Diving in Tenerife Spain (Canary Islands)

Your going to laugh at this story!

The story behind the picture. Mike DeLitta and I had a wonderful time in Tenerife. Tenerife is an island owned by Spain in the Canary Islands but is much closer to Africa.

Although I am certified as a Master Diver, I still sometimes feel so inadequate. Diving is so different and challenging depending where you are and what the conditions are like on that specific day! Mike is a Master Instructor Diver and even he said this was one of the most challenging dives he had ever done as well.

Day 1, dive 1: We had a long drive to the dive site in a van with no air conditioning. Mike and I were in the back of the van and although we asked several times - the people in the seat forward would not open the windows. It was extremely bumpy and stuffy and hot. 20 minutes in I realized I was getting car sick - which is extremely odd for me because I have been on the roughest of rough boat rides and not surcome to sea sickness.

Site 1 was deemed too dangerous, so we loaded back into the van and headed to site number 2. An illegally parked car blocked our way to that inlet, so we had to find an alternate place to park which meant a longer trek with our gear ( 50+ pounds!) We walked down stairs into the waves and by now - I was hoping I was over my nausea. 5 MINUTES INTO OUR DIVE AND ....Oh my gosh.... I signaled to Mike using the universal sign to say "something is wrong" and then using my own sign language to tell him I was about to throw up (use your imagination!) and I wanted to surface. We were already 30ft down and one thing that is beaten in to you as a scuba diver is - you NEVER EVER boilt to the surface! We started to ascend slowly and I knew what was coming.... I started to vomit into my regulator. Nastiest thing I have ever experienced!!! They say that all the vomit will go out your regulator if you purge it with enough air....THEY LIED. If what you expel is not small enough - it will not and you must take it out of you mouth an shake it clean.

The LAST thing you want to taste when you are ill is salt water an now I had a mouth full of it. Small fish started to gather around my face to investigate... Still ascending, I made it to the surface only to litter that with more vomit... Oh my gosh - this is not the way I wanted my fiance to see me.

A few minutes later and I actually felt better. I surely did not want to ruin this dive for Mike as he was so excited to photograph new an unseen to him, underwater wildlife. Down we went again... 10 - 20 - 30 ...all the way to 85 feet down. Although I did not feel great, I was doing alright and kept up with the group. Mike watched over me like a hawk for at least 20 minutes and I kept assuring him I was fine. He took some amazing pictures that I will post later. Everything seemed to go really well ..... until we had to turn back. It was then that I realized that there was quite a strong current working against us and I could feel my heart racing as I tried to kick my way back. I started to fall behind the group and that horrible feeling started to take over again.

I started to whimper hoping Mike would hear me. They say that sound is really amplified under water... LIES LIES LIES...(I can laugh about it now) Up it came again. Mercifully, it was just liquid this time....and the next and the next. , By the 5th time I was thinking - No bother .. I got this...

Actually I became quite amused by the fish I was attracting..(yes - they were eating what I was expelling...YUCK..) but I hope I never have to go through that again.