Dive and find no devil

We all have our own set of fears — fears that we hold close to our heart, unable to let go even though we wish to. As someone who can’t swim, one of my greatest fears is falling into the sea and dying a watery death. Many a times, I have even dreamt of such an eventuality.

But a breathtaking experience in the cosy blue waters in the Andamans took my breath away (not literally, of course!). During a nice vacation there, my adventure-loving friend suggested that we go snorkelling or scuba diving. Tightly holding on to my fear of the sea, I confessed that I was not ready for the idea and suggested we play volleyball on the beach instead. As a ‘certified’ scuba diver, he insisted that I should get over my fears and at least have a go at it. Trying to lure me into the proposal, he started describing the beauty of the ocean and everything she housed. Vehemently defying the suggestion, I pleaded that I had seen it all on TV a number of times. To stall the plan, I even played truant for a day but ultimately there came the day when we had to set out snorkelling.

We were accompanied by our instructor and some more ‘hydrophilic’ enthusiasts in a Burmese boat. Sounded fancy but it was barely a piece of log that see-sawed its way through the waves. Just watching it cut through the roaring waters gave me the chills.
After an hour, we reached our snorkelling spot, got into our diving suits, all set to jump
into the water with our goggles polished with our own saliva (An absolutely crude way to make sure that it doesn’t fog under water!).

Thoroughly influenced by Hollywood movies, I was worried if a shark would come and bite off my leg and I would be crippled for life. And how was I supposed to trust my life with my instructor, a guy who I had met just an hour ago? And what if my lifejacket doesn’t work and I go down? All sorts of fears about the future played in my mind like a movie flashback. But ultimately, I decided to take the plunge.

Initially, I swallowed some water but soon enough, I realised that the lifejacket did keep
me afloat.

Watching life below the surface, I realised that it would’ve been a big loss if I had backed out. The deep blue of the sea and the plethora of colourful fish, plants and corals brought indescribable joy. Fish, big and small, were swimming close to plants that were happily swaying to the silent tune of the ocean. I could see scuba divers slowly treading the sea floor equally amazed at life down there.

What struck me the most was that life was moving on unperturbed and oblivious of what was happening outside the water. I realised that I was just like the fish under water until I showed the courage to explore. The snorkelling experience was an eye-opener that made me realise that it takes just a small step to overcome big fears.