Nephew Tries Joys of Scuba Diving

We took our nephew Lukáš for an evening dive to Goat island. It was his first time for anything SCUBA-related. First time wearing a tank on his back, first time breathing underwater, first time adjusting buoyancy with the inflator, first time equalising pressure in his ears.v We made sure he felt comfortable, even though there was some swell on the surface.

We entered into the shallow water, checked his buoyancy and descended to the sandy bottom. Almost immediately we were met by a small eagle ray. It was scared, but also curious. After swimming away from us for a while it turned back and watched us from the side with one eye. Then it left for good.

We had a lot of fun with a large group of snappers. My son Adam presented a large sea urchin to them which got them very excited. We did not feed them, it is not allowed in marine reserves anyway. He was just holding the urchin in front of them which was enough to get them going.

Scuba diving is sometimes described as a dangerous and overly technical activity. Yet, under the right conditions, even the first dive can feel easy and simple.