PADI EXPERIENCES: Roberta's PADI Open Water Diver diving course
My PADI Open Water Diver experience starts March 16th‚ 2020 when for my graduation‚ my mom gave me her gift: a voucher for the PADI Open Water Diver course at Evasioni Blu Diving‚ a PADI 5 Star IDC resort in Ustica. “What an unusual gift” is what perhaps everyone thought. “What a wonderful gift!” was what I thought‚ my heart already filled with emotion and enthusiasm!
It had always been a great desire of mine to be able to go underwater and scuba dive. Crazy with joy I went to buy my diving equipment: wetsuit‚ fins‚ boots‚ regulator‚ everything I needed even before actually starting my dive course. But I already knew that I was going to love diving.
Due to the lockdown I had to remain patient and wait to start my diving course‚ but a few months later‚ I finally could go to Ustica. I immediately went to my PADI dive center‚ Evasioni Blu Diving and met the staff. They all had that contagious smile that happy people have; That smile that only contact with nature and the sea can give you; That smile that makes you want to stay and never leave them. I felt like it was my first day of school. When I was handed the PADI Open Water Diver manual to study diving theory‚ I remember starting to read and scan through the various chapters on my way home. I took that dive theory study very seriously. I underlined‚ transcribed and repeated and on appointments at the diving center in Ustica my PADI instructor corrected the knowledge reviews and quizzes with me.
But let';;;;;;;;;;;;;s get to the most important moment of my PADI Open Water Diver course: my first practical lesson! I remember the excitement of my first dive; My first back-roll water entry from the diving zodiac. We were at Punta Galera‚ in my opinion‚ one of the most beautiful dive sites of Ustica. Being a lover of "extreme" sports‚ no one understood why I was so agitated. That was pure emotion! I felt the emotion everywhere‚ in my feet‚ in my legs‚ in my hands‚ in my belly. And then I laughed‚ I laughed a lot and constantly asked if I could dive in‚ but then I hesitated and I didn';;;;;;;;;;;;;t. Then suddenly: palm of my hand on my regulator‚ fingers on my diving mask and… I jumped... INTO THE BLUE!
My PADI instructor Rino and I began our dives in confined water; Shallow and calm waters‚ learning and repeating all diving skills of the PADI Open Water Diver course. Clearing a diving mask‚ removing and replacing my mask‚ regulator recovery‚ removing the scuba unit underwater‚ using the diving compass and dive computer‚ aiding a tired diver‚ etc. Rino‚ as well as the rest of the diving staff‚ was always taking care of me. He made sure I was okay‚ focused and in a good mood. He knew if a dive skill preoccupied me and calmly‚ he made me try it several times‚ first on the surface and then in shallow water‚ until I felt confident. I remember I felt a bit unsure about removing my diving mask during a dive. Thanks to the way Rino briefed me about the dive skill‚ the way he explained the exercise and his patience‚ I did the dive skill right away even got a high-five underwater! After finishing practicing all the diving skills of our lesson of the PADI Open Water Diver course‚ came the best part: the underwater tour of the dive site! Just a short dive in a limited area‚ but the wonderful creatures already there were so many! Shells‚ starfish‚ sea urchins and many damselfish. The water was so clear that‚ even if the marine life was far away‚ it seemed you could touch it.
As the days went by‚ the desire to dive became greater and greater and as I woke up in the morning‚ I couldn';;;;;;;;;;;;;t wait to get on the diving zodiac and leave for a new wonderful lesson of my diving course. So‚ after the confined water lessons of my PADI Open Water Diver course‚ we started the open water lessons. During these lessons of the PADI Open Water Diver in open water‚ we repeated the diving skills I had learned during the confined water lessons. During these dives‚ Rino checked whether I mastered all the diving skills needed and made sure I behaved as a safe and responsible diver. We were in deeper waters‚ sometimes subject to a bit of current‚ sometimes a bit choppy; my first actual dives! During these dives I could admire the beauty‚ the calm‚ the freedom. I felt closer to understanding what all divers felt like when going scuba diving‚ when exploring new dive sites every morning. The open water lessons of my PADI Open Water Diver course brought me closer and closer to that blue. That blue that entered my heart and that made me come out of the water with the desire to go back underwater again as soon as possible. “The more dives you do‚ the more dives you want to do‚” they once told me. They were right. I believe that that is exactly what scuba diving is about.
The open water lessons of my PADI Open Water Diver course also came to an end‚ and finally‚ after passing my final exam‚ I officially obtained my diving certification. Finally‚ I was a PADI Open Water Diver‚ thanks to Rino‚ Esther and all the staff of Evasioni Blu Diving in Ustica.
But the story doesn';;;;;;;;;;;;t end here. Rather‚ the diving fun had just begun! On the daily dive schedule appeared my name almost every day; Every day I went diving with Evasioni Blu Diving to discover all of the wonderful dive sites of Ustica: the famous Scoglio del Medico‚ a dive site known by many divers for its canyons and underwater passages; the Secca della Colombara with its submerged wreck‚ barracudas and large amberjacks; the cave dive of Pastizza and many others. My absolute favorite dive site remained the dive site where it all started: Punta Galera. The welcoming Neptune grass meadows‚ the deep turquoise of the Mediterranean Sea and the wonderful colored reef full of sea life where schools of barracuda swirl around you‚ amberjacks completely unafraid pass you by‚ giant dusky groupers curiously look at you‚ hidden nudibranchs and curtains of damselfish embrace you and accompany you during your dive. All this in a clean transparent sea like only a Marine Protected Area of Ustica can give you.
The island of Ustica‚ it’s friendly people‚ it’s pristine nature‚ majestic panorama’s and interesting stories that tell its past. Thanks to Evasioni Blu Diving and my PADI Open Water Diver course‚ I discovered the true beauty of the Mediterranean Sea‚ of the island of Ustica and its Marine Protected Area. I got to know a diving community made up of friendly‚ welcoming‚ kind people‚ many of them now my dear friends. But above all‚ I discovered that underwater‚ you can laugh. You can laugh a lot!!!
Roberta Nicosia
26 years old
ACSI acrobatic instructor
Palermo‚ Sicily
