WHY GIRLS DIVE?
“I hate people” isn’t exactly what people expect to hear when ask me why do I dive, but it is the truth.
As a scuba instructor I should give the Jacque Cousteau, the pretty fish or any other politically correct answer, but it is not why I submerge myself into water whenever I get a chance. For me the best part of diving is that nobody can talk to me underwater. Well, I take that back, on my recent trip to the Philippines there was this guy who did not stop talking for the duration of our whole trip, not even at depth.
I don’t hate people in general; I just hate the annoying ones. Neither excessive workouts, nor cocktails, not even two hours massages can repair the damage caused by traffic jams, needy people and never ending bills. The only cure to my tense back and over-spinning brain is total submersion. I just want some peace and quiet, which I only seem to get underwater.
Water is my therapy.
I realize that every individual takes up diving for their own reasons. Some girls would have never considered signing up for diving lessons if it was not for a resort course on an amazing vacation they took somewhere.
“I first fell in love with the ocean on a trip to Greece where the snorkeling was amazing. I learned to dive soon after and was just mesmerized by everything at once. Later, when work got hectic, it was the best stress relief. Once submerged, nothing else mattered and it was a great way to forget everything else and put life into perspective. It was this perspective that gave me the strength to quit the rat race, made me realize what was really important in life. I left the corporate world behind to train as a scuba instructor and now I love to teach and share the ocean with new divers. The joy that I see on the faces of new divers refreshes my passion every day. As I became more experienced I delved deeper and now I love deep water exploration,” says Ayesha Cantrell, technical diving instructor in Thailand.
Some girls who role-played to be the ever popular and mysterious fish-tailed lady when they were children knew from an early age that they belonged to the sea.
“As a young girl I wanted only two things; to live in the ocean and be surrounded by dolphins,” remembered the dive girl from Dive Vava'u, in Tonga. As my life went on and I realized this was not exactly possible, I began to dream of scuba diving. My dream came true at 14, but was halted for 5 years due to a horse riding accident and a lot of knee surgery. When my surgeon asked me what I wanted to do with my life, the answer was easy: Scuba Dive and live in the ocean. I have now been scuba diving for 14 years and working as a dive instructor/naturalist for 12. My dream came true.
“I dive because I am like a fish or as my mother says, a mermaid. The water feels like home. The deeper the better. I feel safest when I am submerged. I feel happy when I am a part of it, and it a part of me.” says Quinn Hairston.
Most guys dive because of the challenge it presents, but if you ask ten women why they dive, you will likely to hear ten different reasons.
“Why do Astronauts go to space? Why do people like to lie in a meadow and be at one with nature? Why do people pay millions to have an abode that has a sea view? Why do people swim lengths in a pool? Why do people pay so much money for fetish rubber ware... Why do I dive?” asks Rosie Wang from Australia.
“The complete sense of freedom and being at peace with yourself is amazing but mainly because of the privilege to be able to experience another world and hopefully learn from it.” explains Linda Conmy from the United Arab Emirates.
“How do you feel in a world where you are totally free?” Florence Goletti asks back. “A world where there is no borders, where human beings can swim with animals without scaring them. You become one of them. In the ocean everybody is equal. Scuba diving is no just a sport; it’s an incredible experience in a magic world.”
“I love aquariums and when I dive I get to swim in the biggest one around. I float weightlessly. Underwater is the most peaceful place I've ever been.” claims Krystina Benck from California.
“When I'm weightless, gliding smoothly below the surface and communing with the ‘fisheys’ the last thing on my mind is: Does this outfit make my butt look big? That's a happy thing.” as Cindy Medley eloquently puts it.
“I'm still a brand new diver, but once I get more experienced I would like to get involved in reef and marine conservation.” tells Leonora Corate.
“I see a part of God's creation that takes my breath away and leaves me in awe. There's always something new and different. No end to what we might discover. Also, the camaraderie between divers is wonderful. The minute I step on the boat, I feel the sense of a community. I meet people from all over the world, all walks of life. I can't imagine anything better.” shares Jean Kellett.
Kim Billingsley likes to travel and explore topside as well as below the surface. “Seeing the different cultures on the exotic trips is fabulous!” Ilenia Brasacchio also likes to watch the fish and to pretend to fly in the water. She thinks that it's a fantastic atmosphere.
“I am 5'7" and 172 lbs. I feel lighter in the water and I love the sea life, adventures and the thrill of something new,” says Angela Apostolakis.
“I dive to meet the crazy, colorful and downright unbelievable inhabitants of the world below the surface! Its not wrecks or techy deep stuff that ‘floats’ my boat, it’s the cute, the cryptic and the humbling huge animals that do it for me.” exclaims Claire Bloomfield
“When I see that crystal clear, blue water, I can't wait to get in. It gives me a sense of awe and nurtures my spiritual growth,” states Quinnette E. Free.
I was happy to realize that “escape from reality” wasn’t just my excuse to get wet.
"It's peaceful and beautiful, like no other place or experience I have ever had. It calms my soul, clears my head and completes me,” tells Susan Stevenson.
“Diving keeps me sane in a hectic and often crazy world. When I am 80 feet deep in the ocean and able to breathe while being weightless, it is the only time that I am completely relaxed. As I take in the awe of surrounding beauty I am able to appreciate the incredible planet we live on,” explains Tracie Waeker from California.
“Weightlessness and because I am fed up with people, and there aren’t any underwater. I can hide away from the noises of the world,” says Livia Volgyesi, Hungarian scuba instructor working in Egypt.
If scuba diving was not my job, I sure would need to find a well paid job to support my addiction to the therapeutic ocean.
I believe that the liquid blue is the most powerful element on Earth. It can smoothen even the roughest rocks over time. It cleanses anything dirty. It is a medium which one can travel through and move in three dimensions like astronauts do in space. Its’ sound is monotone and meditative. It is unpredictable and never to be underestimated. In one minute it can move calmingly like a mother rocks a baby in the cradle and in the next it shows its power and washes everything that gets in its way.
Written by Szilvia Gogh, Photo Credit Szilvia Gogh