the year i melted: Trying Not to Drown

My first morning in Lovina came with the usual complimentary banana pancake breakfast. I've never liked bananas before. I don't like bananas that much now. However, during this holiday, bananas were just what the doctor ordered. Soon after breakfast, the dive shuttle bus picked me up to head out to Menjangan Island, out in West Bali, for the scuba diving trip. Unfortunately, this ride did not allow Megan O'Reilly, world renowned singer, to have an encore, but I digress.

Sunrise glow over some rice paddies

There were six of us in my dive group and two instructors. During the boat ride out we were given a brief introduction to diving, quickly suited up, and fell backwards off the boat to either sink or swim. If you think this sounds scary, you are incorrect because IT WAS TERRIFYING. My first attempt at scuba diving was not successful for a few reasons:

Reason #1: People aren't supposed to breathe underwater. Period.

Reason #2: You can only breathe through your mouth. Weird.

Reason #3: Shallow breaths are the norm. Even weirder.

As a result of the combination of these reasons, I have now discovered that if I got to choose how to die, drowning would be last on the list. Set me on fire, hit me with a train, or set me on fire and then hit me with a train, but please don't let me drown.

Who knew there was water this clear?

I spent the next hour or so snorkeling and marveling at the aquatic life around the island. If reincarnation is possible, I would totally love to come back as a fish. Fish are cool. Anyways, it was soon time for lunch and then back into the water for Round 2 of trying not to drown. SUCCESS!

SCUBA DIVING IS AMAZING!!

Once I got over the initial terror of my brain thinking I was going to drown, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the marine life thriving around me and quietly hummed The Little Mermaid's "Under the Sea". I had paid the extra money to use an underwater camera and here are the best in show.