In Bunaken, water is air – literally and metaphorically. Literally, as the word for water in Indonesian is
Air. Metaphorically, because this is one of the world’s greatest diving sites. They live and breath water.
It is their life – their food source, play ground, and office. In the warm waters in this protected Marine
Park, there are more species of fish than in the entire Caribbean sea.

So, what was I doing there? I’m scared of deep water.

The sea deep. Very deep. Teenage-Emo-kid deep. You know how high mountains are? Well, the sea is
deeper. When people say they are scared of heights, that’s fine, understandable. You could trip and fall
after all. But deep water – that’s kid’s stuff. You grow out of it like you grow out of socialism. You realise
that Jaws was just a film.

But let me paint you a picture. Imagine you’re on, say, the edge of a tall building – the world’s tallest.
Like Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible. Perched precariously, the wind and sense of vertigo let you know
that you’re high. You can see the edge of the building dropping straight down.

Now imagine that 30metres below are clouds. And the clouds are all around you. A 30m zone where
you can see. Add to this picture flocks of birds, flying around. But they’re not scared of you – they come
close, explore, nibble. Then, you see something else, just in the clouds – flying snakes, flying spiders,
and, maybe, why not, an 18ft flying tiger. All swirling around you, above your head, almost out of view –
ominous shadows. Everywhere. For miles around you. Species in the sky that have yet to be discovered.
Aliens, essentially.

This is how I feel about deep water. Floating in space surrounded by nothing – emptiness filled with
dangerous animals.

So why then am I on a plane heading to this small island? Because my girlfriend suggested it? Yes, a bit.
To overcome my fears? Maybe. Because I haven’t really thought this through? More than likely.

Snorkeling

To warm up we decide that some light snorkeling would be a good idea. How this is different from diving
I do not know. I was, literally, in deep water. Some of my fears are allayed by the dive masters. Bunaken,
he boldly claims, is perfect for snorkeling. The reef, and thus fish, is just five metres below the surface.
And visibility is remarkably high. Perfect.

So, after two hours hunting for dolphins (two spotted though I’m informed there are hundreds of them
around the islands), we picked a spot and readied ourselves for some serious snorkeling action.

Now, another reasons that Bunaken is so good for diving and snorkeling is that, although the reef is
shallow and close to the coast, it has a ‘wall’. Not a barrier stopping me being swept out to sea as I
hoped but a sheer drop to, in some parts, 1,500metres. This is the kind of drop Wile E Coyote would

hover over comically for a few seconds,feet still running, before dropping to his death (what,he survives
– but how?)

I’m told that the currents of cold water from the deep, and warm water on the surface, are perfect for
fishes. We cautiously (well, I was cautious, the rest of the boat were excited – and a bit disappointed
by the lack of dolphins) approached our drop off point. I looked down over the edge of the boat. It was
dark – the kind that swallows you up.

The boat slowed to one engine -still we hovered over the dark abyss. I turned back to the boat – brave
face only skin deep. This was it – there was no going back. Not in a boat full of people who’d brought
their own snorkeling gear. So, I turned back to see my final resting place, and there it was – a Huge
Shark! Not really- it was the reef, just there below the surface.

It looked mere feet away -touching distance and in sparkling HD. I could see everything and, combined
with the unbearable heat in the boat, this stunning view seemed to draw me in. My legs were over the
edge of the boat and I was getting prepared to leap in. I’d be first in as well. Well, maybe but not quite.
My bravado failed me for a moment allowing my girlfriend to overtake me and jump in. But I followed
soon after.

And, moments later my head was below the surface. It was like swimming with an aquarium strapped to
my face. Every colour, shape, size and species of fish was there. But snorkeling was just a small step. The
Frito Misto starter to my Tuna Steak main.

The Dive

Organizsd by the Bunaken Beach Resort , I was to go on a Discovering Scuba dive, which teaches you the
basics (clearing your mask, how to go up and down, a few hand signals), and has a dive master drag you
around the reefs. There was no secret tricks on how to beat a shark in hand to fin combat but, after my
snorkeling success, I felt confident.

But, this wasn’t snorkeling. I wouldn’t be floating happily on the surface, boat in sight. We were going
over the top, off the cliff and into the abyss.

The funny thing is, it didn’t scare me and I can’t explain why (sorry for anyone looking for answers).
Just as I found it hard to explain why I was (and still am) scared of deep water (see rambling opening
paragraphs), it’s just as hard to explain why I didn’t panic. Even stranger is that, if I think about deep
chasms of water now, I’ll still get that tightness and panic in my chest. I think it’s like a big old house in
the middle of nowhere. When you imagine it dark, creaky and full of ghosts it’s scary. But when you see
it during the day, you can’t remember why you were scared.

And so, I was able to enjoy my first ever dive. More than enjoy, I feel Bunaken has spoiled me for future
dives, as it was one of the most beautiful sights that not only I, but they aforementioned experienced
divers, had seen. Thousands of fish seemed to fall from above like multi-coloured snowflakes. Huge sea
turtles floated along without a care for my awe and, fortunately not seen by me, a white tipped reef
shark did not suddenly turn and devour the divers, but ignored than, probably realising that we weren’t
worth the hastle.

But it wasn’t just fish – there were coral, anemones, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, sea scorpions, lion fish,
parrot fish (people need to come up with some better ways of naming aquatic life forms other than
the ‘land animal plus sea/fish technique). The Marine Park has around seven times more genera of coral
than Hawaii, and has more than 70% of all the known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific. That’s a
lot of fish.

Bunaken opened a whole new world for me, and while I’ve not been back diving yet (for reasons of cost
and the fact the snorkeling in Bunaken is as good as diving), I can now go into any trendy East London
pub and join in with chats about ‘diving with sea turtles off the coast of Indonesia.’ I’m now one of those
people. And for that, I apologise.

By JONATHAN BROWN