When I was in Antigua, I met a captain who preferred life at sea versus life on land. While I love Pirates of the Caribbean, I don’t think I could be Jack Sparrow full-time. In Roatan, I met scub divers who, like Sebastian, prefer to live under the sea.
Ranking the dare-devil activities that I have yet to do, scuba is near the bottom. As an archivist, I have no interest in activities where I cannot capture the moment. I also do not want to get hooked on another hobby (see Muay Thai) because there’s not enough time in the day, nor money to do every single thing. Equipped with my waterproof Osmo Action 5, I resolved the first concern.
Ignoring my other concern, I wanted to see if crass Sebastian was correct: is it better down where it’s wetter? Accordingly, I booked an intro scuba course in Roatan. It cost $125, including tax. Part of the excursion included an in-classroom segment, a pool warm-up, followed by a dive with depths up to 40 feet.
Unfortunately for me, the weather did not cooperate on the day of my dive and the excursion was cancelled. Having weaseled my way out of death on my snorkeling excursion the following day (see Shaqtin’ a Fool: How I Almost Drown in Roatan), I contemplated whether I could be bothered to try scuba. Thinking of waking up early in the morning, attentively paying attention in a classroom, then practicing in a pool, seems like a lot of work for a hobby where the fun comes from going down under multiple times.
Sipping on champagne, relaxing on the beach, seems like a much better time than exposing myself to the possibility of another addiction. Maybe one day I will give it a go, but right now, and with all due respect to Sebastian, life is the bubbles on land.
