Scuba Lesson

Those of you who are my facebook friends (and if not, WHY not?) will remember my encounter/sign with a woman outside a tattoo shop. I've recently been working with Baron Samedi and Maman Brigitte for Fet Ghede, and also LaSirene for the upcoming scuba lesson. The woman at the shop had a fresh tattoo of, not just a mermaid, a Skeleton mermaid! It was an interesting combination, one I had not thought of.

I talked to the scuba instructor a few days before the class and he said I was the only one signed up for it. Cool, individual attention! When I arrived at the pool in the morning, there was a young couple there as well. Oh well, it was supposed to be a group class... But when he tested the equipment, the instructor realized one of the regulators was not working properly, so he would only be able to teach two at a time.

The other thing I should mention, the last time I tried snorkeling was 20 years ago, on a Zodiac raft tour, where they pull out a load of masks and snorkels and had us grab them and go. The mask I got was so ill-fitting that, at the first opportunity, it would fill up with water and I had a panic reaction to that. I ended up floating along on a kickboard using the mask as a view-box, and wasn't excited about the idea of trying snorkeling again.

Back to the lesson—with only two regulators available, I suggested the couple go first and I used the time to get used to the mask. It worked very well this time, what a difference it makes of a couple decades of technological improvements and assistance in choosing one that fits! Not only did I have an hour to practice with the mask and a snorkel, I was also able to observe the lesson, which was mostly underwater.

Once the couple was finished, I ended up getting the private lesson after all. Many thanks to Papa Legba for arranging this! And thanks to LaSirene for this new introduction into her realm!

The lesson itself was wonderful. Once underwater, although there is still much to see and feel, it's also a lot of sensory deprivation—and a heightened awareness of what I could sense. Besides the breathing and some safety skills, we also swam to the bottom of the deep end and worked with buoyancy. I started to understand what fish do. More specifically, as a beginner, I could relate to the aquarium fish with injuries that impair their depth control. And no panicking on my part!

I can understand what I need to learn and practice, and hope I'll be able to take the open water class soon.

A note regarding service to LaSirene, which is mentioned in her Aquamarine Shoals Blue Bath Kit^TM: Do Not put your head underwater. So while scuba, snorkeling or swimming we can honor LaSirene, just don't make it part of a formal ritual.  ;-)

Love, Khouzhan Lucy
www.spellmaker.com