My Thrilling First Scuba Diving Experience: Overcoming Fear Underwater

I remember during my first scuba diving experience I was half scared. The idea of leaving the world I knew and entering into something far mysterious and oblivious was undoubtedly scary. And the fact that every cry, every yell, was only going to be left unheard underwater, was, moreover, alarmingly daunting.

For the first 5 minutes of my scuba experience, I did not take my eyes off my instructor and the other two fellow divers. They seemed to be my only hope. But as I slowly sank down, listening to a louder ‘pop’ in my left ear, I began to take shape and coming into focus.

Nearly 12 metres down in the depths of the Arabian Sea, the life I saw, existing and moving was totally magical.

I remember I stopped breathing for a minute — not out of fear but sheer awe and wonder. The world slowed as I tried to savour every moment, remembering every detail.

Life underwater, as I explored during my scuba diving experience, was more beautiful than I imagined, and the tranquillity was far unparalleled – something that I never found even in the most isolated, most quarantined corners of the Himalayas.

In less than 40 minutes of our first dive, I was sure that this is more surreal than any city, any town, any sunset, I had ever seen in life.

I saw uncountable fishes dancing in their ever-impressive formation. Candy-hued coral swayed underneath like a colourful Monet. Crabs were crawling across the seafloor, as the colourful parrotfishes appeared, out of sudden, eating algae off of coral reefs.

Life underwater is beautiful. And the many nameless fish – both tiny and moderate in size, zigzagging their way around you, makes the entire scuba experience, even more magical, or fairy-tale-like, perhaps!

The discovery of a Pufferfish, who was almost ready to dispense her magic upon us, as I remember, was the highlight. At Suzy’s wreck – a 30 m long World War ruin, the sheer amount of wildlife present was incredible. The discoveries were endless.

I cannot recommend WestCoastAdventures more highly for this experience. What could have been very intimidating and panic-inducing situations, they made safe and fun. It felt like was diving with old friends.

One thing I particularly loved about them was that they took photos for me and gave it to me for free. Though I had my own Underwater Action Camera with me, it was wonderful to have photos of myself underwater when I was the one behind the lens. So next time you visit Goa (I am sure you’re planning a trip around New Year) get thyself a little deeper than the shallow Goa beaches and experience something new.