Part II: Scuba Diving in the Maldives

A few hours after my introductory dive, we ventured a 20-minute boatride out to sea for our official adventure.

I couldn't stop thinking about how strange it was for something so equipment-intensive and unnatural to feel so natural. I made a game out of trying to think of something--anything--I'd rather be doing in the moment (an exercise I usually reserve for more malaise-y moments), and I truly couldn't think of anything.

Sure, I sort of keep adding things after I've done them ("visit Latvia," for example) in order to cross them off my 30 while 30 list, but I don't even care about crossing this one off because it goes down as a lifetime highlight. I'm already uncomfortable with the lack of self-deprecation and satire in this post, so I'm not even going to try and describe the fish and coral I saw... But look out for this next bit of saccharin earnestness:

I remember last summer trying to explain to Kady how much I loved riding my bike. "I feel like this is who I am when I'm on my bike," I said struggling to articulate how much it blows my mind to use my own energy as a means of transportation. But even more than biking, I felt a complete sense of peace and, dare I say, authenticity (my eternal INF-ing mission) 12 meters underwater (though I kept sneaking deeper to 17 and being scolded to return to 12). But I also just threw up a little in my mouth while typing that.

As far as I can see, this is all a bit of a problem as I live in Minnesota--quite far from any diving sites--and it's really, really expensive, this scuba business. But, the real problem is a little more pointed.

This is what I feel like I look like:

 

But this is what I actually look like:

 

How can something that feels so good look so bad?

Claustrophobic, animal-hating Kady had come along for the boat ride but skipped the dive. However, spending a few minutes snorkling in the waters, she summoned up her courage and we signed up for a next-day dive.

This dive was extra special because it was just the two of us, but not only because of that:

 

Can you believe this? It took all my willpower not to leap into the water with them.

Kady and I skipped the wetsuits for this dive and as I fastened on my weigh belt, I was once again forced to acknowledge my delusions.

Because this is what I felt like I looked like:

 

But this is what I actually looked like:

 

I'm the fluorescent one on the right.