Since I first met Michelle, our Head of Operations at KOSTUBA and a passionate diving enthusiast, she never failed to amaze us with stunning footage and enchanting stories from her diving trips. Her tales of the magical underwater world always captivated me. However, the thought of diving more than a few meters underwater always filled me with dread. Eventually, I decided it was time to confront my fears, and what better place to start than Tomia Island in Wakatobi? During our research trip, I impulsively enrolled in a beginner’s discover scuba diving course.
Wakatobi, located in Southeast Sulawesi, is renowned as one of the world’s premier dive destinations. The name “Wakatobi” is derived from the first letters of its four main islands: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko.
That day, I remember it was raining all morning, yet our instructor urged us to dive in. So there we were, aboard a boat, fully equipped with wetsuits, masks, fins, weight belts, regulators, and tanks. After a brief introduction to the fundamentals of scuba diving, the moment finally arrived to take the plunge.
Since it was my first experience diving, I was quite nervous, with my heart racing from a mix of excitement and fear. I gradually entered the water, gripping my instructor’s hand tightly as we descended into the depths.
The dive site we explored that day was Mari Mabuk, and it was simply incredible.
It felt like stepping into another world, completely enchanted by the colorful marine life. Despite the rain earlier that day, I was pleasantly surprised to find the underwater visibility was excellent. I marveled at the vibrant soft and hard corals, along with an array of fascinating sea creatures.
The deeper I dived into the vibrant blue, the more breathtaking it became. Colorful coral reefs of varying shapes and sizes were right in front of me, and I spotted a clownfish hiding among the soft corals, along with many other creatures I couldn’t identify. 🙂
While I was busy admiring the underwater beauty, my instructor signaled me to look up. Suddenly, a school of fish appeared, swimming together in perfect harmony, forming a mesmerizing circle. I was left speechless, hardly believing what I was seeing.
Words cannot capture the serene feeling of being surrounded by colorful marine life. I was truly amazed to realize there are thousands of creatures living peacefully beneath the waves.
After my incredible journey into the magical underwater world, it was time to ascend. We slowly made our way back to the surface, returning to the boat to enjoy a delicious lunch served on board while taking in the stunning views of the Tomia Islands.
I will never forget my first breath underwater. Wakatobi was truly the perfect location for my very first scuba diving experience.
