Going to Thailand during the pandemic
While I was on the beach, I was looking at the boats arriving one after the others to unload everyone who was on the boats. Speed boats were arriving in turn close to the boats to take divers who were coming to dive. I was looking at them going out from the speed boats with their dive bag in which there was their equipment.
Why not me, I would like to start diving too. And if only it has started like that! No, everything started in Bangkok when I was in a street where I found a big diving centre, I came in and all started from there. I came out with my bus and ferry tickets and also my voucher for my diving courses. Few days later, I was in the direction of Koh Tao, the mecca of diving in the Gulf of Thailand, it was in 2013.
Seven years after my first diving course, we are in 2020 when I start my Divemaster training course, the first professional level. It took me a long time to start my Divemaster certificate, I had to make it clear several points in my life before starting the Divemaster.
In the midst of coronavirus crisis paralysed the whole world, I did not get discouraged and I came back to Thailand where everything has started, in 2013.
At that time, I knew I was doing something right for me and I was in the right place to do it. So, despite of the health crisis, I persisted in doing my Divemaster certificate to the end, and even if I had to do my training in several steps because a lockdown arrived in the middle, I never gave up and it paid off seeing that I had my Divemaster certificate two months later, in May 2020.
Despite of the lockdown and the lack of customers, I was able to assist my instructor for few dives before the closure of the diving centres and even after the lockdown.
While in 2013 diving has been a revealing thing, in 2020 it has been a confirmation about wanting to do something in the marine universe. So, when I did my Open Water in 2013, I did not want to stop diving after 4-days-course, I wanted to go further and I already wanted to do the Divemaster certificate.
Diving, a job ?
When I went into the diving, I did not know we could do as a job, and that we could teach diving in that way, being on an island under the sun, being into the water everyday.
I had always dreamed of it, I had always wanted it and to know that it could be possible, all of a sudden, a whole universe opened up in front of me, but in 2013 I was not ready to launch myself into this world, because I had other projects in mind that I wanted to realise and for which I was convinced that I was made to work in that field. I say, therefore, of my professional life.
And at that time, I couldn’t imagine that this lifestyle could suit me, convinced that another, more lifestyle was waiting for me.
It was after having clarified everything that I had to clarified and after having sorted out in my mind I embarked on this adventure, which is the Divemaster and I have no regrets because by returning to dive for my Divemaster, I have understood that this field was completely suited to me.
I would not have been able to do the training in normal times, I had to do it while a pandemic was present. This pandemic didn’t stop myself to go and realise this project, that, that time was important to me like the other projects I realised before.
This is in March 2020 I took the plane to take me in Thailand in the same place, 7 years after having set foot for the first time in this country and on the island of Koh Tao.
I throw away what I don’t use anymore – The pollution
While my diving trips during the Divemaster certificate, I have seen very often plastic objects floating on the surface or being buried in the sand. Many questions have crossed my mind, especially the one of not understanding how these objects can end up floating or being buried.
I do not understand how humans being can be such irresponsible regarding to nature.
How can they afford to leave, throw or dump all polluting objects whether plastic or others objects in the sea and take the sea for a garbage? How can they care so little about the environment in which they live?
There are questions for which I know I will never have true answers because everything is a question of behaviour, and a way of life. Not everybody is sensitive to pollution and not everybody consider that we are depending on each others by being interconnected.
When I dive, they are those questions that make me think.
If only, I could make by myself a huge cleaning of this all pollution all around the world !
What matter the most to me is that everybody must feel concerned and responsible of their own waste and especially think of the next generation by making sure not leaving a planet in a deplorable state that is going to happen if nothing is doing.
Diving has shown me that the interconnection plays out between all the species. Indeed, seeing this underwater life in front of me, it made me want to transmit to people what I see underwater to raise awareness to the population for a better life by obtaining natural resources in abundance.
If the human species wants to last over time, it ensure that the planet on which it lives can continue to regenerate over the decades to come, and it must go through protection of the environment; it is necessary !
Do not we forget that the human species corresponds only to a water drop in the ocean on the Planet Earth scale.
Divemaster – protection of the environment
I am my own drop of water when I am underwater, I have the impression to be small compared to the vastness of the blue and the surrounding fishes, and this is true. Despite everything, this world to which I do not belong to, and which is nevertheless so pleasant to me pleases me enormously because I am far from the surrounding noise, far from the problems of the world, I am in a soothing bubble, surrounded by beautiful curious and calm fishes.
In the water, I am simply far from it all, this is a world that I simply love and that is important to me to protect just like the terrestrial world.
As Divemaster, I want to raise awareness to people to the marine environment by explaining them that even if diving is fun and trendy, divers are in close contact with the fauna and flora that we must respect and not to touch, destroy, or pollute.
When we dive, we come into a world that we don’t be part of this, this is not our natural habitat, so people must have to respect it, which is I haven’t still seen in few dives that I have done so far.
Diving, a hobby
In 2013, I started diving and I thought I would have been only a leisure and nothing more, but 7 years later and long after it had matured in my mind that I understood what I should understand about my professional career, I took things in hand and I told to myself that I could not stay behind my screen and do nothing looking at beautiful photos of underwater world made by other photographers-divers. I wanted to be part of this team and taking, in my turn, beautiful pictures to raise awareness to people of this fragile environment and so dependent on human actions.
For me, it is normal and logical that I take underwater photography, because I feel the need to photograph whether I am on land or in sea. So, I bought photography material and I told to myself that I was going to take photos during my Divemaster training course. Done it!
Diving, a passion
Diving, at the beginning, I considered it as a leisure to do during the holidays, but I never thought it could become a passion and that it be part of my job, because it is the sea that called me over the years during which I wondered about my professional future.
Now, what it is sure is, I could not do without it.
It parts of my mission life !
