Scuba Diving in Srilanka!! #TravelAdventure2019

It was in February,we were planning to go somewhere for a relaxing trip. I was just browsing online and came across lonely planet's list of must visit countries in 2019. I was surprised to see Srilanka in the number one position. Without much thinking, I booked the tickets and we flew to this beautiful island nation with no proper planning. But we were unaware that this country will blow our minds.People,culture,food,beaches,landscapes are all top notch.

Last three days of our trip,we were in Hikkaduwa. It is one of the best diving sites in the world. So we decided to try it out. After a lot of research online, we found Poseidon Diving to be the best diving center in Hikkaduwa. We went there a day before and discussed all our doubts and fears with the trainers,they were very encouraging and cleared all our queries. I requested them to assign someone for me the whole time as I am super scared of water and don't know swimming at all. They assured everything would be taken care. We took the fundiving class since we were beginners. Also keep in mind if you want to dive deeper, you can't fly for 24-48 hours after the dive. It costed us 40USD/person which included everything.

We went in for a morning dive,after a light breakfast. They showed us a twenty minute safety video,made us sign on few paperworks. Then we were given scuba lessons. Trainers briefed about the procedure. This will take about an hour.

First dive into the water, I felt I can never do this. But our trainer very patiently calmed me down and helped me get comfortable in the water. It took fifteen minutes to get used to breathing through the mask and be comfortable in the water.

After that,we started moving forward. A school of fishes came towards us. That moment I felt it was all worth it. We saw multiple coral reefs and fishes. It was so calming. Although I panicked twice, gathered the courage and went back in as the experience was so surreal. We survived about an hour in the water with one tank of oxygen.

Here we are after the dive with enormous happiness in our souls. Suddenly there was so much peace in chaos. The feeling was liberating. For a person like me who is scared of water so much to have successfully completed the session was rewarding. I was even more happy to experience this with my best-friends. Suddenly we felt immense gratitude towards all that we get to experience in this life.

I had thought this was impossible for me. I was so paranoid the night before.But little did I know that I would like scuba diving so much.Now I can't wait for my next dive! Don't miss out on your chances just because you are scared. You never know how something can change your life. Its the greatest feeling when you conquer your fears. This is by far the most special adventure that made 2019 a blast! I hope my story encourages you to try new things.