Finally Got My Diving License (Part 3 -Last)

This is the last part of my story (part 3). There are two more previously. 

Sunday

It was the third day of my stay in Bidong Island. So far, I am liking it a lot. The beach is just calming place to be. The beautiful scenery, salty air, and peaceful sounds surround you all the time. We woke up at 7am to our screaming alarm, our bodies aching from the previous day, but it was worth it. We just washed our faces, brushed our teeth, and went down to eat our breakfast. We meet with our instructors and divemasters and had a good chat. Then, they started with the morning briefing for the dive ahead. We were planning to had 1 more lesson to go, which means the last 2 dives will be a fun dive. We were all so excited about this. 

That's me geared up and ready to dive

We went to gear up, doing our buddy checks making sure everything is good. The last dive lesson for today will be about navigation and emergency resurfacing in case of an empty tank. We boarded the speedboat which will bring us to the dive spot. We back rolled into the water and continued with our lessons. THIS IS WHERE THINGS GET SERIOUS! As I was descending into the sea, my ear was so painful. I kept equalizing my ear by pinching my nose and blowing hard, but the pain is still there. I thought my eardrum was going to tear. I saw all my friends descending to 18meters, as I was still at 6 meters. Luckily, a divemaster came to my aid. He guided me to equalize my ears. I blow as hard as I can and I hear a POP!! My ears were back to normal. If I can't continue this lesson, I would have failed my license, and all this would be a waste. THANK GOD...

Us being confused underwater

Once on the sea bed, we continued with our lesson. Fortunately, we had some time to spare, so we went for a little fun dive again. This time spotting some clownfishes, colorful fishes, and a baby stingray. After done with the dive, we resurfaced and went on the boat. We went to shore and ate some snacks. Then, my instructors talked about surface intervals, where we had to have a rest on the surface for at least an hour before the next dive. 

After resurfacing from the dive

Around 10am we were ready for our next dive. These last two dives will be a fun dive, we are all done with lessons. So, we will be visiting some beautiful dive spots. Once we dive in, my ears still hurt a little, but I managed to equalize my ears properly. We had a good dive, our instructors brought us to a part where there is current, so we didn't have to kick using our legs, the current just drifted us away. We managed to spot some interesting sea creatures and we ascended up and went back to shore for our lunch. 

Clownfish AKA Nemo, peeping from its home

After lunch, we chilled along the beach and took some pictures. Then just like that, it was time to dive for our final dive of the trip. We are so grateful to be diving in Bidong Island as it is not common for an average person to DIVE AND STAY in Bidong Island, only chosen people can do it. For instance, researchers, UMT students, and staff of the island. For our final dive, we went to the artificial coral area, there were bicycles, buses, and some Vietnam shipwrecks. That was the best dive ever, with such clear visibility at a depth of 18m. We resurfaced and headed to shore. We took our baths and ate our dinner prepared by the cooks at the Research Institute. 

Photo session in between lessons

After dinner, the instructors and divemasters called us to meet at the big hall. They had a surprise for us. It was a beautiful montage of us having our lessons underwater. It was too touching to see those memories I had with my friends who are also my classmates. After the montage, we played some games and had some chit-chat with our tutors. They gave us some advice on diving and encouraged us to dive more often. After that, we chilled on the beach before heading to bed. Tomorrow we have a boat at 12pm. 

Saturday

We woke up late on the last day. I totally slept like a baby. We packed our bag and headed down to the big hall. We gathered our bad and had our breakfast. After breakfast, we had a small "BEACH CLEAN UP'. As that area of the research institute belongs to UMT, we had to take responsibility to clean it up. It was to show some gratitude for the "free stay' at Bidong Island. 

Then after the clean-up, there a small closing ceremony. The participants were given certificates and approval that we had passed the license. Then, we took some pictures with our instructors and divemasters. 

A picture with our instructors and divemasters

The boat arrived around 1pm to pick us up. Once we got on the boat, it was a 40-minute ride back to the mainland. We landed at Dapo Pata, the same place we got up. My friends picked me up and I headed back to my room. 

I was too tired but I had to clean up all my equipment and clothes from the sand. My skin got darker as we were not allowed to put on sunscreen because it will damage the corals. Overall, it was a fun and memorable trip. I really needed this kind of vacation to get away from assignments, quizzes, and tests. 

That's all for now. See you all in the next post.