So, it’s Monday morning and as I layed in bed and watched the first Meet The Press without Tim Russert moderating (I DVR’d it), I realized that my mind had wandered to the sounds of life under water, wandered to swimming through the towers of gently swaying kelp, wandered to the sting ray that gracefully emerged in the gray blue abyss and beautifully performed under the shafts of sunlight beaming down through the ceiling of kelp, I wandered to instances of Jennene and I silently pointing at all the different beautiful and obscure creatures that are below the water’s surface, I wandered to the feeling of gliding through the water feeling like a welcomed visitor in a strange, complex and highly sophisticated other-world.  Then I heard the faint voices of the debating politicans grow louder as they pitched their responses to Obama’s recent decision on public campaign funds.   :)   NOW, I know why people LOVE scuba diving! 

Well, this last weekend, Mike, Jennene and I went to Catalina Island and finished out certification for Open Water Diving.  Mike is actually still there as he is getting the next level of cert…ADVANCED (oooo, and we know him!).  Mike is actually a complete natural at the diving thing.  It’s cool. 
J & I did a total of 5 dives this weekend…4 dives with our dive instructor (Mr. Reuben R.) and our other classmates (Rob & John) and 1 dive on our own as newly certified scuba divers!  If you need clarification, SCUBA stands for ‘Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus’ … I’m totally an expert now.

It wasn’t all roses getting to the spot now where I absolutley love it.  Oh no, my friend.  But, it’s true what they say ‘anything worth having is worth working for’ (except salvation…that’s through grace by faith…you know).  Here’s the truth about me & getting certified…

POOL DIVES 1st weekend 
DAY 1-did ok, but had 2 controlled moments of panic, was confident that I was fine and our instructor wasn’t going to let anything bad happen, but still… 
DAY 2-did 6,000 times better because I made a few adjustments to my gear (got the right size BC vest…the small that I wore on day 1 was actually the 15 year old kid’s in our class…had it accidentally switched with mine which was a large…YEAH, not feeling like you’re in a vice…THAT makes a difference.  Also, de-siliconed my mask so I could actually see everything our instructor was doing underwater..which also really helps.  AND, I put my hair in a pony tail so it wasn’t flailing about in my face.)  The pool work was SO much more fun once those minor details were hammered out. 

OCEAN DIVES 2nd weekend
Saturday-diving from the King Neptune; LOTS of other divers; fantastic dive master
Dive 1-started out a wee bit rough, I initially couldn’t properly descend, J had trouble equalizing, blah blah blah; our instructor, Reuben, a patient creature, got me down to the bottom and once we all finished, he went back out in the water with J.  I can’t even remember what our skill objectives were.
Dive 2-Tons better for me!  We did underwater skills (taking mask off, losing our regulators, etc) rescue tows, etc.  It was actually really fun and I felt like the ocean was becoming a place I was comfortable in.
Dive 3-Horrible.  I had a raging headache going into the dive, there was a super strong current, there wasn’t much to see and I felt like I was fighting an unseen force the whole time.  Everyone else has a pretty good time…note to self, ‘don’t dive with a serious headache’.
Sunday-dives were at Casino Point in the marine reserve..specifically for divers/snorkelers
Dive 4-I can’t totally remember, but it must have been fine (overall).  All I know is that at the end of that dive, I was certified!  There was no music or changing the tassle from one side to the other, but it was rewarding as Reuben sentimentally journeyed through our first day at the pool, afraid to breath through our regulators, to now being able to chill at the bottom of the ocean.  He’s sweet and sweet, but mostly sweet.
Dive 5-J & I did our first dive ALONE…without our instructor and without our class mates…just us and the open water!  It was SO much better than all the dives combined!!!  J & I had clear objective going into the dive (in addition to constantly checking our air and time, we worked on controlled descents, work on buoancy, and making our safety stop at 20ft for 3 minutes) and we had SO much fun!!!  It confirms that the big group thing is not my favorite: I like space and no rushing.  J was a fantastic dive buddy (!) and I think it was dive 5 that ignited a true desire to dive regularly!
While there’s a million more details…I close with Pros/Cons of SCUBA life…

CONS
1) Requires LOTS of gear, set up, tear down, hauling (upper body strength is a GREAT thing to have in this sport…I can barely type this recap, my biceps are so mad)
2) Requires contortionism skills to get in/out of the wet suits, the booties, the fins, etc
3) Requires mental stamina to avoid gear claustraphobia …had a few moments of feeling like a trapped rat (still can not stomach the neoprene hood…would rather have a freezing head that don that thing for more than 2 seconds).
4) It’s definitely NOT free

PROS
1) While everyone on land was blazing hot in record breaking heat, we were under the water in temps between 50-80 degrees (?)  
2) Thoughts of the Creator are abundant as you see so much intricacy in every little thing; I am still amazed that people think it all appeared from an explosion of gases.  No, once underwater, understanding the existence of a Creator is impossible to avoid
3) Meeting lots of cool and interesting people through the sport (on land, on the boat, etc).
4) Being near and in water….ALWAYS a great thing!
5) Absolutley NO fear of any aquatic life.  Even in murky waters…no fear of sharks, no fear of anything.  It’s really hard to explain and really great to experience!
6) Underwater communication provides for endless wonder and hilarity (especially if you’re with J & I)
7) Not just saying ‘Someday I want to get certified’, but ACTUALLY doing it…there is a great sense of accomplishment…and a great sense of the beginning of a new chapter in life!
and finally….

… A great instructor and the lesson in the need to wholly trust him.  It’s amazing how you will instantaneously trust a complete stranger with your life because you know he knows more than you and will only do what’s best for your safety AND enjoyment.  It’s a great illustration of who God is to each of us…He knows more and wants our best for His glory…and will care for us accordingly…starting with saving our souls…if we stop trying to control our own lives, but rather give in and trust Him.

All in all …  A+++  (in honor of Reuben)!
Pics forth coming..I left my camera in J’s bag. 
If you’re interested in joining us…we got certified through CALIFORNIA DIVING COMPANY (in Saugus), ask for Lorenzo, he’ll get you started!