just like that

I've always wanted to dive in Cyprus from the moment I knew I was travelling here. So when I found out that the diving season opens on March 1, 12 days before I leave, I set things in motion to get me 60 feet under water. Even though I knew that the temperature would still be low (lower than what we tropical people are used to), I just had to dive the Mediterranean.

Last sunday, an officemate and I headed to the dive center in Agia Napa. Despite not having my trusty navigator with me, I managed to get to the center without having as much as a wrong turn and we were off preparing our gear in no time. A few minutes drive later we were on our jump off point.

Two things I learned after our first dive... it was cold, even with double 5mm wetsuits and hood. And it was salty, saltier than normal... I around 15lbs of weight to help me get to the bottom. Now 15lbs is not a big deal when you're underwater, the problem was I had to lug that and all my scuba gear from the water up to our car which was a good 20 feet away.

On our next dive site, we again had to lug the same amount of scuba gear down a series of steep steps. But I guess it was well worth it. As we were slowly working our way up to the surface along the walls of the cliff, the sun shone down on our area illuminating it as if we were in a cathedral. It was just wonderful. Clear water, beautiful sunshine, cliffside walls, and the slow carshing of surface waves. I wanted to stay there and relax but we had to surface as I was running out of air.

Now that was the end of the diving experience... but not of the day.

Another thing I wanted to do in Cyprus was jump off a cliff. I didn't care if it was cold and I that would have to swim back to shore, or worry that I might land incorrectly and hurt myself. I had to jump if I could... no questions asked. Fortunately the last dive spot was also a place where you could jump off a 6 meter drop.

The area had a small chapel in it and I said a quick prayer as we passed by. Near the edge I had a fleeting thought, wondering why the hell would I do this. But I didn't entertain it. I let it go as soon as it entered my mind. After a pre-jump picture, I again had thoughts of 'what-if'. Again I just told myself "dude, you're right there", just a step away. So I got on the very edge, my mind focused on each movement and prepared myself. Breathe in, breathe out... counting 1... 2... 3... and thinking jump. But I was still standing there.

Then it hit me. It's actually that simple. So again I breathed 1... 2... 3... and I just jumped. I closed my eyes and jumped. No frills, no thrills... just jumped. For the few seconds I was in mid-air, I didn't feel as if I wasn't falling... I as just there in that "moment". When I hit the water, it was as if I was being cradled... no pain, no shock to the system, not even relief of making it. Surfacing from the water was pure elation. And not of the fleeting kind either, I was bathed in it even as I got out.

I wanted to dive in Cyprus even though I knew it was cold, and that it would be twice as expensive as back home, and that I would have to drive an hour to get there. I wanted to jump off a cliff, even though I knew I would've been scared to shit when I stepped on the edge. But I wanted to do it... and so I did.

I guess what makes life great is to go out there and do what you want. Despite the fears and the worries and all the variables that concern it... to just take a leap of faith. And damn the consequences.