Dare to find the courage and take a deep dive into your soul. Don’t be scared. Take life lightly and dive into the open sea, no matter whether swimming is one of your strengths or not, do not be afraid to ask for help.
When suddenly at some point I felt ready for the deep dive, I was lucky to receive that last push and support/encouragement from a certified rescue diver.
Quiet, calm, lost in his own thoughts, he looked so content. I could see in his eyes a feeling of certainty, a feeling of being grateful for his successes in rescue diving, a feeling that he could achieve everything. He talked to me about diving, about the beautiful moments he had the chance to experience while being underneath sea level, he talked to me about the marvelous marine life, the unique creatures which he met while being at 40 meters below sea level. He talked to me about the tranquility he felt in the moments where the only sound he could hear was that of the breathing regulator.
A week later, I had decided to embark on my first dive.
As soon as I arrived at the Dive Center, I saw only happy faces, people smiling and people with amazing positive energy who were all ready to take on Porto Ennia seabed.
It was on that day that I realized how big the impact of each of the divers for the whole diving community is. It all lies on the diver’s smile, good vibes and willingness to have fun, have a good time. Nobody amongst this community would judge anyone’s sex orientation, age, characteristics and sexual preferences. Nothing creates seconds thoughts here. What matters is the diver. I felt like those people were suddenly part of my family, people whom I trusted to take care of my life and I took care of theirs while being underwater. And just like that, within a few moments, strong friendships had formed, it was not the numerous years we would have spent together that was uniting us as I only met them for a couple of hours, but it was the strong sense of life and survival that connected us immediately and strongly.
During my first dive, I remember seeing the sunlight being reflected upon the marine life creating such beautiful views, suddenly the landscape seemed so much beautiful, my thoughts had quieted and I was feeling so ready to kick off my day. By the time I emerged from sea bottom onto the surface, I was asked to describe my feelings and all I responded:
From that day onwards, I never stopped diving, diving into my inner self, diving into my soul. I never stopped gifting this experience and feeling to myself while at the same time always keeping the promise I made to my rescue diver at that first time: never forget that fulfilling smile I had on my face in Porto Ennia.
Guest Author: Alina Kalogridi
