Okinawa-rama

Joe and I are now officially PADI certified as open water divers. We are now able to lug flippers, tanks, weights and all of the bulky accoutrements of diving onto our bodies and into the ocean depths. Saturday we began the ocean portion of our SCUBA training at Maeda Point at 6:30am. After donning our tanks and checking one another's gear for leaks, we trekked down 93 steps to the ocean below. Ahhh...It was a beautiful morning and the water was refreshing. Into the water, and down, down, down we went. It was amazing how much there was to see there. I saw a black and white sea snake, a disturbing-looking sea cucumber, HUGE angel fish, and all manner of tropical, colorful sea creatures. It was neat, like swimming through an aquarium. Getting out was much less fun though. Every part of your body and every piece of equipment on your body is suddenly extremely heavy (especially the weight belt, which happens to rest right on your bladder) and those 93 steps are like climbing Everest.

The next day, we did a boat dive and even did that thing you see in the movies where you fall backwards into the water headfirst! I'm so proud of myself! The water was extremely clear -- you could see over 100ft in ever direction. Joe was getting into it, poking and prodding about the rocks in full hunting mode. When we got back to the dive shop, he went and bought himself a spear gun.

Well, gotta get ready for bed.

-Kelly