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Zoethout's Open Water Diving Experience

During the September holidays, one of our Kaia Initiative Open Water Diving contest winners Zoethout took her PADI Open Water course and became a certified scuba diver!

Let's hear from Zoethout about her experience as a 16-year-old student who had the opportunity to take the Open Water course at S.E.A. Aquarium sponsored by Kaia Initiative, and how diving felt for the very first time!


Hi I'm Zoethout, but you can call me Z.

I first found out about Kaia Initiative through an artist who had advertised the competition. I wanted to work as a shark scientist and I knew this line of work was very competitive. So I thought, why not? I submitted an animation that took several days to finish. Since it was in the middle of my busy coursework season, I submitted it an hour past the deadline but fortunately, my submission was accepted. 

Imagine my surprise when I got into the top 10! 


I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to go diving at first, but wouldn't you know it – a slot opened up for me and I was able to obtain my license.

The diving was fun, but a little terrifying at first. The water was really cold, but it got warmer the more I got to swim around. Plus, it was really nice being submerged in water, very floaty and kind of freeing. The instructors were very understanding, nice, clear and concise. It was easy to follow their instructions above and underwater. I got the hang of it pretty quickly.


It was so amazing, I got to swim next to sharks and rays. It was so cool getting to swim in the same waters as a leopard shark and see them clearly without the blue hue and smudged glass. I even found half an eagle ray tooth (something near impossible to find in the wild, as my instructors told me)!

Overall, I'm really happy that I got to experience this, it is not everyday you get to see a hammerhead and manta ray in the same dive.

Hopefully in the future I could further my diving experiences, so I can be an efficient shark scientist and help research and educate others about these wonderful creatures and their environment.


-Zoethout, 16


Want to hear more about our youth contest winners' experiences?

Read more articles by our Open Water Diving contest winners here!


Follow us on Instagram @kaiainitiative for more updates!

 
 
 

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