Open Writing

When I was in the military, I was a sub aqua diver. Many a time I enjoyed myself in the depths of the oceans, whether in the dark cold waters of the UK or swimming with the fishes in the warm clear waters overseas. It was all the same to me. I enjoyed every minute of it.

I remember a time in Holland. Wearing a heavyweight belt and carrying my fins, I entered the calm inviting sea from a sun-drenched beach, not realising there was a hidden ledge not too far away from the coast with a big drop to the seabed. I soon found out about it! That surprise taught me never to take anything for granted.

I wasn't always a good swimmer. I didn’t become interested in water sports until I joined the army. In fact up to then I had been afraid of water, ever since an incident as a child of ten when I entered a swimming gala competition. This was at a school gala in Feversham Street baths in Bradford. I entered an event even though I had never swum a stroke in my young life. I needed the entrance money.

When my step-mother heard that I had entered she exclaimed ‘You can’t swim! You've never even been to the swimming baths.''

I informed her that I regularly visited the school swimming baths at Lapage Street, which was true. But she was right in the first instance. I couldn’t swim, but I had jumped in the deep end many a time and there’d been no problem. Anyway I had only entered for the diving competition, so how hard could that be?

On the night of the competition I watched as the other divers took their turn. They were all applauded by the audience. Then it was my turn. I was neither scared nor nervous. I mounted the steps and copied what the other divers had done. Or so I thought. Unfortunately I belly-flopped on the water then went to the bottom of the pool.

Somehow I managed to get back to the surface in time to hear a woman screaming "Save him!''

Then I went down again. I could see the bright lights in the ceiling as they filtered through the water. All was peaceful. Then there was something near me. It reached out and grabbed me. It was another swimmer. He brought me back to the surface, and safety.

When I joined the army, I was posted to Hong Kong. I informed the instructors that I could not swim. I was taken to the swimming baths under the watchful eye of a corporal swimming coach. He threw me in at the deep end of the pool and told me to swim.

And I went on to become a sub-aqua diver.

I’ve learned in life that if you have a fear the only way to overcome it is to meet it head on. Then when you are no longer afraid you wonder what all the fuss was about.

Ohhhhh! Help! Betty! There's a spider coming towards me!