Scuba diving to the depths of my spirit
A few years ago, my family and I moved to Utila, Honduras, a backpacker’s heaven for scuba diving. Our intention was to get out of the rat race for good. My very first impression upon landing on this small little island was… ‘Oh, my…! What have we done??” Little did I know that Life had beautiful lessons for my personal growth.

I wasn’t particularly thrilled or even remotely interested in scuba diving.   My then 7-year old son began scuba diving and encouraged me to learn as well. It was fascinating to see him learning to clear his mask and fearlessly jump in the water of the swimming pool or jump in the ocean with adults and a small air tank. Together we also learned the names of a variety of marine creatures after many of our snorkeling sessions.

One day I finally gave in. I was afraid… The first lessons were by the dock in shallow water.   There was a whole world to discover right there! It was so much more interesting that snorkeling, though I had enjoyed snorkeling so much! Soon it was time for the first dive in open water. I will never forget that feeling when, at about 15 ft deep, I looked up and saw the bottom of the boat. I then I looked around and there was so much beauty, so much color, so much peace. The way the ferns and fish moved in synchrony with the waves felt to me like perfect harmony. And I knew then …. I was hooked for life!

It was absolutely wonderful to feel the warm Caribbean waters on my body, to see how ocean creatures interact with each other, to discover hidden little seahorses among coral branches, to just stare at the depth of the ocean and see how its color became darker and darker or to look up and see the different shades of blue, or simply dive by a coral wall and feel weightless and tiny, humbled and small compared to the vastness of the abyss.

Life on the island allowed so much free time that I simply went from one course to another… until I became a divemaster. It was so exciting to find all these beautiful creatures of all sizes and shapes. It was even more exciting to discover that there were many other fish that only came out at night.

As months progressed, I noticed that something inside of me was changing. During the calm, quiet hours I spent underwater, uninterrupted by the sound of voices or phones or TV or radio, cars, motorcycles or anything, accompanied only by the quiet rhythm of my breathing and my bubbles, another different descent was taking place each time… a descent to the depths of myself.   I started reviewing my life… from as far as I could remember, until the time when I arrived on the island. I replayed one by one the main highlights of my life, or single moments that somehow had marked my life in different ways.

After several months, between hours spent underwater and hours spent on the boat going from one dive site to another or looking for dolphins, my connection to the ocean became a life-changing link that shook me from the inside out. All those hours also made it clear to me that I definitely needed to make changes in my life. In the silence of the ocean I was able to hear my own voice. That little voice that used to be an occasional whisper became extremely clear.

The ocean taught me that change is always good. The ocean was that wise and patient friend that pointed me in the right direction. Like a compass pointing always North, the ocean, I realized later, kept on pointing towards my inner Self. Master Ocean kept on pushing me further and further, out of my comfort zone each time.

Now those days are a wonderful memory and as I see pictures of the ocean on my digital frame at home I realize that Master Ocean taught me two big lessons during those long hours we spent together. The first one was to enjoy TODAY with the people that I encounter because I may never cross paths with them again and the second one was that Life will cover our needs… like the Ocean does with those creatures, big and small.

To this day the Ocean and I are still linked through those experiences and even though we are not currently together, these teachings shape my life every day. The Ocean’s teachings are forever.
Regina I. Sosa S.

Regina is originally from Guatemala where she used to work as a paediatrician before starting a family. Her and her son Nicholas currently live in Maryville, Tennessee in the US. While her now young man is soon flying out of the nest, Regina is working at spreading her own wings in the next couple of years. She wants to get back to practicing medicine but this time abroad with NGOs  and to enjoy more travelling and Ocean time…
You can read more of Regina beautiful words at : The Search For My New North