beth_castroll
Contributor
Thanks to everyone for their encouragement and support.
Here is my blog on my first successful dive.
awake in the joy of knowledge that today is daylight savings and my vacation has been extended by an hour. And boy do I need it! After only getting 4 hours of sleep before flying home to Oakland from Maui I am exhausted. Happy, but exhausted, and I am looking forward to a day filled with naps to recover from a most amazing trip.
We landed in Maui on October 27th and just as we were picking up our luggage Tree Plant and Shawn Fierro landed completing our Rustic Cottage quartet. After a quick bite to eat we drove our premiocre Dodge Charger off to Bamboo Gate, the estate in Paia we rented with Alison and Dave Randle, Brian and Jen Butler, Mayor McYost, Michael Secret DEA Agent Spork Scott, Jennifer Gass, Eileen Snow, Arizona Steve, Patrick McCoy, and The Emersons, Chris, Kelly and Baby Amanda Lynn.
Turning in to the drive at 343 Hana Highway we punched in the secret code and the bamboo gates opened providing just a glimpse of paradise before us. Lush tropical gardens came into view as we drove to the parking area. Green grasses, palm trees swing in the breeze with ease, tangerine, banana, hibiscus and an avocado tree big enough to feed everyone guacamole for a year lined the driveway. It was better then expected. A tour of the grounds revealed outdoor showers, picnic tables around a bbq area complete with bathhouse, a split-level tree house, Jacuzzi, laundry and a tiki-torch lined pathway connecting it all. High fives all around.
Our quartet arrived 2 days before the rest of the tribe so we quickly made the most our stay by going to bed early for our Sunday adventures, but not before having visited the local boogie board beach and having Crispy Duck Salad for dinner at Café Mambo. Yum!
We woke up at 4:20 AM for our Sunday outings. Thats right, 4:20 am. Im not sure Ive ever gotten up that early and before the end of the trip I would have gotten up and/or gone to bed at that hour several more times. Tree and Shawn had planned for a day of snorkeling with the Pacific Whale Foundation, while Steve and I went with B&B Scuba to continue our efforts in SCUBA Certification.
Just a week before we had tried to get our certification in Monterey, California at Breakwater Beach, but between the 14mm of Neoprene I had to wear and 40 pounds of weigh on my hips so I would sink with the added buoyancy I just couldnt crawl out of the surf and failed my first opportunity at certification. Not only was I heart broken but had a week of anxiety to contend with before getting on the boat in Maui to try again.
The sun was rising as we left the dock and we got a briefing on the Molokini Crater where we would be doing the first dive of the day. The water was a bit rough as I did a giant stride off the boat into the waters below. The short swim over to the descending rope left me wholly out of breath and frankly panicked. Last weeks failed dive attempt left me badly shaken and as the dive shop owner tried to first coax then manhandle me under the waters surface I started to cry and called off the dive. This sport was just simply not for me.
Climbing back on the boat was a challenge. Although I was now wearing a 5mm wetsuit shorty and not the full 14mm from the week before and now 20 pounds lighter in weight I still couldnt muster up enough strength to climb the ladder and was slammed in to the boat repetitively before the captain finally pulled my gear off my back and I crawled to safety. Bruises quickly appeared across both thighs. Through tear soaked eyes I announced I was never doing that again.
Shortly after Brad, the owner of B&B SCUBA surfaced with Steve who had gone down below to continue his check out dives. Brad climbed on board and looked at me and said, That dive never happened. Clear it from your mental dive log and we took off for the second dive site. The whole trip over I cried on Steves shoulder and told him I was sorry. That he could dive all he wanted but I lacked the physical strength and wouldnt be diving in the future.
Arriving at the next site, 5 Graves, Brad asked, Beth are you ready? and strangely enough I said yes. I spent a whole month of Tuesdays and Thursdays training for this certification, both book work and pool work and if I didnt try at least one more time, could I really say I tried my best? I needed to be able to do this for me. I didnt think I could take another day of tears and failure.
Once again I took a giant stride off the side of the boat and plunged in to the calmer ocean while watching my mask and snorkel pop off my head. This wasnt working. Brad quickly retrieved it and fit it on my face while I tread water on the surface. Then we swam together over to the descend line where he wrapped his legs around me and proceeded to pull me under. At once I began to kick and freak out. Down I went below the waters surface and began to breathe. Breathe with ease and instinctively equalized the pressure in my ears as we descended just as I had learned in class. Soon we were swimming horizontally, perpendicular to the oceans floor. Hand and hand Brad and I glided through the real life aquarium. Fish and coral filled our view and then overhead swam a shadowy figure blocking the direct suns rays and as it descended the outline of a huge turtle swam into view. WOW! Smiling Brad let go of my hand. Training wheels removed I SCUBA dove on my own and I was elated. This was simply amazing.
Brad led, while Steve and I followed and we all toured a lava finger that housed formations and habitats for countless sea creatures. We even swam under a sunken arch before kneeling on the oceans floor to demonstrate a few skills. Regulator removal and retrieval and out of air emergency ascent procedures. Once back at the surface I felt an amazing amount of pride. I had completed my first dive and even though the whole future of diving seemed unnerving I had for a few minutes forgotten the fear and swam weightlessly in the ocean blue.
Later that day we celebrated with the hippies on Little Beach. On Sunday nights at sunset the nude beach in Makena hosts a drum circle and fire dancing, mostly locals. Walking across Big Beach you couldnt tell there was anything special going on. At the end of Big Beach is a lava wall you need to climb up and over. Just turning the crest of the wall we could hear the music. I turned to Steve, Tree and Shawn and said, These are our people and we walked down the step path to the beach toward the center ring around the drum circle.
There were people of all types on beach. Some naked, some clothed. There was a clear definition of hippie and tourist. Hippies and locals sat around the drummers on the rise on the bluff. Tourists sat in the outer rings and although we were white skinned tourists we put our towels down around the bronzed hippies. I kind of got the vibe from a couple behind us like who are these people and why are they invading this space?; Inquisitive yet not hostile.
Shortly after a woman came up to us and asked, Are you Alison. I said no, but took a shot in the dark and asked if she meant Alison Randle? Yes! Jumping up I asked if she was Eileen Snow our future roommate at Bamboo Gate. Indeed she was. Looking over her shoulder as I hugged her I could see the couple behind us smile and felt a collective sigh from the Locals and Hippies around the Drummers. We may have been pale in skin but we were true in heart and were what I felt was spiritually welcomed to sit and stay where we were because these were our people.
Hugs all around as we excitedly exchanged introductions and welcomed each other to Maui and spoke with great expectation of the upcoming Hot Buttered Rum shows later in the week.
We didnt make it to sunset being thoroughly tired from our day and as we drove back to Paia we were all completely satisfied with our first full day on the island.
