Last weekend Erin tried SCUBA for the first time at a PADI Discover SCUBA course in a pool. Like a bad ass, she loved it. She was initially nervous about feeling claustrophobic with a mask, BC and regulator on but it was obvious from watching her that she took to it like…a fish in water. We went with my dad and his girl friend Carol too, who was trying SCUBA for the first time as well. They both did great and Erin at least is pretty into the idea of getting certified and trying SCUBA in the ocean.
I love SCUBA, to me it’s one of many ways to explore the natural world and yourself. You can see things from an angle few humans experience. The world is mostly covered in ocean and it’s hard to over-exaggerate the importance of marine ecosystems to life on earth and even geology. Most caves for instance are made of limestone laid down over millennia by marine organisms.
SCUBA though, is only one way to experience the world. You get to pretend at being a fish but if you try rock climbing, maybe you’re a desert lizard. Mountaineering like-wise can show you a world of white, grey and black, dominated by unyielding glaciers and bare rock. Hang gliding could be a try at being a bird for a day. Caves are their own hidden, ancient world most people never truly experience. Personally, I feel the best education a person can get is to explore the world from every angle. Experience different places, different cultures, different out-door sports and different ways of travelling.
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