Christine and I had decided to come to Malaysia to do our Padi Open Water Diver Course.... There are beautiful fish, pretty coral and, most importantly, the sea is warm.

We completed the course over 3 days - the first day of which was spent practicing our underwater 'skills'.... Like taking off our mask, throwing away our respirator and other such riveting things.

I think our instructor thought we were completely crazy! We were both totally comfortable at the bottom of the ocean, floating around, adjusting our buoyancy, at one with the fish, talking with turtles, dancing with jellyfish.... I was just not so good at making it down there. The whole 'equalizing' the ear pressure thing is not easy. It's like my head is going to implode and feels something like the hangover you have if you've started in on a bottle of tequila and forgotten to stop.

We are both now proud owners of a Scuba Diva T-shirt - I kid you not.