Trouble In Paradise

At 30m depth the visibility is down to 5m. Nitrogen Narcosis makes me feel giddy and elated. I start to giggle, realise where I am then try to get a grip. I breath steadily, through the murk my buddy points to a shape getting nearer... it's a bull shark... it gets closer, to within 3m. SHIT!, that bastard is bigger than I am! Thankfully it's not interested in an easy meal.

I completed my deep dive training today. 30m is a long way down with 4x atmospheric pressure pushing down on top of you. Last night we did our first night dive. Jumping into the sea in pitch black with full SCUBA gear and a torch. Descending into the depths is like stepping out of a spaceship. Incredibly there is more life on the sea floor at night than there is during the day. It's also more exciting to find it with a small beam of light. When you turn the torches off and wave your hand through the water, tiny luminous green sparks seem to emit from your fingertips - Plankton Bioluminescence. This dive was possibly the coolest thing I have ever done!

I have two more advanced training dives for tomorrow, then I must leave. I could stay here for a long time. It costs about £500 to do dive master training over about 3 months, including unlimited free dives. I'm very tempted, but my visa expires in 3 days. I suppose I could nip down to Malaysia on the bike, get a 3 month visa then come back, but I really shouldn't. I should get to Australia. I'm looking forwards to riding through the empty desert after spending so much time around people. Tomorrow I should leave... tomorrow...