Yep, I’m standing on the ocean floor. Nope, I wouldn’t call myself a swimmer. It’s called seawalking. We were transported by boat to a diving platform. As we were ready to go down the platform ladder into the water, they put the helmets on us. The helmet is supported by the shoulders, and is supplied with oxygen. Once I was underwater, the pressure in my ears was excruciating, I tried two of the three pressure-equalizing methods shown in the orientation video. They didn’t work.

My Hair Stayed Dry

The guide signed that I should reach inside the helmet and pinch my nose – the third method i.e., blowing really hard with my mouth closed while pinching my nose. That popped both ears, and I was fine from then on. It was really odd that I was able to reach in with my wet hand into this big air bubble helmet, and touch my dry nose at the bottom of the ocean. As long as you don’t tilt your head to look down, the water will only come inside the helmet as high as your chin. My hair stayed completely dry.

Suddenly, lots of fish appeared and I realized the guide was squeezing fish food out of a bottle. Kenric and I agreed that we would have preferred to not attract so many fish, and just observe however few we encounter. At times, there were almost too many, and they get impatient if we don’t squeeze the bottle fast enough. It’s like one of those fish foot spas, but full body. It kind of hurt when they bite, but I just think of them as fish kisses.

A Metal Bar to Hang On To for Stability

To stabilize ourselves, the guides had us hang on to a metal bar and kneel down. Later, back on the boat, we realized Kenric’s knee was scraped and bled a little. Luckily, he didn’t attract a shark! We also got to see some colorful coral and a school of Nemos. When Kenric gets his longer GoPro videos organized, I will try to post one of Nemo. It was an awesome experience for Kenric, and an unbelievable experience for me considering I can’t even swim with confidence. When my life flashes before my eyes, I hope snippets of this seawalk will be included.

Map of Places Visited