Denys's Experience

Hi everyone! I’m Denys, one of the instructors and regular members of the club. I want to use this blog opportunity to tell you why WUSAC and diving have become such a massive part of my life.
I have joined WUSAC back in my first year at the university (2014) having had no previous experience with any sub-aquatic sport. Upon joining, my mind was racing with question like ‘Is SCUBA safe?’, ‘Will I pass the training?’ & ‘Will I be accepted?’. But, perhaps my biggest worry was that I was suffering from Thalassophobia (fear of deep water). It was so extreme that I would close my eyes every time I had to swim over the 3 meters part of the pool. Oh, how wrong I was to be worried.
From day 1 the support I got was immense! I have met the best people in my life, many of whom I call my closest friends, learnt to dive under the best instruction I could only hope for and I have completely eradicated my phobia! Fast forward a year, I have passed my Ocean Diver course, done my first ever Night Dive and shortly after my first ever Wreck Dive as well as played in my first Underwater Hockey competition. I FELL IN LOVE. I became obsessed with the idea of going underwater. So in my second year I have racked up over 60 hours underwater, completed Sports Diver and played numerous national & international push tournaments. But one thought just wouldn’t leave my mind. I wanted to share my experience with others. I wanted to share the love for diving with others. And that’s when I decided to become an instructor.
Without doubt I have signed up for an Instructor Foundation Course, passing it just in time to take on my first ever try dive. It then took me 2 years of teaching and diving to rack up enough experience to gain my Dive leader qualification & there it was… my goal: Open Water Instructor. So close within my reach. Booking myself onto the exam was terrifying. I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking ‘Am I good enough?’, ‘What if something goes wrong?’. But then once again, the club has shown so much support, helping me deal with the nerves and making me believe in myself.
15 May 2019, four and a half years after I started diving, I have received a letter though the post congratulating me on passing my Open Water Instructor exams and providing me with my official instructor number. My goal was achieved. There was no end to my joy. Until I realised there is still a ladder to climb. New lifetime goals were set, new paths defined.
So here I stand, having defined & achieved my lifetime goal, having conquered my phobia and having shared my experience with as many people as I possibly could. I have gained new friends for life and experiences I could never have gotten elsewhere. And that is why WUSAC still plays such a huge part in my life. Bring on new horizons, new depths and new experiences!
With Oceans of Love,
Denys