This island got a special place in my heart - the sunrises are beautiful when looking over the rough ocean and green rocky hills surrounding this little white sand bay making it feel magical.

I did 8 dives, 367min in total. And each dive I am getting more confident and relaxed that I can enjoy the fish more. I feel like it‘s the closest to experience flying or maybe just floating without gravity, how I dreamed about it when I was a kid. Or when I wanted to be a mermaid. And when diving, it’s so peaceful, the fish are floating with you, staying in one place, it feels like a different world. Unreal in a way.

I had to overcome a few struggles, e.g. opening my eyes under water wasn‘t easy. Taking off my mask at 10m deep water and putting it back on again and clear it (so the water gets out) did take some practice. Also, taking out the regulator (for breathing) out of my mouth and practicing what to do if I am out of air. And then the sea conditions were a little rough so when going on the boat on the last day of the course…I got sea sick. The waves were big and we had to assemble our equipment WHILE it was going and shaking, it was awful. Afterwards I just sat in the middle of the boat, staring at one point and couldn’t move. And then we arrived. The boat still not calm, and we had to jump (diver step) into the rough water from probably 2m. And then going down holding onto a rope while having troubles to equalize my ears to the pressure and only seeing the rope and the two people in front of me. And everything else: endless blue. When I reached the bottom at 10m, my group was waiting for quite a while because my ears were taking so long. But I am so grateful for the teacher, he came up to me and had the calmest look on his face, making sure I am ok and step by step we descended. He‘s 21 years on this island working as a dive instructor. In the end, the dive itself turned out great, the visibility at the bottom of the sea was at least 5m, so we saw plenty of big fish and amazing coral formations. But after, returning back from the boat at 1pm, I was completly done. I felt like a stone and slept like a stone at 9pm.

The last days I saw a turtle, a very big barracuda, morays, a very rare humpback parrotfish and so much more. Most impressive was the school of fish. Swimming in the middle of it and then being surrounded by a 7m circular wall of fish - I nearly cried. Maybe I will come back.

Tomorrow we are leaving to the national park by boat in the morning.