FOR MY first dive, Ispent 20 mins under the water – after spending twice that amount of time trying to squeeze into my wet suit.
I held my breath, contorted my body and jumped up and down as dive instructor Valerie pulled and tugged the suit around me.
Sharm El Sheikh is scorching in mid-winter but can be a bit nippy in mid-January, hence covering up from top to toe before entering the water is advised.
Finally, fully dressed and laden down with weights and an air tank on my back, I waddled from the dive centre to the beach for my shore dive, wishing I looked as cool as Valerie.
The good thing about dressing in all the gear is that sunbathers on the beach can’t tell whether you’re a beginner or not. Iheld my head up, and walked confidently to the shore pretending I’d done this dive thing a hundred times before.
After putting on flippers and deflating my jacket so Icould sit on the bottom of the sea, Valerie took my hand and we went off on our underwater adventure, swimming among all manner of underwater life and slowing down to get a closer look inside a coral reef.