22 metres under water... Inside a shipwreck in the Red Sea... In the pitch black.
O Captain! My Captain!
I am not a thrill seeker. I don't like fairground rides... I don't even like that big Ferris wheel thing in London.
So why am I 22 metres under water, inside a shipwreck in the Red Sea, in the pitch black? My mind is asking me the same question. My heart is pounding and I'm struggling to keep my breathing slow and under control.
With over 750 dives I'm considered by most divers as "experienced". But there are always things that take you by surprise and give you a different perspective or a better knowledge of how you or others react under stress. I calm myself. I know I won't run out of air and that my dive buddy is nearby.... and he has air!
All the hours of training I have had as a scuba diver and instructor can't prepare me for the completely unexpected, but it can give me the confidence and tools to put a solution together when the unexpected happens. And that's what makes every dive exciting. That and nature! The thrill of finding a rare seahorse, or a creature you've never seen before. The excitement of finding sharks or being followed on a dive by a dolphin.
In some ways diving gives me a similar thrill to writing radio commercials. I've trained for it, but when it comes down to it, every single brief is different, every creative outcome is unique, and there's an enormous sense of satisfaction when you do it right for a client and give them something you know will work for them.
Now if you'd like to learn to dive... or want your next national radio campaign put together... drop us a message.
Oh look, a seahorse!
