June/July, 1998
No. 035/VI/98
cover story
After The Boom
What future is there for
Bali's modern theatre
scene?
Warung Society
Bali has its own history of
communal philosophising
and coffee-drinking
Renaissance
Twenty years of Bali's
Festival of the Arts
beyond
bali
Sumbawa's
Secrets
Photographs from
Kuang Amo
regular
features
Dangerous
Times
Orchestrating a
cremation in Ubud
Home Grown
A preview of
the Quicksilver Pro
Getting over a fear
of diving
Health and Beauty
Foreign aid for
optic
health
Books
The Painted Alphabet
reviewed
Food
Two boutique hotels,
two top chefs
Fiction
'Our Moon'
by Mas Ruscitadewi
advertising index for
Bali Echo web site
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Do you long to explore
Indonesia’s underwater world but are too scared to sign up for a dive course? Jaye
Wood spoke to Blue Marlin’s Helene Hansen on Gili Trawangan about how to overcome a
fear of diving and finally take the plunge..
I
want to learn to dive. Since Indonesia, Bali and the Gilis especially, are renowned the
world over for their amazing coral gardens, I know I will kick myself if I leave here
without a diving certificate and without in depth exploration of the teeming reefs that
hug the islands. But the thought of it kind of freaks me out and, as with most things that
create unrealistic levels of anxiety, I tend to approach with caution. I thought perhaps
it was a fear of water that I was dealing with, so I took to swimming pools and oceans. I
donned masks and fins to try to develop a sense of comfort in the water, a sense of
self-assurance and confidence in this environment. It’s been a first step. The second
step has been talking to divers who assure me of the ease of the sport and of the safety
of diving with reputed dive schools and qualified instructors. Recently I took a third
step and signed on for an introduction to diving course with the Blue Marlin Dive Center
in Gili Trawangan. As the day of the course approached I felt an increase in my level of
apprehension about this step. It was with a admittedly great sense of relief that I awoke
the day of the course with a recurring bout of stomach bacteria that kept me out of the
water. I figured I perhaps needed to take another cautionary step before actually taking
the plunge and settled down to talk to Helene Hansen, the dive instructor with Blue
Marlin.
"It’s
not a bad thing to have anxiety when it comes to diving," says Hansen, who has been
diving for four years and confesses to having been somewhat hesitant about it at first.
She nods in agreement when I suggest that a healthy level of anxiety can keep you on your
toes. Like many recreational sports, such as climbing or white water kayaking, which
involve a level of risk and require a minimum of technical ability, it is important to
know and respect your environment.
"With diving, you have to have an open mind, it has to be something you want to do, otherwise it is a different environment and there is always the fear that we shouldn’t be breathing underwater," she says. There are a few myths that tend to add to the anxiety, she says, but the only way of conquering the fear is to get into the water and try it. A common myth is that diving is a strenuous activity. Not so, says Hansen. Knowing how to swim is essential. You don’t have to be an Olympian, but a level of comfort in the water is necessary. In order to qualify for the dive courses a person must be able to swim a distance of 200 hundred meters and tread water for 10 minutes.
Once you have passed this preliminary test, as well as passed a basic health questionnaire, you are on your way. There are two options to proceed towards an appreciation of scuba: either a full PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) course, which usually runs about four days and costs about three hundred dollars; or the PADI-certified Discover Scuba course. The Discover Scuba is ideal for people who just aren’t sure. It is a brief introduction to the undersea world at a minimal cost that can allow you to test whether or not you feel ready to make the commitment to full certification. The Discover Scuba involves an introduction to the basic, but important, elements of diving: the water/pressure relationship, equalizing clearing the regulator and mask underwater. Following the theory, participants gear up and accompany an instructor for a 30-minute dive to a maximum depth of 12 meters. The Discover Scuba does not certify participants, but they receive a card that allows them to dive with a certified PADI organization within two weeks of taking the course. "People who are really nervous should first try the Discover Scuba," says Hansen. "It can save a lot of time and money."
To receive full PADI certification, which you are required to show any time you to want to rent equipment or join a fun dive, the four-day course is required. Theory is intensely studied and divers are taken to maximum depth of 18 meters in open water dives.
For
the truly cautious I asked Hansen what to look for in a dive school. Here she expressed
disbelief that in all her time as a diving instructor no one has ever asked her to produce
her instructor card. "It’s important to be critical. Rather than the safety
aspects a lot of people seem to be more concerned about finding the cheapest price."
Hansen advises people to ask questions and look for the organization’s PADI
certificate, which should be on display in the dive center. "Check out that the
equipment is well maintained, ask about emergency procedures, ask those ‘what
if’ questions." A real measure of the organization’s comitment to first aid
is whether they carry oxygen. "Oxygen is the only first aid for any diving related
injury," asserts Hansen, and whilst they have a their 100 percent safety record, Blue
Marlin carries a tank of pure oxygen with them on the boat for every dive.
Once
you’ve determined you’re ready, you’re mind is open and you have found the
school you feel confident about, then it’s time to take the plunge. If you do so in
the Gilis, the teeming waters of this national marine park will offer an abundant variety
of sights, including a stunning variety of tropical fish, white-tipped reef sharks,
remarkable blue coral and sea turtles.
Above:
Hansen in her Gili Trawangan dive shop.
Photos courtesy of Baruna Water Sports.
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