In the Diver’s Mind

CEBU, Philippines - From the moment I decided to do scuba diving I knew that one day this could happen. On July 8, 2012, my dive instructor Sir Emi Bonghanoy called me early in the morning about a ship that sank in the Mactan Channel, the M/V B&E Uno, a cargo vessel with a load of cement and lube oil. We were asked to help out, to do a survey dive around the boat.

The local authorities had already cordoned off the area. In a short briefing, we were instructed to take photographs to document the boat’s position and condition underwater. We were not to enter the boat.

I had mixed emotions about it, eager and cautious at the same time. I was not sure if I was ready to do it. This one was not an ordinary dive. There were possible consequences to face.What if something would happen to me? What if the dive wouldn’t go as smoothly as planned?

There were so many things going on in my mind that I couldn’t explain. I even felt fear, somewhat remorseful of why I got myself into scuba diving in the first place. But I also felt that it was my moral duty to help. I said yes.

There were four of us volunteer divers, with different levels of dive certification, who joined the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). A rubber boat, an inflatable boat with outboard motor, took us to the site of the sinking. We determined it was not advisable to stay too long underwater, since it was a shallow dive and the currents in the area was getting strong because of the approaching low tide.

A dive computer was important. This instrument, worn around the diver’s wrist, would display current depth and diving time so the diver would be alerted in real time if an ascent is necessary in order to avoid decompression sickness. Having the gadget on our wrists, we divers began to go down.

The visibility underwater was not good, I could hardly see anything. Aside from the silt that covered the boat, there was nothing else to see in the haze. In the first dive, we went just a few meters into the water and for only a short time.

We quickly ascended back to the surface because we couldnt see anything down there. Also, murky waters could disorient a diver, which could be risky. I was beginning to get confused myself.

Our second attempt went okay. We finally saw the boat lying right side up. As I looked everywhere, I saw a solitary fan coral, a sign that I had reached the seabed. I momentarily entertained myself with sight of the lovely white fan coral, how life found its way to survive in such harsh environment.

Then I reflected that if a helpless thing like the white fan coral had survived the ordeal, so could I. It was good reassurance for me. And given that my dive instructor himself was my buddy, I felt secure; with Sir Emi nothing could go wrong.

It also helped that the water current was mild that I could hardly feel it. But despite efforts of all of us divers to stay close together, we got separated. At one point I lost sight of the other two volunteer divers; I would have gotten worried if I didn’t know that the two were competent enough to know what to do in any eventuality. 

It was very difficult to navigate and take photos. At another point, I noticed that my buddy, Sir Emi, was deeply breathing through his regulator and constantly checking his dive computer. I grabbed his buoyancy control device or BCD and towed him along as I finned towards the bow of the boat. Sir Emi, being a huge man, was quite some bulk to move. But we did it – my buddy was able to take photos.

Every certified diver knows that whenever he notices that his dive buddy is not beside him,  he must stop, turn a full circle looking out and up. Then, if there’s no sign of his buddy around, he must begin his own normal ascent to the surface. Buddy System is very important in scuba diving because a buddy can save the other diver’s life.

Therefore, choosing a buddy is a crucial preparatory step for a diver. The choice must be someone the diver can trust with his life. Anything can happen down there.

Both buddies must be truly comfortable with each other. They must thoroughly discuss the objective of the dive before plunging into the waters. Dive planning is very important, particularly on matters of SEEDS – Safety, Equipment, Exercise, Discipline, Signals.

Underwater, divers communicate by hand signals. They also try to read each other’s body movements. It can sometimes seem like they read each other’s minds.