PARWICH.ORG

Parwich artist Esther Tyson is working on a project to immortalise the seahorses of Dorset in art – but first of all, she has to learn to swim underwater! Esther’s project diary continues below…

Day Eleven.

I’m back from London in time to grab my swim bag and walk to Matt’s. (Matt is a dive instructor in Parwich!) The prep talk is over and we are in the pool, discussing what comes next. Tonight, we are going for a bit of depth.

“But first, I would like you to leave your mask on the side – and, breathing with your regulator, go under.”

I didn’t see that coming. I ready myself above water, breathe in, breathe out, in, out… It takes me a couple of minutes to get my head under water, but I’m under!

I’m breathing steadily through the regulator for a minute or less; it just feels longer. No water up my nose!

Squatting in fins is difficult; I end up with one knee bent and one foot forward, with the other knee on the tiled floor and the other foot back for balance while we prepare. Ready, I bring my left fin round, getting into position for the swim, but as I do, the weight distribution shifts. My tank is now heavier than my body and I pirouette to an upside down turtle. It makes me laugh and my mask immediately fills with water! Managing to clear it – while at the same time upside down, laughing and letting more in – isn’t good!

Matt grabs my strap and rights me. Thank goodness for that! Now for the deep end…

We are going to swim along the bottom of the pool until we reach the point where it plummets, then follow this line and return to the shallows.

We swim toward the deep end… or by “swim”, I mean “bounce”. I kick my legs, but it’s heavy work. I’m doing a wheelbarrow, walking on my hands and kicking my feet… ish.

I turn 90 degrees to my left, move forward… and in taking the second turn, somehow end up sitting on the bottom. My feet seem to have a life of their own and want to float to the surface. My bottom is planted and not moving anywhere. I feel my brain try to work out what to do and I’m flummoxed. I get the giggles at my predicament… and, OH NO, laughter lines break the seal and my mask is filling with water! Again!

The advice later on is to fill your pack with enough air to get your body above your feet and then you can turn. Why didn’t I think of that?

We are under for 35 minutes and I’ve cleared my mask repeatedly. From beginning to end it’s my own fault, but it proves I can do it!

The last challenge is to work our way to full depth. We start slow. I can feel the pressure building in my ears.

“There are many equalization techniques… Some divers pinch their noses, some swallow and some move their jaw around…some do a combination.”

I opt for ‘pinch your nose’ and slowly edge deeper. The pressure in my right ear seems easy to release, but my left doesn’t respond. I sign that I’m not happy and we slowly surface.

“I’m having trouble with my left ear.”

Matt talks me through the process once more and we head down for another go. We descend slowly, repeat, but my left ear still doesn’t want to equalize and the pain is rising. We abandon the attempt and return to the shallow end. Disappointed.

All this work, and I hope to goodness I’m not thwarted by the physical side of things!

A weekend away.

I’ve just returned from a weekend on Anglesey.

The Anglesey Sea Zoo has one of the two species of seahorses that I will be working on in Dorset: the Hippocampus hippocampus, or short-snouted seahorse. And after the last dive, I needed distraction!

It’s been good to get to know my subject in this controlled environment. Drawing them now will stand me well when I come to draw them in the sea…

For you, a taster of things to come:
(Click to enlarge)