The world is my ocean!

by Nilma DOLE

Gracefully swimming into the depths of the ocean, you feel like you're floating witnessing the sheer splendour of Mother Nature at the bottom of the world. This is what diving is all about.

You can't imagine how blessed we are to have stunning aquatic life that we won't normally see even on land and since we don't know, we destroy and turn a blind eye to Mother Nature. Described as the rainforests of the sea, the coral reef is home to over 5000 species of underwater life which in turns supports life on land.

Let Sri Lanka's stunning aquatic life take your breath away with 40 Sri Lankan species of the grouper fish, four species of turtles, several flotsam snail species, sharks and many reef fish and shellfish.

Undertaking the PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) diving course is like taking a trip to heaven and back.

Never before will you see amazing wonders of Sri Lanka unlike in the Hikkaduwa Coral Reef. Even though many of the corals are dead washed away by the sand,and the El Nino hurricane and eventually the 2004 tsunami, there is still hope for them if people still protect it for future generations. By not harming the corals while swimming carelessly, using glass boats, coral mining and just throwing garbage into the ocean, we can save the corals for our children to see too.

The PADI Open Water Diver course is the basic course for anyone just wanted to do a familiarization of diving. You have to know the theoretical aspects by studying 5 chapters from the textbook, a written exam and 4 dives to obtain the certificate.

You might think that diving is only the practicalities but it's not true. It takes plenty of knowledge on using the SCUBA gear, checking and re-checking your oxygen, making sure your Buoyancy Controlling Device (BCD) jacket can be controlled properly and swimming with your fins and mask. You will start in a confined swimming pool at a depth of about 10 to 30 metres where the instructor will teach you the basics of diving where you will learn to swim with someone else called your `buddy'. At this moment, you will swim with your SCUBA gear, swim with it and most importantly breathing through your regulator. The golden rule in SCUBA diving is to 'never hold your breath'.

If at any moment you're breathing apparatus is dislodged from your body keep blowing out.

Skills are taught on how to use your alternative air source and using your buddy's alternate air source too.

You will also learn how to clear your mask, take your SCUBA gear off and on, inflating your BCD orally, using the weights to hold yourself in position on the water, swimming on normal ascent up to the surface. Eventually, you will have your first dive in the deep water and the exciting bit is when you get to swim and watch the aquatic life.

On any particular dive, you can see plenty of fish

Don't worry about jellyfish, sting ray or sharks as majority of the aquatic life attack when they are attacked so make sure you keep out of their way.

You have to always swim horizontally when you're underwater otherwise you will rise up to the surface.

The one thing I learned about my problems diving was equalizing air pressure in my ears. If you have sensitive ears, don't let your ear pain get in the way of your beautiful dive experience. To equalise your pressure under water, just pinch your nose and blow (like when you're flying on an aeroplane) or wiggle your jaw from side to side. This is sure to equalise the pressure when you go down metre by metre.

According to Diver Naturalist Rex I. De Silva, "Diving in Sri Lanka was pioneered by a small group of tough, hardy and colourful adventurers. The first Sri Lankan diver was Vicki Athukorala who started diving in 1938 who was then followed by Rodney Jonklaas, Langston Perera, Hilmie Khalid, Tissa Ariyaratne and other great adventurers". One of the World's first diving clubs was `The Reefcombers of Ceylon' formed in 1947 and spear fishing was the primary activity of the club members.

Diver Rex goes on to say, "The year 1952 saw Rodney Jonklaas as Sri Lanka's first underwater photographers with his robot camera in an underwater case and in 1954, Arthur C.Clarke and his former partner Mike Wilson arrived here with their Leica camera, a Rolleimarine and a Beaulieu movie camera uncovering a major shipwreck". If you are a healthy and active person, then you can dive. There are even dive courses for children above the age of 10 years and seniors up to the age of 70 years. For women, only if you're pregnant or menstruating, it's not recommended to dive and in men, if there are health complications.

However, if you are keen on gathering the many certifications that PADI has the offer then the abyss of the sea is your limit. Who knows, you can even vie for the prestigious Divemaster title!

Poseidon is Sri Lanka's oldest diving centre

Sri Lanka's first diving centre to obtain the prestigious PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification, the Poseidon Diving Centre is reputed around the world. The fact that it is only 265 Euros to get your PADI certification, plenty of tourists flock to Sri Lanka to do the course at Poseidon since it's the cheapest in the world compared to neighbouring dive destinations like Maldives.From October 2009 until April 2010, British-born Thailand-certified Diving Instrutor Jane Hutchinson will be giving PADI classes to those who want to take a look at the blue side of the world. She will help you overcome your fear of the water and help you learn SCUBA diving skills to tackle the abyssal terrain.

Crispigi Cross (16m) 13. Orestes (Depth 16m) 14. Lord Nelson (Depth 18m) 15. Norsa (Depth 15m).Pix courtesy www.divingsrilanka.com