister Nadine had never been diving before. I have been bugging her for a long time to get her certification but the timing has just never been right. For her birthday Joey and I decided to show her exactly what she was missing out on by taking her on a Discover Scuba experience with a local Greek PADI certified dive shop.
It was probably one of the best things we could have done.
The Discover Scuba Diving course is for any non-divers who would like a small sneak peek at what scuba diving is all about. If you have ever wondered what it’s like to breathe underwater or are wondering if you are ready to commit to an open water course, Discover Scuba is the perfect way to start.
The PADI rated program teaches you the basics about breathing beneath the water under the direct supervision of a certified professional. During your course, you will get a brief overview of the equipment, learn how your body and the ocean interact and find out what it feels like to don a scuba tank, weights, fins and a mask.
For any rookies unsure if they want to take the plunge, I would highly recommend starting here.
Joey, Nadine and I arrived at the dive shop nice and early. Right way Nadine got introduced to Maximo, her Discover Scuba instructor. She was given a small booklet to read and a mini test to complete.
While Nadine was studying away, Joey and I assembled and organized our gear.
It didn’t take Nadine long to read through the booklet. Most of the material was pretty familiar to someone who has been around a couple of dive bums for a long time.
She and Maximo went over the quizzes and discussed some of the most critical topics before moving on to the equipment. Together they assembled their tank, BCD, and regulator doing the BWARF buddy check on each others equipment. Finally, it was time to hit the water!
The shore dive site sloped into a beautiful promenade under the sea. With some luck we observed wrasse and damselfish filling the water like confetti. They darted this way and that way in a scatterbrain kind of motion fleeing from our exhaled bubbles. Nadine was paired up with the dive instructor and Joey, and I trailed behind.
The dive was a nice shallow one, always staying within 20 feet of water with no safety stops required. It was a perfect dive for me to practice and get used to diving with my new underwater camera.
Cool looking fish here and click, click with the camera shutter over there. I was in such a picture taking frenzy that I missed the cuttlefish that was hanging out beside us. Nadine’s eagle eyes didn’t though. Even from the two-meter radius of Maximo’s side she pointed frantically and signaled to us.
Too late, it was gone!
Forty-five minutes later the 3 of us came out of the water cold like popsicles, but all smiles.
I’m not even squidding when I say this was one of the best dives ever, seriously. To have my sister there with me enjoying and immersing herself in something that I love so much, was without comparison.
Here’s to having my fingers and toes crossed that maybe now she will get her open water scuba certification.
Girl Power!
Discover scuba is a great way to test the waters and see if you are cut out to be a scuba diver. Have you tried a Discover scuba? If so what did you think and did it make you want to pursue scuba diving?
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