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Friday, March 25, 2005

A Whole New World 

We went scuba diving in the Red Sea last weekend. Shane went off to explore a shipwreck but I was busy doing my first and second training dives in order to get my scuba license. I'm sure it wasn't as amazing as exploring a shipwreck at 3o meters but it sure was beautiful. The visibility was amazing (even despite some heavy waves at the surface), and the aquatic life was phenominal. There were parrot fish, puffers, angel fish, scary looking chicken fish and I even saw an eel and a baracuda. It was so relaxing to swim among the coral and the fish and just listen to your breath entering your lungs and bubbling out. I felt like I was on another planet.

It wasn't all soothing of course. I had to perform all sorts of skills, take my mask off underwater, throw out my mouthpiece and retrieve it, buddy breathe, drop my weights and emergency ascent, etc. but it still so much fun.

I was humbled on land. As I stood on the shore of Aqaba, Jordan, and look out over the vast Red Sea I could see the coastlines of Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia all on the same horizon. I never in my life thought I would see all of those countries with my own eyes.

I only have one training dive left to go and a written exam and then I will have my license. Even though Jordan is one of the most inexpensive places to get your license, it is still not cheap. But once you have it you can dive anywhere for the rest of your life. Not a bad deal if you ask me. Our next stop is Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. It is still the Red Sea but they are supposed to have some of the most beautiful reefs in the world.

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