I had no scuba lesson this week due to the bank holiday, so instead I've been giving some thought to the general concept of diving.
What really is the allure? I ask this mainly for myself as I seek the motivation to press on with my learning; I realise that there are millions of keen divers out there, so there must be something to it, but the bug hasn't quite bitten me yet.
I have heard stories of stunningly beautiful underwater landscapes populated by a myriad of strange and colourful creatures and I have seen evidence of this in photos and television documentaries. I have literally skimmed the surface of these worlds myself on a number of snorkelling excursions and I wholeheartedly agree that beneath the waves are countless fascinating spectacles that are undoubtedly a joy to learn about and behold.
But I am still grasping for a good, solid reason to strap lots of heavy equipment to my back and sit amongst it all whilst constantly clock-watching to ensure I don't lose track of time and accidentally drown myself.
Perhaps it's a human nature thing – we climb the mountain “because it's there” – although that strikes me as the reasoning of the insane. After all, George Mallory, the mountaineer who uttered those pioneer-inspiring words, froze to death on the north face of Everest at the age of thirty-seven. When faced with the kind of risks that can result in death, suddenly the quality of the view seems somehow less important. If we could ask George Mallory why he decided to sit down and freeze to death, a trite "Because I could." wouldn't really be the answer I'd be hoping for.
So I suppose what I'm asking for is inspiration. As I prepare myself for next week's scuba lesson I'd like to read something to make me feel that risking a watery death is worthwhile in pursuit of scuba excellence. Please leave an inspiring pearl of diving wisdom in the comments below.
In short; why do you lot do it?
I know when I'm kayaking down some of the the big rivers or on the new olympic course, the possibility or injury or death brings life right down to an instant of focus. How often do we live in the moment, without thinking about the future or the past, but live absolutley for right now.
ReplyDeleteYou don't know your alive until you've looked death in the face, spat in his eye and come away grinning.
Or it could be the adrenaline hit that fires up all them animal receptors in the brain, causing a fight or flight response. Is adrenaline addictive ?
So when the fear hits, are you the sort to man up or run away ? Or do you get your adrenaline hits from an epi-pen.
Ryan Guthrie left this fantastically written response on the Fin Divers Facebook page:
ReplyDelete"Every morning I risk my life by careening through the narrow lanes that criss-cross the once peaceful and green English country side, passing discarded bottles and nasty nappies, sitting on a tank filled with an explosive liquid that has the same destructive force as 320kg of TNT, hoping beyond hope that the drivers coming at me head on know that I am just around the next blind corner. I do this just to sit in front of a box that bathes my face in an eerie electric blue glow, and to listen to customers on a devise that is surely giving me a brain tumor the size of a baseball, who blame me on for their failed machines despite the fact they have clearly not read ANY of the manuals provided.
Compared to this, it takes little motivation to strap a tank of air on my back and go swim with the curiocities found in the sea, where there are no screaming customers, no bikers or farmers in my way, no annoying mobile phones, and the only blue glow is coming from Mother Nature herself!
Diving is my escape! I’m exploring a world that is less explored then the surface of the moon. As far as I can tell, diving is FAR safer then my morning commute and the surrounding atmosphere at the destination is MUCH more serene.
What is my motivation for diving, tranquility in Nature, my getaway from the hazardous monotony of everyday life!"