Local Touristing: My Diving Experience at Kaş

  My trip to Kaş was anything but a vacation. I had to wake up at 8 o’clock every single day to make it on time to my diving lessons. It’s safe to say that after 2 practices a day for the whole week has made me tired but accomplished, content and happy in return. The diving experience was so magical, and now that I got my 1 star, I can’t wait to dive again. If you are a fan of the sea, like myself, wait until you see the world that is under; the colors, the creatures, the feelings are all breathtaking and so worth the exhaustion.

If you know me personally, then you already now that I love swimming and that I prefer the sea over anything. As much as I love the waves, I hate the sun, the sweating, the sunbathing; and often find the nearest shadow whenever I’m on the beach. Regardless though, Summer has always been my favorite season for its laid-back, carefree and adventurous days, and since I haven’t been on a vacation the past year, I was looking forward to my trip to Kaş with my father and brother. 

Before the trip, my dad asked me if I liked to take diving lessons when I was there. “Sure”, I thought, thinking I could arrange the schedule and do it for a couple of days, whenever I felt like doing. Oh, I was so wrong. 

The lessons basically took over my entire trip, from 8 in the morning until the sunset, for every single day. I had to take the first lesson from 9 to 12, have lunch from 12-2, then go back to the boat to have the last lesson of the day from 4-6. It was exhausting, and even hard at times, as the first thing you should know about me that I simply can not function without sleep, and by sleep I mean at least 12 hours of rest.

Now there were of course some weird shit that comes along with diving. You have to spit on your mask each time you want to put it on, as it sterilizes it and then you wash it with clean water. Or some fish come so close to you and look you in the eyes, but when you make the slightest movement, they swim away so fast. Or you have to deal with the pressure, of course, as I had some trouble with my first two dives, I couldn't do the "Valsalva movement" -ehem, diving jargon- properly so I had to deal with my headache for the whole night. But I promise you, once your body adapts to the pressure and breathing through the tube, it is a magical feeling. I should also add that what made my experience even better was the crew on board, everyone was so kind and smiley and excited to teach me, that made my awkwardness blended in with them easily. I guess one of the most important things to keep in mind when you're learning to dive is that you have to have a trusting environment with your instructor, who'll explain you everything prior to the dive and make sure your experience goes as smoothly as possible. Thank you Çağatay Hoca and everyone else who helped me put on my weights and the suit and everything in between, and for making my experience the best.