Since I was a kid I used to run away from home to dwell into deep forest where I will be lost and admire nature and then once hunger strike, I usually find my way back home 😄.
But the thrill of the unknown was so awesome, I was always enthralled to be diving into nature and to be connected to something I never really understood at that given time.
I discovered diving when I was a kid. Only freediving as I could not afford scuba in Mauritius. And freediving is not for everyone as it was not for me at the start, I had to trained and go beyond the mind, body and practice lots of breath-hold techniques to be good at it.
Later when I was 17, I did my open water course. After that day I could not be more happier. I did many other water activities; and to be in the water is wonderful experience. To be in the water was like the best therapeutic experience; to surrender fully in the limitless arm of the ocean.
Since my last episode from the hyperbaric chamber, some kind of magic happened to me.
Long story short I will compressed it as short as it can be and anything you wanna asked me, feel free. Every experiences was exceptional.
It all happened 3-4 years ago, I was on a freediving spreee, decided to master my craft and further develop my breath hold.
I went to a wreck dive in Brighton known as Cerberus. I am PADI freediver incase you are wondering. I was with two other buddies who I was training with as a beginner. I had to say hello to the local coast guard and life saver on top and get all the info needed so I don't harm or go against wreck's legislation.
After my training with the two buddy I went to a deeper water which is 45 mins away from the wreck about 15 metres deep and start looking at all the amazing life which I think only a freediver will have more chance to explore.
Well after around 23 multiple dives and surface interval, it got really choppy around 45kms/hr and waves crashing towards the shore. I got pretty tired after 3 hours swimming around.
I decided to head back as the my other 2 buddies exited to other shallow water already. Coming out at the rocky exit I got smashed against the rock and my toes got between sharp rocks and had my toe nails flip over.
I immediately went to the hospital and explained what happened. Two nurses took care of me and assessed the injury. They informed the principal what happened and they told me they will give me nitous oxide to help with the pain and do the procedure.
I told the principal again I was freediving and be mindful on what you will administered as it can be hazardous.
The principal got back to me after 15 mins and said nothing will happened as I was only freediving.
They administered nitrous oxide and start the procedure and I was so high 🤣 and they did removed the toe nail and bandage it.
Later that same night my pulse dropped so low that it was impossible to breathe. I had to go to Alfred hospital at South Yarra, where the only hyperbaric chamber is available in the state.
All kind of doctors was assessing me and could not find a clue. We had to go through all the scan, X-rays, CRT and MRI SCAN available and did many different test with different field of doctors. We went through all major test in the hospital from night till the next day. Still in atrocious pain.
No pain killers would work and it was just exhausting.
Lots of sample of blood test has been taken and Finally they found something in my brain and nervous system. I was half dead- my body would not connect or react to my brain.
Pulse rate dropped so bad that the machine would screamed every minutes but I would really had to breathe and keep going. My mind would not want me to grasp air and my body got no energy to let the air absorbed in the lungs.
That experience what I am describing is not even close to pain. Pain is something we know, this was something I never ever really thought human has to go through.
Body would not function normal, I was not able to walk straight. Spine was not full functional and I would near collapse every step I would try to take. I had no energy left in my system to even think, was so much pain in my head and wanted to just break free from that misery at every second.
They administered pure oxygen and kept it over my nose.
But I never gave up, every time my pulse went very low and I would just grasp one breath to come back to a more sublime state. I think they were sending all these hot nurses to check on me and talk to me every 10-15 minutes lol 😂. Which pretty much worked and kept me going, they would talk to me forever and telling me stories.
I spend few days in hyperbaric chamber and I know pretty much every spot in Alfred hospital. I was in a wheel chair and gain some movements and was better after the 3rd day. We followed some US navy charts deep as 30 metres, the more deeper I go the better the nitrogen would dissolved and come out pretty happy, it's like diving with no water.
I became accustomed with the hyperbaric unit, my freediving instructor called Dan and report the incident. Had a chat to them but they would not get involved as the head of the ICU was a current DAN's doctor himself. Something happened with Dan and the hospital, but who cares I was alive. I was really grateful to see the light again. Many things could have turn south but looking at how much care I received from all the doctors and staffs, I feel so much gratitude towards the hospital to save me. I would never thought I would made it to this best self of me today.
Today I am high on life and really grateful and people would literally think I am on some kind of drugs. As to really know what we have ultimately, we have to lose everything we have. To gain nothing we want physically but to thrive and connect to the ultimate source that drives us - "Oxygen"
Today I feel our mind have more ability than we know and to unlock that pattern you have to be out of your comfort zone. There was lots of activity in my brain which looks like pepper dust on the MRI. Blue color but that decrease the more time I spend in the chamber. To dissolve that it was not an easy task, and every time there was something new happening in me and science does-not understand it but the ICU head told me that I am not alone in what I experience.
Sometime I get no taste of the food I am eating and sometime I lost scent and can't smell anything. Food I eat I have to focus on it to really taste it. I have never meditate before the incident but now that's all I DO 🦋.
I was cleared after 7 month of treatment and start eating healthy and organic food. I am banned from drinking and taking any psychoactive or recreational drugs and medication like pain killers does not work on me.
Feel like a superhuman today as what I see, feel and hear and amount of activity in my mind is pure awesomeness but you lose some and to gain some. The is a fine line of balance between how you feel and how you want to feel.
Today I feel I am a very safe diver when it come to personal experience with air, I respect the air I breathe, we take it for granted but I respect every sense of it, I get high just by breathing it. I show gratitude every morning for the life that was bestowed upon me.
Joining ADI, meeting with Steve and Ting was a life changer. It changed my life coordinates for the best. I could not be more safer around these guys and today I am following their lead by becoming the safest diver anyone could ever want to dive with.
ADI & staffs have integrity and is very loyal to its member. It's black on white, they have only the best advice you can get and the most fun divers I have met along my journey.
Thank you kindly for caring for us and having a little blog space for us to share with each other.
Thank you Steve and Ting for leading me into a better person than I was yesterday. ❤🙏🏾🐬
- Aza