The Other Side of the Lake

During my time in Nkhata Bay I have met a host of people full of excitement upon completing their PADI Open Water Diving courses, and so I decided it was time for me to take the plunge and see what all the fuss was about. My only previous diving experience came in Hawaii when I was fifteen, although ten years on that was all but a distant memory, and so it was off to Aqua Africa to discover the amazing world that lies under the surface of the lake.

My Dive Buddies John and Louise

My only real knowledge of the aquatic life in the lake came from BBC's Planet Earth series, and knowing that footage was filmed where I would be diving only served to heighten my excitement and anticipation. But before I could explore the depths of the lake I had to learn the basics, and without swelling his ego Johnny is as good an instructor as I could have asked for.

Gearing Up For A Dive

Over the four day course there was a gradual progression of skills, learnt in confined water sessions, leading into open water dives and culminating in a theory exam and a dive purely for pleasure at the end. Throughout the course my love for diving quickly developed, and by the end of it I was eager to take my diving further, with the next logical step being the PADI Advanced Open Water course.

Divers Ready For The Off

It is difficult to explain the feeling one has when swimming fifteen metres below the surface, being able to breath perfectly normally whilst looking at aquatic life that most only see on television. It is almost a state of meditation, floating through the water as endless species of fish swim around you, your mind empty of thoughts and overwhelmed at what it's seeing.

A Perfect Day At Lake Malawi

For me the highlight of the two courses had to be the night dive, which is part of the Advanced Open Water course, although the deep dive to thirty metres was also a special experience. The night dive was the exact dive that the BBC did to film a section of their Planet Earth series, and having seen it several times it was truly remarkable to then witness the show in real life.

Diving with torches, and the natural moonlight, the lake is an eery place in the dark, especially given a whole host of different fish come out - the chief, and most sinister, of these being the Dolphin fish. These long, ugly fish hunt at night, and take advantage of the torch light to find Cichlids to eat, meaning there is always a pack of them swimming within a few feet of you.

What A Lovely Bunch!

If you have a sadistic streak in you, as is the case with me, you can shine your light on an unsuspecting Cichlid and watch as a Dolphin fish snaps him up as a tasty snack. Knowing this there was something of a competition between our group of divers to see who could get the most Cichlids eaten, which is surprisingly good fun. I now expect to have animal rights protestors hounding me for my cruelty to poor Cichlids, but in my defence we were simply speeding up the inevitable - at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

With an offer to come back to Aqua Africa to do my Dive Master course there is a distinct possibility I will be back in Malawi later this year, if not then then when I have finished my travels. Diving has struck a chord in my heart and is something I can see myself getting into in a big way. There will be a few more dives here before taking my new learnt skills to Zanzibar to see a different underwater world again.

I am not normally one for plugging companies, but I feel I would be doing people out of some great advice if I didn't do so now. If you are ever in Malawi and want to learn to dive, or simply want to do a dive, then Aqua Africa and their night dive is an experience not to be missed.

As for me now I have a few days of casual diving before Matt (my brother for those who don't know) arrives out here, which sees the start of the journey towards Tanzania and our hike up Mount Kilimanjaro. Tales of our adventures together will appear here, so come back soon to see what we have been getting up to. And remember for those who want to email me my address is marcus_leach@hotmail.com and you can also see my work for Sky Travel at http://travel.sky.com/inspiration/blogs/Through-African-Eyes

Lazy Days At Aqua Africa

The Other Side of the Lake

Nkhata Bay, Malawi