Retire at 40. This is something that I have always said. Now I am 40years old am I retired? That is a story for another blog post. I would have never thought that I would find myself scuba diving. TheFrugalDoctor was born in a landlocked country on the African Continent. Who would have thought that this would be something I would get to do?

The thought of taking up scuba diving first occurred to me during my coming of age trip (30th birthday South East Asia). TheFrugalDoctor had got to snorkel parts of The Great Barrier Reef, Australia and Palawan, Phillipines. At that time I did not pursue scuba diving as sometimes I would find myself “freaking out” snorkeling. When I looked to see the deep vast blue of nothingness, fear suddenly consumed me. The snorkel felt like it had malfunctioned. A big shark was going to grab me. It is irrational, but I guess in that moment I felt so small in the big vastness of the sea.

We were planning our honeymoon TheHandsomeSurfer being the romantic suggested The Maldives. He had been there on a boat surf trip some decades prior. He figured we would have a great honeymoon there. There was a surf resort that would cater to both our surf abilities too. TheFrugalDoctor was crunching the numbers. A honeymoon in the Maldives would be expensive. Can we have a frugal honeymoon in the Maldives? I am sure we can find a way. How about we also stay on a local island and do some scuba diving? We found Fulidhoo in Vaavu Atoll.

Scuba diving would be another experience we can enjoy together. TheFrugalDoctor had to conquer her fears and get scuba certified. So on top of the wedding planning how about getting a PADI Open Water Dive certification? Challenge accepted. It will be a cost of $700 with our local dive shop. There will be some long online modules to do. We will need a whole weekend to do the practical aspects. Why not add this to the wedding to do list and budget? This would a worthwhile use of our money and time. Bill Perkins would be proud, keep building those memory dividends and die with zero.

TheFrugalDoctor successfully got the PADI Open Water certification. There were many laughs during the course. Instead of just descending by deflating my BCD (buoyancy control device), I would on occasion find myself going down headfirst. Like how you do if you were swimming underwater. Then there was the mask clearing exercise. I was vigorously snorting out the mask whilst also bopping my head. I am glad the divemaster and the crew I was learning with saw the funny side of this. In the end, getting that certification felt like a great achievement, the first of many diving adventures.

Diving in the Maldives was quite an experience warm 30 degree water, crystal clear water with so much marine life. I am so grateful to have shared the experience with TheHandsomeSurfer. We did 12 dives in total. The diving was an amazing highlight of our honeymoon. The highlight dive for me was at a site called Farukohli. What a dive, got to drift dive saw a school of eagle rays ,manta rays, turtles, sharks in the distance. Drifting with the current was surreal: letting go and being one with the sea. Fulidhoo will forever be a place of many memory dividends.

Turning 40 is a big milestone. I am not one for birthday parties, have only ever had 2 birthday parties in my adult life. A dive trip to Vanuatu would be a low key way to celebrate. I had said to my local divemaster, I was hoping to run a marathon for my 40th. They had suggested diving to 40 metres instead. After all, that would be easier on the body. I was not sure I about diving to that depth. I would need to have more diving experience. The suggestion planted the seed for a diving 40th birthday trip. Why Vanuatu? It’s a quick flight from Australia, and has some affordable diving. Also, we had never been there. It would be a country we get to experience together for the first time.

Serendipity would have the way we planned 10 dives in Vanuatu. On the 8th dive the awesome divemaster casually suggested a wreck dive with depth to 35-40metres. Getting to 40metres (131.2 ft) for my 40 years on this earth would be a possibility. It did eventuate TheFrugalDoctor got to 40.3metres, who would have thought? The dive went well. Diving to a depth of 40metres is a surreal experience. I noticed the sound of my heart in my head much louder. I noticed each breath even more. I needed more air from the regulator. In a way it’s almost akin to what my body has experienced at high altitude. The physiology is different, of course.


Bring on the 40th decade! I am older and wiser. In a space of seven months I have logged 29 dives. Scuba diving has opened my eyes to a whole new experience of the underwater world. I am no longer fearful of the deep vast blue of nothingness. I am proud that I have grown as a person. As I scuba, I am more aware of the power of the breath. Breathe slowly and deeply. I am attuned to my surroundings and my body. Another mindful activity for TheHandsomeSurfer and I. Bring on early retirement let’s go scuba! But scuba diving is expensive? Who says so we will continue to find frugal ways to enjoy scuba diving.
Retired at 40, NO.
Semi-retired at 40, YES.
Mini-retirement on the horizon, YES.
Working for the fun of it, YES.
Living Life On My Own Terms, YES.
I am overcome with gratitude. Birthdays for me have always been a time to think and take stock. Since the sea-change 7 years ago I have always had time off work during my birthday month. This gives me time to sit down with my own thoughts and journal. I am glad that my family agree to not make a fuss of my birthdays. When I look at the last 40 years I am humbled by the journey I have been on. I am living intentionally. I should thank 25-year-old me. Back then, I had a quarter-life crisis. I was a poor medical student with nothing to my name living in a small country town. It dawned to me then that I had the power to decide what I wanted in the future. So I wrote a list 25 things to do in the next 25 years. I am grateful I have dared to dream and I am seeing those dreams come to reality.
“DREAM BIG AND DARE TO FAIL ”
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