At the age of 12, I started diving. First, I got my "junior" certificate as I was too young for a normal open water certification. I am now a Master Scuba Diver. I have logged over 70 dives which seems nearly not enough. This year, is my 10 year diving anniversary (Yes! now you know how old I am) and it was Women's Dive Day (some time ago) so I thought it would be fitting to write about the love in my life.

If I am not mistaken, generally the 10th year is marked with tin or aluminum as it represents durability and flexibility needed to sustain a loving union. This cannot be truer, I could not love scuba diving more than I do right now.

I started because I loved the water and wanted to try all the sport activities related to it. I tried snorkeling, parasailing, paragliding, canoeing, kayaking, water polo rowing, sailing and even surfing! All of these have their own charm, but I fell in love with the peace and quiet that the beautiful marine life gave me.

I remember the first time I dove. I was in Thailand, and my brother was with me as well. The waters were so choppy, and due to motion sickness, both of us were miserable and constantly throwing up. Even though it was raining, thundering, and the boat was swaying, my instructor told me, "You will feel so much better when you are under water. It will settle down your stomach". Being an adventurous, skinny, and fearless kid, I decided to just go for it. Since I weighed less than 30kgs, I was wobbling and needed the very kind boatman to help me jump out of the ship.

Some people say descending into the ocean is the hardest part, due to equalization. But for me, holding on to the line and fighting the waves was the hardest part. Although I couldn't see any of the marine life, the sound of my own breath started relaxing me. Who knew that peace and quiet actually existed in this overly busy and overpopulated world full of traffic and noise? Soon I started seeing all kinds of fish surrounding my feet from clown fishes (popularly known called Nemo) to butterfly fish and puffer fish. They were as fascinated with me, as I was with them. They were coming up to my eyes and nose, some even pecking on the cuts on my legs. Here, my journey through the island of Koh Sakh began.

My world, then, felt complete. It was like I was waiting for this experience my whole life. And this didn't happen just this one time that I went diving, but every time I dive, wherever it is, good or bad, pretty or not. The world of silence, of blue and purple. Where the still motionless ocean has a whole world under it. Where there is no sky or ground. While drifting with the ocean current, you can see more colors than there are in the color palette. Where there is just you, your breathing, and your heartbeat. Where you feel alive.

Based on my experience, here are some tips for you:

1. Before going, DO YOUR RESEARCH

There are many times my dives have got canceled due to weather conditions. Do not go at a time of monsoons (rainy seasons). So, check the weather before you plan a trip.

2. COLD WATER VS. WARM WATER

YES! That is a thing. Cold water is in a place where the weather is colder, therefore the suits are thicker and heavier and you have to carry more weights to sink, due to the weight of the suit.

Cold water requires dry suits as they seal and have heavier insulating materials to keep dry and warm. In cold water, you have to cover almost all parts of your body. Therefore, you need more equipment, including gloves, masks, etc. Personally, I think cold water is a little harder to dive in than warm water.

Warm water is basically in tropical places, like South East Asia, Australia etc. (However, New Zealand is cold water as it is further south, away from the equator). So, in this case, you would need a wetsuit, as it lets water in and is used in warmer water temperatures.

3. DIVE CENTERS

There are many different certified dive centers and companies, so how do you choose the best one?

So, there are some answers. I am a completely loyal to PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors). So here is some information from them. Log onto www.padi.com and they can help you find dive shops, courses, plan a scuba vacation but they also have inspirational scuba stories of different divers. They are the biggest and most recognized dive certification agency in the world and started in 1966.

There is also something called http://www.scubaearth.com/. Where you can become a part of the scuba community. You can log your dives, find destinations, find some benefits and so much more. They also keep a track of all your certificate and dive buddies.

There are some other companies as well, and you can find them here.

4. PLAN YOUR TRIP - NO FLYING AFTER 12-18 HOURS OF DIVING

Remember to plan your trip well. Normally, it is recommended that you wait at least 12-18 hours minimum surface interval before diving. Here is why: ascending to an altitude immediately after diving causes a significant risk of decompression sickness. Flying immediately after increases this risk because of the decreasing atmospheric pressure as we ascend. When you are diving, you might have some tiny bubbles, which is not a problem, however, when you fly then those bubbles can expand and could cause the onset of DCS Symptoms.

SO, when planning, make sure you have some wiggle room!

5. Certifications

What are the different levels and certifications? And here is a table:

Just in case this article inspired you and you decide to get certified, just remember that when planning, make sure you check how many days it would take you to complete the course. For example, Discover Scuba you do not need any extra days but for Open Water Diver, I believe it takes 2-3 days as there is a pool class to learn the skills, watching videos and some tests. Yes, there is some studying involved.

Lastly, have fun!

If you have any fun pictures of videos you would like to share with me, just tag me on Instagram @mihika10 or hashtag- #checkoutmyscuba (a little lame, but the only one available for now!). Who knows? Maybe you will be featured next time!

Look out for more tips and a video for next week!

Thank you for reading <3