Day 12-13 Diving Dream in Okinawa

Apr 8 • Blog, Okinawa • 881 Views • 3 Comments

It’s been a long time dream of mine to get a scuba diving license. I started swimming when I was 6, and my childhood dream was to become a killer whale trainer. I thought it’d be so cool to swim and become friends with a big orca.

Somewhere along the way, I thought that could be slightly dangerous, so I thought becoming a dolphin trainer might be better. They seemed more gentle and friendlier. Then somehow I ended up becoming a graphic designer, where I had no danger of being eaten or being pushed down to the bottom of a deep pool. What a chicken.

I still haven’t forgotten about my dream. I still want to swim with dolphins in the ocean, and someday I will.

The friends that let me stay in Ginowan, Okinawa were diving instructors. I had postponed it long enough, this was the time for me to do it. Being in the middle of March, the water could have been a bit warmer, but I spent two days in the ocean with Yuki, Hana-chan’s husband, to finally get the diving license. My lips turned purple on the first day from being cold, but I did it!

The tanks and such that you carry on your back are really heavy, about 30kg! You don’t feel it in the water obviously, but getting to the beach with that on my back was a back-breaker. I admire those instructors who do this everyday for living.

So many kinds of fish came by and swam along with me (probably for food, but still). It was like being in outer space – with fish. Floating and moving very slowly with big fins in the blue water, I was so very happy to finally reach my diving dream.

The evenings of those two nights after diving were as spectacular as in the water. Hana-chan had made nira dango (garlic chive and pork dumplings), thinking that Yuki and I would have been drained from diving. Indeed we were (well, I was). We all sat together with beer and stuffed the filling in the small circular dumpling skins. It was really fun trying to make a perfect shape.

Stuffing:

Stuffed dumplings:

Yuki is also a very good cook, and he made a huge portion of yakisoba too. We had way more than we could eat.

Yuki & Hana-chan’s 8 month old baby celebrated my diving experience with Okinawa’s Orion beer

The second evening’s dinner included this super fresh bonito sashimi. This was a killer!! Look how Yuki sliced and presented so nicely. I have lots to learn from them

I got to make Fu Chanpuru with Hana-chan. Fu is what I talked about the other day. Chanpuru is Okinawa’s stir fries. So easy to make, and it’s delicious with lots of vegetables too.

Yuki’s delicious chicken with lots of black pepper. Mmm crispy and juicy!

Cooking and having delicious food with friends, and finally achieving my diving dream, I am one happy girl in Okinawa.

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