27 Minutes 4 Seconds With Me

They float on the surface, breathing slowly, focusing on the bottom and slowing down their heart rate by 100..90…80…70…60 beats pre-minute. A final full breath and thrust downward, kicking slowly with big stiff legged kicks, relaxed and trying to minimize exertion. They reach the bottom and glide along at twice the speed that they could with scuba gear and the feel a part of the environment. Soft, smooth, serene, peaceful is how freedivers describe their experiences. A euphoria they can get only from this activity! And they look breathtaking as they are doing a dive!
I have been increasingly infatuated with the sport of freediving since starting to scuba dive. The beauty of watching the diver descend with nothing more than a mask and fins, then dive deeper than some recreational scuba divers go is absolutely mesmerizing. I watched countless videos on you tube.

There are actually several different ways to freedive, with fins, without fins, with a line or without, among others. There are world records held by men and women diving to depths of over 200 meters! These freedivers hold their breath a long time…no not seconds, MINUTES! Tanya Streeter won an Absolute World Record in 2002 doing a no limits dive to 160 meters and did it in 3 minutes 26 seconds! What a great athlete Tanya is, holding a number of records in this sport. You can find all the record holders in each class on the AIDA’s site (International Association for the Development of Freedivers).

I am going to put it on my list of goals to take a freediving class.

I was looking for scuba related stories last week since I am recovering from my sick that hopefully help explaine why scuba diving can be a passion for many. I know that my story was similar when I became a diver however for this post I decided to add other peoples that I met interesting stories of how scuba diving has affected them which I describe it as passion to most people. Case in point Mary is my dive buddy when I was at Similan Island, Thailand 3 years back. She wrote to me recently and she has a great story that I think everyone should hear. So for our first Scuba Human Interest story I give you Mary’s story:

Dear Stanly

Remember the question you asked me last week. Well I have a story to tell you. I think I should thank you

When I was 15 years old, I developed an appreciation for oceans and ocean life and came to the conclusion that I definitely have a GREAT love for the ocean and water in general and that it is THE place for me. I started doing more than just going to the beach attending a Christmas Island marine biology camp at the age of 16, studying books about the oceans, tidal patterns and dolphins and even sitting in on a USYD (University of Sydney) oceanography class volunteering at the Sydney Aquarium and much more everything pretty much aligned with my purpose of being close to the water/increasing my knowledge of it.

My life moved forward onto a different path in March of 2000 at which point I embarked on career in the human rights/non-profit sector putting my marine dreams on hold for the moment (but the dream was still alive in the back of my mind)

Fast forward to the year 2001 and thereabouts and while sitting at home watching television program, I was fortunate enough to watch a commercial for The Underwater Centre Tasmania, a college that specializes in commercial diving.

I ordered a packet of information about their program and read every bit of it and watched the DVD. I called the admissions advisor to gather more information and get more questions answered. Several years later I even wet out to the facility to take a tour and then I went online to check out other divers’ viewpoints and get feedback on the availability of work, how the pay scale works, typical places that divers travel to etc. etc. I wanted to be certain that this was the profession for me.

I really did need to make a decision on whether I wanted to be a diver or any one of the other numerous marine professions out there or did I want a career in some other entirely different field. But I took my time on making this decision.

My human rights work was completed in December of 2004 (my passion for human rights will never die though) In 2006 I was fortunate enough to travel to the Similan Island and diving in some of the most beautiful environments I’ve ever seen. Thank to you for being my diving buddy and I’m envy your spirits. Simultaneously I was fortunate enough to get out of an unhealthy relationship with my boyfriend.

And then in mid 2007 I moved to Bangkok, Thailand and took advantage of the opportunity to do more diving and have more time both on the sea as well as in the sea. It was amazing and just served to increase my love and appreciation for the oceans.

Moving back to Sydney, in April 2008, I got involved with various other work endeavors and had a few bad experiences. One experience in particular involved an employer that didn’t pay me for a full month’s work upwards of AUD 3,000. This experience and he devastation that came along with it, kicked me in the butt and made me realize that I needed to get my act together and really had a focus on what’s going to help me achieve career success, and provide a good life and allow me to be in an environment that I love. It’s been said that if you love what you’re doing you’ll never work a day in your life, and that’s what I wanted to achieve. And all toads pointed towards DIVING!.

As if to confirm the above thought, in mid-June of ’08 when I was leaving Melbourne to head back to Sydney, I ended up missing my flight and had to be put on the next flight out, well not a big issue. The seating arrangement though ended up putting next to a commercial diver (with 4 yrs experience) that had graduated from Tasmania, The Underwater Centre. This was an incredible opportunity, and I pretty much picked his brain during the entire flight to get the scoop on his diving experiences and travels and everything I could think of that I wanted to know about the profession.

Fast forward to August 2008 and by that point I had it set in stone and guaranteed that I’m going to be a commercial diver. All of the experiences that I’d had and everything I had learned over the years seemed to culminate into this pinnacle that only had one direction.

I had it planned out that I would go to The Underwater Centre in Tasmania. I filled out the school application form and paid the fee. I did the financial aid application online and was approved for grants and all kinds of other stuff. I was scheduled to start classes in October.

And now I’m here and poised and ready to start school. Just need to secure my health insurance and medical exam and a few other bells and whistle, and the dream will be set in moiton. Classes will begin some time around June and July…..sooo exciting.

So it’s done. I finally made it out here and I’m at a point where things are really happening in my quest to achieve the career of a lifetime. I get to learn rigging, mixed gases, underwater cutting and burning and all kinds of other exiting aspects of diving. And then I get a actually do this for a living! WOW! Well this is what I’ll be doing for a living when 2010 starts, filly certified and ready to go.

Despite all odds and barriers, its finally happening and of course I have to thank you for your advises and supports all this while. You had show me the spirits of not giving up in every our own dream makes me feel that you are one wonderful person I ever met. I hope one day we can work together and it’s time for you to pick up your commercial diving as well. No doubt you are unwell at this moment but I believe you will recover soon. You prove to me more than 1 time. If there is one man I can describe you I would say ……Wolverine

Take care

Lot of love,
Mary

P/s : Take care and get well soon.

Thank you Mary...