Believe in Yourself...Because Others Do

My husband, Brian and I took a week-long trip to Belize this summer. I planned the vacation to overlap when our twin boys (age 11) would be at sleep away camp in Big Bear Lake, CA. This would be our first trip, just the two of us, since our honeymoon 12 years ago.

Brian is a meticulous planner. He likes to have an action-packed itinerary — his vacations include seeing every inch of the country we are visiting. Beyond sightseeing, his itinerary is adventurous. This trip would be no different. He wanted to scuba dive again.

We got PADI Open Water certified when we honeymooned in the Bahamas. Since then, we have enjoyed diving in New Zealand and the Cayman Islands. It had been 5 years since our last dive in Grand Cayman. 

Given my rustiness and secretly a deep down fear of scuba, I immediately said I didn’t want to dive on this trip. I wanted it to be relaxing. Let’s snorkel, instead. Brian urged me to pack my PADI card, just in case.

Brian encourages me to get out of my comfort zone and challenges me. Belize boasts some of the best diving in the world - it is home to the Belize Barrier Reef (the second largest behind the Great Barrier Reef in the South Pacific). He tells me I would be silly to miss out on the opportunity to dive there.

We arrived on Ambergris Caye by way of a puddle jumper which makes you feel like you are landing on Fantasy Island. The blue hue of the water is unexplainable.

The dive shop was on-site at our hotel. All of the signs were pointing toward my dipping my toes back into diving. We at first went snorkeling - it was gorgeous, but crowded with tourists. Therefore, I agreed to dive on our third day under one condition -- I take a refresher course. 

The morning of our dive, I was anxious and couldn’t eat breakfast. The sky was overcast with rocky seas near the reef just 5 minutes offshore. A bit queasy from the boat ride, I didn’t attempt to be more anxious about the backward entry into the sea. I flipped in backwards. This was also a drift dive - meaning we all descend with our dive buddies from the boat as it’s drifting. The boats cannot anchor on the reef. You can easily lose your buddy or dive master with this sort of dive so must check in with them frequently.

Upon our descent, I focused on my breathing - the number one rule in scuba diving is to never hold your breath - I looked at Brian and finally felt at ease.

The visibility was outstanding. We saw reef sharks, nurse sharks, hawksbill turtles, a green moray eel, lobster and countless fish. 

I hugged Brian when we surfaced and got back on the boat. He knew I could do it. I overcame my fear of diving again so we signed up for two more dives the following day. 

We returned home to Southern California and proudly shared pictures from under the sea. My boys were impressed and now want to get certified as well! I realized that I need to believe in myself…because others do.