For my tenth birthday, my Aunties and Uncles paid for me to have a “try-dive” session at Andark Lake. Mummy said that she had loved scuba diving when she was younger and that made me want to try it. When we got there we met my instructors Suzie and Dave. Suzie took me into the teaching room to get me briefed while Dave got ready to get in the water. She taught me all the signals like thumbs up means go up and thumbs down means go down and she also taught me about the air spaces in my body such as the sinuses or lungs.
After I got briefed, I was ready to start. At first I was worried about my ears hurting too much underwater but I soon learned there is nothing to be scared of. In the end I didn’t even want to leave! After Dave and I got in, I got fitted up for flippers. We had one pair of flippers but they were too small so I had to try the next size up but they were too big! In the end I ended up using adjustable ones.
When I was finally underwater I felt excited. The regulator took time getting used to! I particularly liked the BCD (buoyancy control device) because if I pumped it up too far it sounded like it was blowing a raspberry. It made me jump because I didn’t expect it to happen! Dave taught me some practical stuff like how to clear water from my mask and what to do if I drop my regulator. He also taught me how to clear my air spaces. At the end we went to the deep end and I met a crab and played with a water rocket which was loads of fun. I liked Dave’s attempts to catch it. Then he showed me how to do a somersault. All in all, It was a very fun trip and I rate it 10 stars. I can’t wait to start my PADI when my sister is 10!
By Audrey Waters
