Tioman : Part 3 - The Hours before the First Dive

We reached Salang Jetty at about 11.30am. We were scheduled to have our first review lesson with the dive instructor by noon. I was pretty excited when the ferry docked at the jetty. This is where my diving experience begins. This is where I am going to get my diving license. This is the place where I will begin my new passion. This is it. Diving. Exploring underwater. 

Salang Village looks small to me. There were not many tourists at this time of the year. The tourist season was just starting. The monsoon just ended. So, the village was pretty quiet to me. I saw a building that houses shops, which I thought was a bit odd because I could not imagine this on an island. I am such a stereotype sometimes. I could sense that Salang Village has succumbed to tourism quicker than Redang and Long Beach, Perhentian Island.

This is the place where we were going to stay for 2 nights - Salang Pusaka Resort. Since there were 10 of us, we chose a chalet. The chalet has 3 rooms. Each room could fit about 4 or 3 persons. My portion was RM96. I would say it is a good price for 2 nights. After settling in for 5 minutes, we hurried to the restaurant which was just opposite the resort. That is where we were going to have our first dive review.

   

I forgot to mention, that there seem to be a growing community of monitor lizards in Salang Village! They are huge. Like giants. Okay, I might be exaggerating, but it really freaked me out when I first saw them!

12pm, and we were all ready to open the diving book. The diving instructor gave us a quick session on Chapter 1 and 2, and finally allowed us to have our lunch. I was so hungry. She referred to the Knowledge Review section at the behind of each chapter and taught us the important points. Serious business when it came to studying. We are studying hard because there is an exam for it!

The lunch to fuel me for my first dive. That is a RM12 lunch. It is the restaurant special lunch. Good taste. Well, anything is good for me especially when I am very hungry. 

We were allowed to have our rest after lunch, rejuvenate and be ready for our first dive which is scheduled at 4pm! I was nervous, excited, scared and anxious. What if I panicked? Drowned? Suffocate myself with saltwater? Forget to breathe through my mouth?