Learning to Scuba Dive

Terri and I decided it was crazy to live around one of the best diving sites in the world, and not learn how to scuba dive, and take in the underwater sights. We were finally convinced to go ahead with this adventure by Mike Tripp of Marianas Dive on Saipan, who visited Tinian during the Hot Pepper Festival.

We are taking lessons from Robin (his 'English' name) Shin of Tinian Fun Dive. He and his wife and two sons live on Tinian and Robin teaches diving and also acts as a dive guide.

It takes about three days to learn the basics, and the price was very reasonable, especially considering the amount of time and equipment involved.

The first day we leaned some basics, and then immediately went out into the water at Tachagna Beach. Working in shallow water, we learned how to breath, some weight and balance control, etc. And then went under water. They have a rope on the bottom of the ocean floor that goes from the beach out into the ocean. First we simply held the rope and walked out into deeper water. Then, as we got used to the feel of being under water, we put on our fins and began to swim a little. Eventually we left the rope and 'took off' into the emptiness of the ocean--very intimidating (even though in reality, we were not far away, and could always just go up a few feet to the surface).

We swam to a coral formation to see a bounty of fish. As we turned around to go back, there was a short sensation of fear...there was no way to know where we were or how to get back! Everything looked the same, no matter which direction you looked. However, we were with the guide, and, of course, we could have just gone to the surface and seen how close to land we really were! But under the water, is really is a different world.

That afternoon we had some class time, as we continued to learn about diving and the equipment, and the dangers, etc.

The next day (today) we went back to Tachogna Beach to continue our practice sessions. Last night Terri and I had been studying the scuba book to be ready for today's lesson. In the morning we practiced safety procedures and weight and floatation control--being able to be 'neutral' in the water so that you don't sink or rise, you just stay put, like a fish. This took more time than we thought it would. But eventually we go used to the feeling and the use of the equipment, and began to explore the shoreline comfortably. It was amazing how tired one became swimming around for even short periods. When we climbed out of the water with wet clothes and the tank on our back, it was very hard to get up onto the beach!

We had a wonderful lunch prepared by Robin's wife (she said she would teach me how to make the dish, if I would teach her how to make my spaghetti and meatballs).

After we rested, we headed out for another dive. This one was just more practice. We stayed out until our tanks were almost empty, and we were very tired. There was a good current coming from shore, and we were already tired, so it was tough swimming into shore.

We went home to shower and change, and then went back for another hour of lessons about planning your dives and keeping track of your time under water. Underwater diving is dangerous, due to the depth and pressure effects on one's body. If you don't fully understand these effects, it would be easy to be injured (i.e., if you stayed underwater too long, or went too deep, or took too many consecutive dives, etc.). They have great charts and logs to be able to calculate your dives, depths, and time spent under water. As long as you keep track, there should be no problem.

We are resting tomorrow (Easter), and then on Monday, we will be taking our first real boat dive. We will be doing two dives at two different locations, and at two different depths. It should be exciting. We will let you know how it goes!