Redang: The Birth of Scuba Girl (2/2)

I wake up and it’s raining steadily. Aiya, what la. We start suiting up once the rain stops. Problem is, it is FREEZING. I hate feeling cold and I hate shivering, which is what I’m doing the whole time I’m putting on my wetsuit. Doesn’t help that the wetsuit is still damp from yesterday evening!

We gather around for a dive briefing: today, we’ll be going down to 18 metres around a reef at Kerengga Island. Tim explains our ‘route’ in detail (my mind blanks out at this point cos I still can’t tell one reef from another!), then he reminds us that he is NOT our buddy.

“You’re supposed to stick with your buddy,” he says. “The ocean is so big, but everyone sticking right next to me, the buddy also don’t know go where already. Today’s dive, you all better do your buddy system properly. I’ll be watching you guys.” We nod and promise to take care of our respective buddies. As you can see above, the enthusiasm is great.

Our wetsuits on, we scurry down to the boat with all our equipment, shivering all the way there. We put everything on and under Tim’s watchful eye, do the buddy check. Slugabed and I decide on our ‘buddy strategy’: better buddy properly this time, otherwise kena tiu from instructor later. Not much of a strategy! We agree that he’ll be on my right and if he wants, he can go ahead of me a little. I agree. We decide we will ‘chop’ the premium (read: safest) position and that’s right behind Tim. Okay buddy? Okay, buddy.

Kerengga Island

We get to Kerengga Island and find that it’s going to be a rope descent – the prettiest rope ever with little apricot-coloured flowers curling around it, covered in a silky coat of golden moss. We descend 10 metres and swim out to 18 metres.

Because it rained earlier today, visibility isn’t as great. Plus, it’s gloomy out, so there’s little sunlight and everything looks a little dull in colour. Oh well. But being beginners, we’re crazy thrilled just to be 18 metres underwater so I’m not too fussed about it. As long as I can see Tim’s fins. As for seeing Slugabed, it’s hard for me to keep track of him. One minute, he’s beside me; next minute, he’s above; then he’s behind. This buddy is super annoying.

At one point, we experience a thermocline – the water suddenly looks different, like petrol has seeped in and it’s become all thick and wavy. You can see it coming and once it passes you, a shock of cold water washes over you. It’s pretty cool, in more ways than one.

After about 45 minutes, we start to ascend. Tim signals for us to do a 3-minute safety stop when we get to 5 metres. I don’t like safety stops cos I’m not very good at hovering (I’d rather have a safety swim-around). Using Tim as my reference point, I try to halt and hover where he is. Unfortunately, my hovering sucks so I’m floating up and down (mostly down). So I kick. He signals for me to stop moving and breathe properly. I inhale and start to sink. Something must be wrong with my lungs. While hovering (and I use the term ‘hovering’ loosely!), I look around at my fellow divers. It’s so odd to see everyone hovering (or rather, like me, trying to hover). They look like flying martians. Lanky sea monsters with elongated webbed feet dangling lifelessly beneath them … faces expressionless, hidden behind evil Darth Vader masks … bubbles spurting out of the mouth continuously … everyone sporting bullet-proof armour like Commando in the underwater jungle. It’s quite funny but I try not to laugh or water will squirt into my nose.

Once the 3-minute stop is up, we continue ascending and within minutes, we’re back on the boat and headed back to the resort.

We decide to take a group pic on the boat for posterity – that’s me, Li and Kuldeep (the one flexing his muscles) …

… after which I demonstrate how to breathe with the regulator …

… and how to ascend correctly …

Paku Kecil

Two hours plus later, we’re back in the water and this time, we get to do a drift dive at Paku Kecil. A drift dive is what they like to call an ‘underwater flight’ where you’re literally going with the ‘flow’ (ie current). It’s a lot of fun, mostly cos it isn’t a terribly strong current and is manageable even for newbies. It’s really cool to see everyone being carried by the currents, and all the fish swimming against that same direction.

After almost 50 minutes underwater, we surface and head back to the resort for lunch. With this fourth dive, we have fulfilled the PADI Open Water minimum of four training dives – yippy!!! I diligently record down all my dives in my log book. Time to get that signature!

And here, a congratulatory note from Tim.

Over the next couple of days, we do another three leisure dives, clocking up 7 dives in total – not too shabby for a beginner! Am experiencing a bit of a high right now and we’re already planning (read: fantasising about) our next dive trip. Am itching to get back in the water … but in the meantime, I’m gonna go wetsuit shopping and get myself a snazzy little number!