So you know the movie "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" and how it makes us realize that you get you just one life and you MUST live it. Live it in a way that you actually feel alive! It makes us think and re-think our lives (or at least it made ME think and re-think my life and what I want from it). I don't know about you but that movie inspired me a lot. I keep telling my mom that I wanna live my life and have no regrets cause I've just one life. (I bet you she's super annoyed cause I say it all the time). So my point is that I want to live my life. Period.
I have an indubitable affinity to water. I just love it. So naturally, I jumped up at the first opportunity I'd to get my hands at ....... wait for it..........SCUBA DIVING!
I can still remember the day when my mausi (aunt) sent me a text asking if I'm interested in a 2 week (actually weekend) course of Scuba diving, at the end of which I'd be a certified scuba diver. I was stumped. Was it for real?
On the 3rd of October 2014, I'd my first class. Let me tell you, when they show it on movies or TV they make it seem like its all fun and amusing (which it is!!) but only after you are done with the arduous part. Scuba diving requires deft handwork and footwork. It requires the basic understanding of the concepts of buoyancy (that which helps you sink or float in water) and air pressure ( cause when you're plunging into abysmal depths the immense water pressure does funny things to the air spaces or sinuses in your body. And when you're ascending back up, you need to be careful or else your lung can burst due to overexpansion. So you see sharks aren't the real reason for distress). So over the next two days, we tried to practice certain skills in the swimming pool that would help us descend, survive underwater and ascend, all in one piece. I won't bore you with the needless details.
The following weekend I'd my first dive into the North Pacific Ocean in the Monterey Bay, California. The anticipation had built up. Was I scared? A tiny bit maybe. But I was definitely more excited. The humongous, unwelcoming, brazen but yet so appealing ocean. Ironical isn't it? We all know how many lives it takes every day, every minute yet we find it so alluring?
"Here I come." My thoughts.
All my equipment were in place. The mask, snorkel, fins, BCG, tanks, gloves, wetsuit and on and on. Oh boy! The entire outfit was so freaking heavy! I could barely walk on the road, imagine how hard it was on the sand. [ :( ] But you know "Work hard, Play hard!". The ocean water was chilly and numbingly briny.
The first day we revised the skills again. So it was a bit boring and disappointing. But the next day we'd the fun dive. In which we got to plan the entire dive. We as in me and my buddy. He was a nice fellow. Probably in his 40s. German. Worked for Google ( Envy? ) and was incredibly tall. And very helpful. My last dive was fun (obviously since it is called 'Fun Dive'). I saw so many splendid creatures and held a few on my gloved hands.
Honestly, I didn't want to come back up. It just...nice down there. No worries, no troubles, no wrath, no jealousy, no competition, no lies, no humans...well you get my point. But only for a moment. Now that I've thought as much there is to think about it, I realize that the world deep down has its own worries and troubles ( The vicious circle of life? Predator-prey? Survival of the fittest.) Just like we have up here on the land. The ocean has its own wrath ( Ever heard of a tsunami? ). And who said humans aren't down there? We might not be physically present but we've managed to leave our impression even down there. How you may ask? All the truckloads of garbage we generate, all the oil spills and all the activities we carry to satiate our infinite desires ( Not just for food but the blubber of whales? Skin of sea otters? These are just a few examples) are polluting and dis-balancing the world deep down. I mean how much can the ocean handle? If we're not careful, it might be that long before we cease our own existence as well.
With that said, It was a fascinating journey to the world deep down. A journey of a lifetime. I'd say everyone should have a chance to take a ride down there, just to understand. Cause no words can describe how I felt! :)