Ever since we got back from Beqa we have found ourselves talking about our diving experience to anyone that would listen! I had always wanted to get certified but get kept putting it off because I was too busy with work, travel and just being making excuses really. When COVID19 happened, I found myself stuck with a lot of time on my hands and decided now is the time to tick things off my list.
Businesses and the tourism sector are now offering local deals for us to take advantage of. It’s a win win situation for both sides really. So the time was right to take advantage of diving!
Lisa and Ariela are certified advance divers and always encouraged me and others to consider getting certified. The time was right, so Shane and I decided to buddy up and take on diving.
One recommendation from Lisa and Ariela was how necessary it was to learn from an excellent dive shop and Beqa Lagoon Resort has the best. They are a PADI 5-star instructor development centre and are Scuba Diving magazine top 2020 readers’ choice awards top dive resort with 100 unique dive sites.
We stayed at Beqa Lagoon Resort and got straight into our classes with Kelly our dive master. Shane and I as beginners, were nervous at first but once we got into learning and the pool sessions, we were eager to master diving techniques. Mastering the techniques of diving requires all attention and focus. We were being our usual selfs and had fun at the same time (in all seriousness!).
Kelly is an amazing instructor, confident and easy to understand. Our nervousness did not affect him but rather he continued to teach us with confidence and encouragement. We did 2 reef dives putting into practise what we had learned in the pool sessions. It was pretty fun!
The next day we did the open water dives. I was so nervous that I felt like throwing up! I was shaking when it was my turn to step off the boat. Finally, we stepped off the boat and we started our descent, and we were amazed with what all we got to see. Sharks swimming around minding their own business, an array of colourful fish in chaos, a giant grouper hovering, a turtle and beautiful coral and just too many pretty sea creatures. This first dive site is called the cathedral and it is beautiful! We enjoyed it so much that we wished we could stay down for longer but alas the oxygen tank has its limit!
If you have been wanting to go diving but are nervous, Beqa Dive shop at the Beqa Lagoon resort is where you need to go. The team at the dive shop are awesome, pay attention to details and safety, teach you with patience and make sure that you have an enjoyable time. They are professionals.
After our dive, we were all talking about how our Blue Pacific region is 98 per cent ocean and we are custodians of 20 per cent of the world’s exclusive economic zones. Which is incredible, but also, we noted that we only have a handful of locals that dive and explore the world that exists in the deep blue sea. We attract more tourists that come to dive in our waters.
I can understand that diving costs are not cheap, but perhaps now is the time to take advantage of locals rates. I have had interesting conversations with individuals that are keen to get their PADI certification, which is exciting to know!
We hope, that soon we will be able to establish a local community of divers or be part of one that exists. This is our ocean and we should be proud to know and see this beautiful deep blue world.
If you want to know more about diving, we are more than happy to meet with you and share our experience firsthand should this blog post not be enough.
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