Memories on My shoestring : Tioman : Part 2

This is the story of my first diving activity. After I reached Everest Base Camp last year in September, I was not sure what my next adventure was going to be. I was not sure where I wanted to travel or what I wanted to do. I did not feel like going to any mountains. I lost my passion to travel. Until one fine day, I chanced upon the post on an invite to dive. I clicked and the rest, they say, is history. I never understood this line - the rest is history - because what history is in it, when you don't even know the story. I digress.

I experienced my virgin dive in a swimming pool, but as we all know, freshwater is totally different from saltwater. I am not a fan of saltwater in my mouth. This is my story.

28022014 - We started our drive the night before. I took over the drive when we reached Ayer Hitam exit. It was about a 1.5 hour drive to Mersing Jetty from there. In total, it was about 8 hours' drive. Well, I drove slow from the Ayer Hitam exit. The roads were winding, and I don't drive fast on unfamiliar routes especially when it is dark. We reached Mersing Jetty about 7am, and the jetty opens at 9am. We parked the cars and slept for a bit. The parking fee costs me RM22 for 3 days 2 nights. At 8am, I was up and walked along the jetty. That was my first sight of the beach, with a Johore flag.

At 8.30am, we went inside the jetty and waited for the ferry. We got a ticket (RM70 for 2 ways), a boarding pass and a marine park ticket (RM10). The boarding pass is necessary for you to bypass the entrance because having a ticket does not allow you in. It is a control on the number of people allowed in the ferry, as previously there was an incident where the ferry capsized due to a large number of passengers on board. I am not sure how true is it, but that is what I have been told.

At 9am sharp, we queued up in front of the entrance, and boarded the ferry. It was air-conditioned, and hence, it was cold! Worst, when you have to endure the chill for 1.5 hours! In the ferry, a staff distributed a black plastic bag to each passenger in case they throw up. True enough, there were a few who did because the ride was very bumpy. It was definitely not a smooth journey. I could not even walk a few steps. I was thrown off from right to left. I closed my eyes, and not think about the headache that I was having. My friend was reading the dive book because there is a test for it. Diving is the first sports I know which has a test! But he closed the book 10 minutes later because of the bumpy ride.