Finding His Fins
David González, a 35-year-old dive master From Navalmoral de la Mata, recalls his first dive into the calm water of the Indian Ocean.
“I want to dive deep,” said Gonzalez. “I want to know what is down there.”
As he sat on the edge of the boat ready to jump in, an overwhelming feeling comes over him; he is about to enter a world where he was the outsider
González first dive took place five years but rewind two months ago and Gonzalez was working in an office as a SAP analyst programmer, hating life. The SAP is an ERP program (enterprise resource planing) that helps companies manage their business. He spent the past six years dragging himself out of his bed to go to a job he had no interest in. With the support of his girlfriend, Gonzalez quit his job, walked out the door of his office and was finally able to breath. Now he could solely focus on what his passion in life is.
His journey to become a dive master was about to begin.
“It’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be hard,” says González. “But for me, this is what I want do in life.”
González was living in Brighton, UK, with his roommate, Ana Claver, who landed a job at a resort on the Rihiveli Island in the Maldives. González bought a plane ticket and headed to the tiny island for a week of fun. After arriving to the quiet island, González was presented with the opportunity to go scuba diving and it was a chance that he could not resist.
He signed up for the PADI, Professional Association of Diving Instructors, open watercourse, which takes place over the course of three days. The course goes over how to use diving equipment, security procedures, diving techniques, and different hand signals used to communicate underwater. This course helps one become a self-sufficient diver.
González gained his open water certification and started diving every chance he could. His first solo dive is unforgettable to him not only because he had the freedom do dive alone but because of what he witnessed once submerged under the sea.
“I saw a huge Napoleon fish,” says González. “When I saw that massive fish I felt really small but I realized I just discovered a new world full of incredible creatures.”
The Napoleon fish, also known as Humphead Wrasse, can measure up to two meters in length and ranges in colors from a dull blue-green to purplish-blue.
Diving has become apart of González because he feels like he is able to make that direct contact with the sea life. He is able to swim right next to giant Manta Ray’s, full size sharks, giant schools of fish and gets up close and personal with the jagged coral beneath the sea. But along with the upsides to diving, González does face challenges from time to time. González says he feels as if there is still much to learn but is up for the task.
“I still have a lot of things to learn,” says González. “But I’m very motivated and full of energy.”
González’s most recent dive in Komodo, Indonesia, left him speechless. He was diving along side Manta Rays. They were flying under the sea together.
Meanwhile, González is working in Ibiza at the Scuba Ibiza dive center where hopes to gain his instructor license and start spreading the joy of scuba diving.
