A Terrifying Scuba Diving Experience-Personal Narrative

441 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Scuba diving writing

A Terrifying Scuba Diving Experience-Personal Narrative

Scuba diving is something my dad loves to do, I like it to. It was no small suprise when my dad took me on a scuba trip the summer I got my scuba certification, I was 12. We went to Cozumel Mexico, and in case you did not know this is considered the "diving capitol of the world". The only problem is that a lack of experience in any field, no matter how pretty the view is, can be terrifying.

The dive itself was a easy drift dive (I say easy 4 years and 30 dives later) all you have to do was go down drift along look at the pretty fish and enjoy the ride while the boat hovers along above. This was no problem for the other people, as they got down. I on the other hand I had a head cold.

[Before you can understand what this means you must first understand some basic principals. Water is heavier than air. The space inside your middle ear is filled with air, under normal conditions air flows slowly between your middle ear and pharynx, through your Eustachian tube. This movement of air equalizes pressure between you middle ear (tympanic cavity) and the atmosphere. As water is heavier than air, the pressure change is also "heavier", meaning that above the water you can ascend or descend hundreds of feet before the pressure change becomes noticeable. Under the water however the change is much more dramatic, (this is rough and the figure changes as you get deeper or shallower) ergo, 500' in the air is equivalent to the pressure change of 20' in the water. Now, add on to this equation a head cold (the Eustachian tube is clogged with mucus) and the fact that I am a 12 year old inexperienced diver.]

I got down all right, just like everyone else. For the first 50'. I realized then that I could not equalize and there for could not descend further withought pain or serious ear damage. Picture me hanging there arms out like a sky diver looking down at the other people 50' below me, the boat 50' above me. It could have been the greatest thrill of my life flying along underwater, letting the current push me steadily along looking at the mountains of coral below me, sun glinting along the water surface above me.

Show More
Related

  • The Difference in Limpet Frequency in Different Microhabitats at the Middle Shore

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    Deep water and strong currents could lead to drowning. - stay away from the sea.

    Read More

  • BPPV (Benign Proximal Positional Vertigo)

    3359 Words  | 7 Pages

    ...pation diving can cause disorientation under water due to acute vertigo. Due to the occupational consequences of BPPV, a person may be forced to take large periods of sick leave or eventually leave work. Due to fear of an episode and associated symptoms, socialising and engaging in recreational activities may be restricted. Some people may tend to avoid driving due to fear of a vertigo episode which could cause them to lose concentration and becoming disorientated and lose control. Also, people who do drive may not turn their head to check for blind-spots due to a possible positional trigger of vertigo. This puts one at risk of causing an accident. In severe cases, the adverse effects and abovementioned consequences can lead to depression. It is important to note any psychological consequences of a BPPV and make the necessary referral to a psychologist (Tusa, 2010).

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative-My Trip To Hawaii

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    I smiled to myself and decided that I would go join in. With that, I took a huge deep breath and jumped into the salty water. The water was cool and refreshing; I felt it slide through my hair making it sway in the water. I swam deeper and deeper into the deep blue water. Sunlight streamed through it, lighting up the water around me turning it to gold. I kicked harder and I felt my muscles surge with strength and I pushed further. My lunges began to burn for the need of oxygen, but I refused to go up. I repeatedly told myself just a little bit longer. Until I was unable to proceed anymore without more air in my lungs, I swam to the top of the water taking a huge breaths, filling my lungs with air. I could then taste the salty water as it ran down my face and dripped over my lips. Just then I thought, I will never forget this moment, this place, or the experiences I felt while visiting

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Peter Maas 'The Terrible Hours'

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    Together they created a plan to lower a chamber down to Squalus, latch onto it, and transport sailors back to the surface. Temporary communications over an anchor took place: men inside Squalus took hammers to pound out Morse code through the water, which transmitted to ships above. Anxious families waited for news of loved ones, which did not arrive for several days. Within the submarine, concerns were rising as temperatures were rapidly dropping to arctic levels. Oxygen was running low. Divers were sent down to monitor the rescue chamber, which successfully brought three groups of men to safety, to the surface, and to great relief. However, the fourth and last trip of the rescue chamber was not nearly so successful. Steel cords snapped until one was left. The ten men aboard managed to slowly, over the course of four hours, travel upwards by carefully balancing internal air pressure with water pressure, air pressure with water pressure, until at last they reached the surface. Overjoyed families reunited with their loved ones, almost forty hours after the dive of

    Read More

  • How To Blue-Footed Boobies Are Carnivores?

    96 Words  | 1 Pages

    dive into the water from as high as 80 feet, and can hit the water going as fast as 60

    Read More

  • The Mammalian Diving Reflex

    1762 Words  | 4 Pages

    Human Diving Response. Department of Biology, saint Louis University. Retrieved from starklab.slu.edu/PhysioLab/Diving.htm. April 18, 2011.

    Read More

  • Physical Fitness and Diving

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    Diving has gotten away from the stereotype based on the early days of diving, that it is a rough and tough sport requiring extreme endurance and strength. Today it is viewed as an activity done by both men and women and even children. While diving is promoted as a leisure sport, it is still a sport. One that takes an amount of physical activity. We start by carrying heavy tanks on our backs. We are in constant motion for the entire dive. Even breathing is a more difficult as we must overcome the additional pressure on our body as we expand our chest.

    Read More

  • Embracing the Thrill: My Cliff Diving Adventure

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    I am adventurous. No I don't sky dive, wrestle crocodiles, or swim with sharks, but when asked by a group of friends to go cliff diving last summer, my best response was, “Sounds like fun!” I had never been afraid of heights yet have never experienced the thrill of cliff diving. All I could ask myself was, “What could go wrong?”

    Read More

  • Near-Drowning in Pediatric Patients

    2212 Words  | 5 Pages

    There are an estimated 8,000 deaths per year in the United States from drowning. Near-drowning occurs anywhere from 2-20 times more frequently (for estimated 16,000-160,000 events per year)7. The definitions for drowning and near-drowning have for the longest time been very confusing to understand. Recent health officials have attempted to resolve some of this confusion by redefining drowning as “the process of experiencing respiratory insufficiency or difficulty following a submersion or immersion in a body of liquid.” Near-drowning has also been redefined as “survival from a drowning event which involved impaired consciousness or water inhalation for 24 hours or more”2. Both near drowning and near-drowning occur when someone experiences a submersion event. A submersion event is when someone, in this case a pediatric patient, experiences an unexpected submersion in water. When an unexpected submersion, regardless of water type (salt or fresh) occurs, the individual experiences breath hold, panic, and a struggle to resurface1. Humans, naturally, can only hold their breath for a short period of time. This prolonged breath hold results in hypoxia and eventually leads to involuntary gasping. As the individual attempts to gasp for air they sometimes aspirate7. This paper will attempt to look at the clinical presentation of a near-drowning patient who has suffered from a submersion event.

    Read More

  • Scuba Diving

    1556 Words  | 4 Pages

    “People have been diving ever since primitive man was forced to collect food from the sea,” says HawaiiScubaDiving.com (“History of Scuba Diving”, HawaiiScubaDiving.com Internet). Man has always been curious about the underwater world and has sought to explore it. This drove man to come up with new ways to extend his reach into the underwater world and to make the trip less difficult. Over time underwater exploration has been made easier due to man’s passion for exploring a fascinating new underwater world. Inventions such as regulators, self-contained breathing apparatuses, oxygen tanks, neoprene suits, and many more technologies have been used to make underwater exploration as easy and efficient as possible. Scuba diving has evolved into a wide range of advanced technology for the average person to explore a whole new underwater world.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative- My Near Drowning Experience

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever had a moment in time that seems like minutes or hours even though it was only a few seconds? Have you ever seen everything before you play out in slow motion, where you are aware of everything around you, yet not knowing what was going on? I have, and as I look back on it, I feel very blessed and protected. On March 21, 1987, I decided to take a little swim in our swimming pool and almost drowned.

    Read More

  • Tips for General Water Safety

    644 Words  | 2 Pages

    9. Check the water depth before entering. The American Red Cross recommends nine feet as a minimum depth for diving or jumping.

    Read More

  • Scuba Diving Narrative Essay

    940 Words  | 2 Pages

    An event in my life that is memorable would be when my Uncle Bob and I decided to go scuba diving. In our adventure, Uncle Bob was bitten by a five-foot bull shark and later at 70ft below sea level he ran out of air. These events have taught me that scuba diving can be a dangerous activity, that I must be aware of my surroundings, to refresh my scuba training and to remember safety techniques.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: White Water Rafting

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    I remember a time in my life not too long ago when my family and I went white water rafting for the first time. We had been spending some of our summer vacation at a cabin in the Smokey Mountains, close to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The next day we would experience feelings of exhilarating excitement, with a sense of suspense and anticipation as we rafted down the Nantahala River.

    Read More

  • Descriptive Essay About Snorkeling

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    I will never forget the first time I went snorkeling, it was something I had been afraid to do up until the moment I touched the water. Beforehand all I could think about was what if I got attacked by a shark? I was too young to die and I felt like I was tempting fate. Then once I made the plunge into the water everything washed away, as if the waves carried the fear with them as they folded over me. I remember that day so clearly, rocking back and forth, up and down, I sat on a small glass bottom boat. The enormous ocean waves making me nauseas as I put my snorkel gear on. I hurried as fast as I could, knowing my nausea would go away as soon as I entered the water. This wasn’t the first time I have gotten sea sick, but it only shows up when the boat is sitting still. As soon as I got my equipment on I jumped into the water, fins first. I felt the sensation of goose bumps shivering up my whole body, tiny bubbles rolling over my body from breaking the surface, they ran from my toes upwards to break free at the ocean’s surface. Once the bubbles cleared, I looked around to see a new blue world I have never experienced before. I heard the sound of the ocean, mumbled by the sound of my deep breathing and the tanks of the more experienced scuba divers below me. It’s a very relaxing and peaceful sound, and if I had not been in such a new and unusual place I could have floated with my eyes closed for hours.

    Read More

More about A Terrifying Scuba Diving Experience-Personal Narrative

Open Document