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It's been a while since my last update. Things have changed. I noticed myself slowing down more and more. When I look back at the start of my trip I was very eager to visit all the places along the way. I would fit as much as I could into my journey and when people would recommend somewhere to go, I'd go there. That changed. reading the lonely planet and talking to other travellers didn't really inspire me anymore. I didn't feel like travelling. I felt like slowing down, getting a sense of the place and how I can fit into it. I was in Ubud for a total of two weeks. I did explore Bali during a one week road trip and that was great mainly because of the people I was with and the locals we met. My time in Ubud consisted mostly of yoga and reading. And then drinking in the evenings.
The yoga did me a lot of good. The drinking is just an easy temptation when you have plenty of time on your hands. I slowed down so much that I felt I should start up again. But if travelling didn't inspire me, what would? I didn't view myself as a traveller anymore. Instead of travelling I was vagabonding. Going somewhere, just hang out, talk to people, keeping myself occupied just enough and then move on. Gili Trawangan was like that as well. Diving, partying, recovering and diving. That's how one week just flew by.
I met Scott, from Canada, and we both intended to de a liveaboard in Flores, the Komodo national park. And that is what we did. Seven days and six nights on a boad. Four dives a day. It was incredible. I dived a lot, saw a lot and learned even more. I had to deal with a panic diver and my rescue course kicked in. I remained calm, provided my fellow diver with her regulator which she had spit out and looked her in her eyes making the motion of breathing slowly with my hand. The dive master took over from there and took her back out of the water. The reason? Very strong current!
These were currents which demand negative entry. No time spent on the surface, just go straight to the bottom as soon as possible! The currents would take us for a ride and all we could do was avoid the rocks and coral. Or simply hold onto rocks to stay put. At one point I was holding on and currents were just blasting me, my mask vibrating on my face, my feet going every which way and the big rock I was holding onto even started moving as my body functioned as a sail.
It was scary and exhilarating. It was diving as I didn't know it existed. More as an extreme sport with adrenaline rush, than a relaxing underwater exploration. Holding onto a rock and looking behind me to determine which rock to grab next. I went through my air way to quick and got a headache from breathing too fast, but once I got out I loved how it made me feel and the consecutive current dives were very enjoyable and educating experiences.
What else happened? Well, I made a mistake and ended up drifting away too far and having to go up on someones secondary air, because mine was out. During one night dive the hose of my primary breather blew off and all I heard and felt was my tank running empty in record time behind my head. I was onto my buddy in no time though and got up safe and sound. And manta's. Oh man, the manta's...
I saw sharks and turtles and just about everything you want to see, but mostly I wanted to see manta's. They are magical creatures. The only manta I ever saw in the wild was six years ago while snorkeling in Australia. It was a small one, but I thought it a beautiful, graceful and alien creature. I wanted to see them while diving, but never had so far. Then one day they two small ones were above us and I saw their silhouettes underneath the sun in the murky water. Their elusiveness only added to their mystery.
Then we got to a place informally known as manta point. We did the dive site and went for about 20 minutes through strong current with just sand and every now and then a piece of coral. With each dive you are full of hope, but let go of expectations and desires. It is a good metaphor for life in general. Breathe slowly, stay calm and be aware of your surroundings. That way you get the most out of it. So I did not expect to see much, but then our dive master banged his tank and pointed... Manta ray! Two manta rays!
I grabbed a piece of rock and held on, sinking to the bottom, breathing slowly and observing as the manta passed overhead as it faded into the distance. This was amazing. My first real manta spotting. It was a huge and graceful creature, flying effortlessly against the current. Then; It turned around! I couldn't believe my luck. If flew right towards me, landing nearly ontop of me. It was a bit frightening even, since the experience was like nothing else I knew. I saw it so closeby and I felt very fortunate having had this encounter.
But this was only the beginning. I stayed down for at least another 40 minutes and the manta's just came passing by. I counted six at the same time. Someone who was further down managed to see twelve of them at the same time. I saw them from every angle and up close. I was just resting at the bottom and they didn't mind us being there. A 'wingspan' of nearly three meters and no further away from me than one or two meters. I could see right into their mouths, looking up, watching their fins and tails and huge body's, each distinctively unique in its markings and scars. I knew I would never forget this moment. I was in it fully and entirely. Nothing else remaining but the current, the ocean, the rocks and the manta rays.
After we came up we were all so excited, full of life. The master/instructor who worked on the boat for the last three months and in general worked in diving for eight years said this was one of the best dives of his life. One of the best manta dives ever. I don't have much to compare against, but I have no trouble believing it.
I learned more on this liveaboard than I would have learned in a hundred dives on Koh Toa. I witnessed and experienced so many aspects of diving, stress situations and sights that I don't know what's next for me in diving. One thing I do know is that I want to become a dive master myself, probably instructor as well. But not yet.
Next for me a is a stop in Malaysia and then I'll go to Cambodia to volunteer. This is something I intended to do when I left the Netherlands behind me and has been pulling me closer and closer. It feels right for me to do this now. It makes sense somehow.
It is good to have a goal I feel natural about. Life is all about experiencing and this is what I am doing. Everything is starting to make sense.
- comments
Eric Goed om weer wat van je te lezen. Mooi verhaal, gaat veel over duiken, maar dat schijnt je goed te bevallen :). Nu weer even wat rustiger aan dus? Groot gelijk, er is geen haast. Zoals ik blijf zeggen, geniet ervan! Groetjes vanuit het alweer afkoelende Nederland.
Marcel Wat een mooi verhaal wederom en wat een gave ervaring voor de rest van je leven! We missen je in ons team; eerst nog heel veel nieuwe mooie ervaringen opdoen voordat je daar weer aan gaat denken. Pas goed op jezelf!