As many of you may know, I went away this weekend to Sodwana Bay. It was my first trip away from home with no sighted aid really coming with me. I packed my cane Ross, obviously as a form of assistance. I didn’t actually end up using it since I had some of the best people with me on the trip. Once I had met all who was going with on the weekend dive trip, I knew I was safe. From the second we pulled away from Reef Dive centre until we returned, we made some amazing memories to remember.

Now this weekend came with some unexpected surprises that were definitely welcome. The first day on the beach, I was surprised with my own Aqualung BC and regulator. Just saying they have one of the best high-quality dive equipment!  EVERYONE knew about it except me…. The same morning, I received the great news that I had been accepted to be an ambassadiver for PADI.

https://www.padi.com/ambassadivers

This day was certainly one that I don’t think will ever be topped. I got to test my new gear in the water and had some pretty extraordinary dives. I had the chance to spend the day with a great group of people and ended it off around the fire pit talking with everyone. It was totally magical.

I was blessed with two amazing buddy divers this weekend who had been doing a course through Reef Divers to able assist me. They were on their game the entire weekend and we made the best little crew. I would highly recommend Reef Divers as the one stop shop for anything scuba.  Each person playing a role in helping guide me under water and using the easy to remember hand signals that I could feel. My mind pieced each dive together as we went, each tactile signal, allowing me a deeper look on what was around me.  Along with our own secret tactile hand signal language I got to hear the amazing crackle sound of the living reef each time we entered the water. Considering I’m a person with major trust issues, I had no struggles when it came to trusting my dive buddies as well as our bubble of scuba divers.

Our weekend did come with its own challenges… replacing tyres of the bus to getting the stomach flu… I got the stomach bug and it seemed like that was the end of my diving weekend but luckily I was back to normal faster than I thought. I have to say that this must have been the most stressful part of the weekend but we thrived.

I’m really grateful to each person that was on this trip. Someone was always there to help or offer support. Hand out nausea tablets or make us laugh. It was like a strange little family for a couple of days and I got to make some awesome friends that I’m hoping I won’t lose soon.

Each dive came with its briefing and each time I got more and more excited to hear what we were going to see on the dive. As went through the briefing we would insure we had enough hand signals to cover each new sighting we would see. The briefings predicted the sightings of sea life such as Box fish, Porcupine fish, Stingrays, Turtles, Moray Eels and much, much more.  We did our dives through Triton Dive Lodge and they were super accommodating and helpful when it came to helping with my gear and all on and off the boat. Even the people from the lodge kind of become part of the group.

I honestly can’t wait for the next trip. I loved being independent once again over what I was doing in the water and I appreciated knowing that there was always someone to help me. It gave me the greatest feeling to be able to represent the disabled community again whilst diving when the skipper and dive master was shocked to see me help take the boat out and kitted up myself. It’s always the best when you can be apart of something that educates people to what is possible. Many people thought I was crazy going on this trip alone without a family member or friend that I was used to aiding me but I think it was a great idea. It helps push me to trusting people and they definitely didn’t let me down this time. It gave me a chance to a new experience and it was absolutely amazing.

P.S. mum, I know that you were totally freaking out when I didn’t have signal and you couldn’t get a hold of me but I came back in one piece and that is what I promised sooooo….. whenever the next trip is, I think there is a high chance of me going…. 

P.P.S  I think it’s safe to say that I am officially part of the scuba clan as not only have I become use to getting finned in the face but I was gifted a rope bangle.  According to my new buddy these bangles are tradition for scuba divers to collect in order to remember great dives or have a little quirky good luck charm. 

Below are two video’s from my weekend at Sodwana:)

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” –Jaques Cousteua…