Swim and Dive

Reminiscence: On my first day at the current company, my ex-colleagues had been caring to me. I've developed a habit of always texting those who start their new life/job at a new place. During today's lunch, we called YH, turned to speaker mode and talked. I remember in the past, those few caring questions/statements made me almost dropped my tears. She's obviously much stronger than me.

After I wrote the previous post and mentioned about the wish to scuba-dive, some colleagues who are thinking the same shared their plans with me.

Then, we started to search information about the centers and places offering diving course or package (course + trip to island), as well as comparing what they offer and what are on our own expenses etc. Everything was going on well. There are at least 4 of us who are keen on getting licensed!

I also consulted my just-left senior, YH, coz she has got hers last year.

Many years ago, I've made sure that in order to dive, it's okay if you do not know how to swim. I'm so concerned about this coz I cannot swim. The more appropriate of saying should be, I'm not much exposed to this activity.


If memory serves me right, the first and also the last time I swam, was at the age of around 5 (my mum should know this better, I think). It took place in Penang, at the swimming pool at the high-class condo of my aunt's Japanese friend, whose name is Yoko Kami.

After that day's swim, I fell sick. Therefore, in the future, I never ever think of swimming again. In addition, since young, all the sports I was involved in were related to balls - basketball, volleyball, netball, badminton, ping pong etc. All sweating sports.

Me, as a Virgo, never like beaches, coz I feel they are dirty. The same perception goes to swimming pools.

The few years in Australia changed me a lot. In Fraser Island, that was the first time I realized, I could love sand and sea. I became tempted to yatch (haven't tried yet) and scuba-dive. I'm curious to see and know the sea, the underwater world.

Cairns and the Barrier Reef have always been the prioritized to-go places in my mind. However, I told myself, I must get a diver license beforehand. Else, it's meaningless going there.

Just now, I rang my ex-colleague's (CKLau) friend, Jimmy, who is doing chalet and diving business at Perhentian Island. He told me quite a lot of things during the 21.5 minutes conversation. After hanging up, I started to slowly digest what he told me. Then, I really wondered, if I should just give up.

When you say non-swimmer, do you mean totally unable to swim, or able to dog-paddle from one end of the pool to the other, but not a competent swimmer? Also - we find that some people who do not swim, are quite happy to don a mask and snorkel and be able to stay afloat on the surface while snorkeling. If your non-swimmer falls under these two categories, yes, we do accept them for the open water course!

You need not know how to swim as long as you know how to snorkel.

The above sayings made me so enthusiastic before.

However, everything turns dark after the phone call.

Jimmy told me, assume you have no problem in getting the license. However, in order to dive, you need to go to the sea by boat. And divers do not go to sea with life-jacket. Diving can be a very safe activity, but it can also be an extremely dangerous one.

Imagine that one day, something happens to the boat you take to the diving site, then how do you handle by not knowing how to swim?

He's quite right also. I also don't know how to handle. Maybe I can just accept it's time for me to go to another world.

You may say, someone might save me. But "to be wise", we assume the worst case.

Now, I'm really wondering, if I should just give up?

It's a sad thing to delete an item which has stayed long on my to-do list. Although sometimes I'm pressured with the getting increase to-dos, I never wish to remove any of them.

Yes. You can say say I'm greedy.

This is where the greediness leads me.