Posted February 23 at 11:11pm local time.

On Monday I had one of the scariest – yet most rewarding – experiences of my life. I went SCUBA diving.

We went out to the Great Barrier Reef with a company on the boat Silverswift. It was a very nice boat and they served complimentary tea, coffee, and snacks before departure from the dock as well as before leaving the last snorkeling/diving spot. On the way out to the reef those of us diving watched a brief video and then went over what we learned with one of the instructors. Just before we got to the reef we headed out back to gear up. We donned wet suits, SCUBA equipment, flippers, and a mask before walking off the edge of the boat into the ocean.

If breathing solely through one’s mouth isn’t weird enough, try doing it underwater. Fish live and breathe underwater; people live and breathe above water. My first breath underwater felt strange and frightening at the same time. I was breathing oxygen – I didn’t feel like I wasn’t getting any air – but it my mind seemed not to understand that yet. It was such a strange feeling that I can’t quite find words to describe it. Maybe it could be described as a mixed feeling of brief suffocation and claustrophobia. My first impulse was to rise to the surface, clamber back onto the boat, and just be content with snorkeling, but I overcame that and decided I’d attempt to stick it out. I then grabbed onto the rope that descended from the boat to an anchor below and remained suspended a foot or two below the surface, trying to stop breathing so hard. When my instructor Ben came over we proceeded to do the three exercises I really wasn’t looking forward to. First I had to take my regulator out of my mouth, hold it out while breathing out a tiny stream of bubbles, then put it back in and blow out hard to clear it and my mouth of any water. Next I had to take out my primary regulator and put in my backup, then switch back to my primary. Lastly, Ben lifted the bottom of my mask to let some water in which I then had to remove by tilting my head back, pressing my finger against the top of the mask, and blowing air out through my nose to force the water out. These weren’t as difficult or annoying as I expected them to be, and was thankful for that.

Ben and I then descended using the rope, stopping every meter or so to decompress by holding our nose and trying to blow gently through it. Then, since this was an introductory dive, I linked arms with Ben and we took off. I was mostly focused on trying to just breathe slowly, regularly, and easily, but I was also able to admire and marvel at God’s creation underwater. By the end of the dive I was really enjoying myself and had totally conquered my initial fears. On the next dive I suited back up and casually stepped out and took the plunge. Ben was right; it’s just like learning to ride a bike. Once you have the hang of it, it’s easy to do again. The second dive was so much better because I could focus on the marine life I both saw and felt. I also took a water-proof camera down with me. The thirty-five minutes underwater during my second dive passed by very quickly. When I finally did go out just to snorkel, it really wasn’t that exciting compared to diving. I would recommend that people snorkel first and then dive. Snorkeling will help you get used to breathing through your mouth and will still be enjoyable since you haven’t just been SCUBA diving. I’ve added SCUBA certification to my “to-do” list – right along with getting my concealed carry permit.