SCUBA DIVING-by Belén Mañá

Hi!

I’m the 17^th number, so every 17 of this year you’ll have my post online. I still don’t know what I’ll write about, so probably each one will have its own different topic.

In my first post, I am writing about an unusual sport which is scuba diving. For those who don’t know what it is, scuba diving consists in diving with an oxygen bottle so you are able to dive deeper and more time.

I started scuba diving when I was ten and, although I was a child, I really enjoyed it!

The first time I dived was in Almeria with my cousin’s own diving centre. It was really cool to dive with my family!!! After my diving baptism (my first try) I was sure I wanted to do the courses and be an official diver. So I obtained my “Open Water Diver Certificate”, which meant that I was able to dive down to 18 metres by my own (obviously it doesn’t mean I would go alone because it’s ALWAYS necessary to dive with company in case an emergency happens). Now I have almost obtained my Advanced Certificate and a part of this course was diving deeper and during the night, which was awesome!!!

The things I love about diving are:

·        
The peace that you find down there where you only listen to your own breathing and the sound of the bubbles going to the surface.

·         The amount of animals you can find in the depths, not only fishes but starfishes, eels, rays...

·         The freedom you have once you’ve found your balance (not sinking nor floating) because it’s like flying.

 And I could continue telling the things that I like about diving my whole life but...

...On the other hand there are some disadvantages

·         You cannot stop breathing even for ten seconds because your lungs may suffer serious problems.

·         Your ears can be damaged due to the pressure.

·         You cannot see really well because at 15 metres strong colours like red and orange can’t be seen.

·         Water may be cold so, if you don’t want to freeze, you can just dive during specific months or you can travel to warmer places, as I did last Christmas travelling to Tenerife (which I assure you, It has been one of the best experiences of my life to be diving on Christmas Day!)

But the worst thing of all is that, at the moment, we don’t have sea here in Madrid, and I can’t practise it as much as I would like to!!!