(Snorkelling the coral reef at the shore of Amed beach)
Day 8
We sadly had to check out of the elephant safari park and head 3.5 hours north to Amed for our diving course.
We arrived to find our accommodation at Divers Cafe to be fairly basic, but at $30 per night for a beach bungalow, I was happy. The BF wasn't that impressed, but he did have good reason as there was no running water and the front door was locked using a padlock and it didn't really close completely shut.
We arranged our diving course for the next day and got our diving gear organised. We were supposed to have Lash for our instructor, but she sadly informed us she had trouble renewing her instructor licence for the season online and she found us someone else.
In the arvo we got out in the water and snorkelled the reef. The visibility wasn't the best but it was nice to snorkel again after so long (last time was probably Samoa in 2010).
Day 9
Today we got up early and had breakfast before our diving course commenced at 8:30am. Seeing as we had already done the theory of Padi online, we were ready for the practical. We got briefed, geared up, in the water, and then....I didn't like it! Not at all! I felt like my regulator was too resistant, I hated the sensation of my weight belt dragging me down underwater, I was tired and felt stressed, and then I began a downward mental cycle of getting upset with myself and thinking too far ahead about all the underwater skills I needed to achieve (which by that stage I had convinced myself were impossible for me). I spent the day resting and calming myself and retrying breathing underwater for longer and deeper in the swimming pool. The BF took to it so naturally and did two dives in the ocean. I decided I would need longer to advance to that stage.
I felt like an absolute loser as I was surrounded by scuba divers at Divers Cafe, and me, "The Loser", couldn't even go to the deep end of the swimming pool. Everyone else looked so tanned and toned and happy, and I was pale and chubby and sad. Blah. I am, however, resolved to conquering this fear of...drowning...but for me it will take longer than a day. The BF said quite rightly that I got through the theory easily and quickly and he got through the practical easily. So, we can't all be good at everything all the time and we should try and do things we are not good at as well as the ones we are. I wasn't good at this at all.
The BF completed his last dive at about 3:30pm and after that he said "I want to go back to Kuta and get out of here and stay someone really nice for our last night in Bali" so we promptly packed, checked-out, and took a 3.5 hour taxi ride to Ayana Resort in Jimbaran. He had a massive headache so some water, electrolyte drink, a bit of a spew, and some acupressure and massage from me the student doctor of Chinese Medicine, as well as a nap in the taxi, made him feel a lot better by the time we got to Ayana.
We arrived to find our accommodation at Divers Cafe to be fairly basic, but at $30 per night for a beach bungalow, I was happy. The BF wasn't that impressed, but he did have good reason as there was no running water and the front door was locked using a padlock and it didn't really close completely shut.
We arranged our diving course for the next day and got our diving gear organised. We were supposed to have Lash for our instructor, but she sadly informed us she had trouble renewing her instructor licence for the season online and she found us someone else.
In the arvo we got out in the water and snorkelled the reef. The visibility wasn't the best but it was nice to snorkel again after so long (last time was probably Samoa in 2010).
Day 9
Today we got up early and had breakfast before our diving course commenced at 8:30am. Seeing as we had already done the theory of Padi online, we were ready for the practical. We got briefed, geared up, in the water, and then....I didn't like it! Not at all! I felt like my regulator was too resistant, I hated the sensation of my weight belt dragging me down underwater, I was tired and felt stressed, and then I began a downward mental cycle of getting upset with myself and thinking too far ahead about all the underwater skills I needed to achieve (which by that stage I had convinced myself were impossible for me). I spent the day resting and calming myself and retrying breathing underwater for longer and deeper in the swimming pool. The BF took to it so naturally and did two dives in the ocean. I decided I would need longer to advance to that stage.
I felt like an absolute loser as I was surrounded by scuba divers at Divers Cafe, and me, "The Loser", couldn't even go to the deep end of the swimming pool. Everyone else looked so tanned and toned and happy, and I was pale and chubby and sad. Blah. I am, however, resolved to conquering this fear of...drowning...but for me it will take longer than a day. The BF said quite rightly that I got through the theory easily and quickly and he got through the practical easily. So, we can't all be good at everything all the time and we should try and do things we are not good at as well as the ones we are. I wasn't good at this at all.
The BF completed his last dive at about 3:30pm and after that he said "I want to go back to Kuta and get out of here and stay someone really nice for our last night in Bali" so we promptly packed, checked-out, and took a 3.5 hour taxi ride to Ayana Resort in Jimbaran. He had a massive headache so some water, electrolyte drink, a bit of a spew, and some acupressure and massage from me the student doctor of Chinese Medicine, as well as a nap in the taxi, made him feel a lot better by the time we got to Ayana.
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