In honor of my 29th birthday I decided to get SCUBA certified.  This has been on my mind for awhile, especially ever since I began my travels around SE Asia and heard that Thailand was one of the best and most affordable places to get certified.  Feeling nervous, I swished the idea around in my mind for 6 months until I finally pulled the plug.

I made my way to Koh Tao, which is a popular place to get certified for good reasons. The island is full of dive centers and since there are so many, standards are high and competition is fierce. The island is also surrounded by beautiful coral reefs.  I booked with Mojo Divers thanks to a friend’s recommendation and because of their small class size.

Early morning on Koh Tao

On Day 1 of water training, we started in about 1 meter of water.  Despite being in such shallow water, I panicked a little. We were practicing to breath underwater and doing some techniques like mask removal. I tried to focus on breathing steadily but the thought of taking a big inhalation of regular air above the water was tempting. I considered aborting the training session to get my desired air, but I knew once I went deeper this wouldn’t be an option. I fought the temptation and stayed put.

Later, we swam to about 3 meters deep for some more exercises. This time I looked around in awe. The water was so clear, the white sandy bottom was glistening- it was breathtaking. My mind and body began to ease. I realized how incredible this was- breathing underwater! I suddenly felt free.  

By the end of Day 2, I felt more comfortable operating the equipment and maintaining a steady breath. After two dives of 10 meters, I was hooked.  I couldn’t wait for our next dive and that day I decided to sign up for my Advanced Certification, which means I could dive to a maximum depth of 30 meters (nearly 100 feet).

At the end of Day 3, my group and I were officially Open Water Certified. Mojo Divers filmed us on our last two dives and edited together this rad video of us. On our first dive, we had a rare sighting: a group of 5 Cobias, which look like small black sharks and are highlighted in the video. Also, once underwater, we all look similar in our SCUBA gear so I’m usually the one directly behind the instructor who leads the way :)

Day 4 and 5 was my Advanced Certification where I learned how to use a compass underwater, use a dive computer, and practice buoyancy control.  We also went on a night dive followed by the grand finale: diving to 30 meters on my last two dives- my deepest yet!

I brought my GoPro with me on my last two dives and captured my first deep underwater scenes (shots below).  Throughout the week, I saw all kinds of fish including giant groupers, a school of barracudas, sting rays, and eels. My favorite moment was on my last dive when I suddenly became surrounded by a massive school of Fusilier fish- literally thousands of fish swimming all around me, staring at me as I stared back at them. I was completely transfixed - it was absolutely stunning.

I never knew how much I’d love diving. When I’m underwater, I think about nothing else in the world.  I am completely absorbed in my surroundings and fascinated by everything around me that’s constantly moving, constantly changing.  To anyone who is the slightest bit interested in getting certified, or at least trying it, I say go for it.  It’s a whole other world down there- a world that makes up most of our Earth- that’s 100% worth exploring.   

I felt so much love from across the globe receiving this surprise video on my birthday.  After 6 months of being away from home, this put the biggest smile on my face (and a few tears). 

Huge thanks to friends and family who gave a shout out and special thanks to my inspiring, incredibly thoughtful and talented friend Ali Baruck for creating such a moving piece, a “digital hug” as her and her fiancé like to call it. This completely made my day and was the best gift a wandering girl like me could get. I’m a lucky lady.

Most of my days on the island are spent volunteering at the resort, but during my spare time, I make it my mission to go beyond the beaches and check out the local life here.  

So after lunch one day, Jay and I stopped by the only school on Koh Phayam and I hopped off my scooter to take some pictures. As I approached the playground where some kids were hanging out, a couple of girls immediately took interest in my camera. They didn’t want to just pose for the photos, they wanted to take them.  

Star, on the left, and her friend Mai

I set my camera to Auto Mode and wrapped the camera strap around Star, a 6 year old girl who spoke English and Thai fluently.  I showed her how to take a photo and after a few snaps, her face lit up.  “I love this!” she shouted, peering up at me then taking my photo. So I let her roam around and snap away (keeping a careful eye on my Fujifilm). Feeling a tad jealous that I didn’t have my camera, I pulled out my iPhone to capture the action.

Star in action

Star seeking her next shot

I was so impressed by some of her shots that I felt compelled to share them here. I even made one of them my Instagram profile picture. It was also fascinating to see the photographs from her perspective- a solid 2 feet shorter than me. 

She either got lucky or she’s a natural. I like to think the latter :)

(all photos are unedited and shot by Star unless otherwise noted) 

Modeling for the camera (shot on my iPhone); pictured below is the shot Star took

Jay taking pictures of Star taking pictures

Little Star, shot by Mai