Last weekend I spent three days in Croatia completing my open water dives for my SCUBA certification.  It was one of those weekends that was totally exhausting and relaxing all at the same time.

I have wanted to learn to scuba for years but I never made the time.  I have also wanted to go to Croatia since I was 18, and again, I never made the time.  But now I can say I am a scuba diver and I have been to Croatia!

We stayed at Stoja (pronounced Stoy-Yah) campground near Pula, which is an old Roman city.  The campground had space for tents, RVs, and an area for “cabins”, but they weren’t actually cabins, they were mobile homes with decks built onto the back.  The cabins were fantastic!  They were clean, had a working stove top (no oven) and a table on the deck to hang out and relax.  They were also right on the water!  We entered the water for most of our dives right where I was standing to take this picture, talk about convenient!

After our first day of diving the entire group went into the city of Pula.  Pula is cool because it used to be an ancient Roman town, and many of the buildings are still in very good condition.  In fact, the Roman amphitheater in Pula is one of the best preserved.  Unfortunately, I didnt get to go inside because there was a concert going on that night, but I did get some pretty cool shots of the perimeter.

The Pula Amphitheater is not the only one that does concerts, in fact the one in Verona does Operas!  This summer Romeo and Juliet is being performed in the Verona Amphitheater, how cool is that!!!

My last dive of the weekend was my favorite.  It was a boat dive so we got to speed along the coast in a zodiac to the dive site, then we rolled backwards off the edge of the boat into the water, which kind of made me feel like a Navy SEAL.  Just kidding. No, I’m not.

We stayed under for a long time and explored an underwater cavern and lots of  cool rock formations.  Apparently this area is known for sea horses but we didnt see any.  Guess how mad I am at myself for not buying an underwater camera before this trip… If you guessed super-pissed you are correct.

You are not supposed to drink for at least 12 hours before a dive so all weekend we had been abstaining from alcohol, but after the last dive it was time to relax.  I went with my usual carafe of red wine but immediately had drink envy when I saw some of my friends with their glasses of half orange soda and half red wine.  I know it sounds strange, just try it.  I also discovered the Whiskey Shake.  A milkshake made with whiskey!

As you can see I am pretty red after two days in the sun, and it only got worse the next day.  Almost a week later I am still red and starting to peel, not a comfortable or attractive state to be in…

The only thing that annoyed me about this weekend was that my fins were way too big for my feet so I had to safety pin them on (I have normal size feet in case you were wondering), usually when I was already in the water.  Actually, most of the time my dive buddies had to safety pin them on for me since it is awkward to do yourself, thanks guys!  Notice the bright pink around my waist in the water?  Thats my awesome pink weight belt.  The new smaller fins I ordered?  Also pink.  By the time I am done accessorizing I am going to look like a giant pink shark treat, and it is going to be awesome…