THROUGH MY EYES
THE NEWF DIVE AND STORY LAB | KENYA
“Hey Hey Joshua, hope you are well. My name is Thobile, most people call me Thobi and I am writing you from NEWF (the Nature Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers). We are so excited that you have shown interest in the latest NEWF Dive and Story Lab and our first cross-border Dive lab in Kenya in partnership with East African Ocean Explorers…” This is how it all began.
For a person who had been longing to learn how to dive, this could not have come at a better time. To begin with, diving is a necessary skill for anyone studying or working in the marine field - I have been part of a team of researchers, community members, and other stakeholders working to restore degraded coral reefs, amongst other things. To make it even better, storytelling and filmmaking were a part of this too! As a child, I had dreamt about floating around in space, as an astronaut. Of course, this was a long shot, but at least, I had a dream. Being able to defy the law of gravity underwater was a win for me because now, I am an astronaut in the ocean.
I met strangers who immediately became like family to me. First, I met Elke from East African Ocean Explorers who picked me up from the bus stop, and with whom I had spoken to on the phone several times before. Then I met Hassan, a cool guy; respectful, funny with a good sense of humor. He would perform his military drills and try to make them relevant to our lab. Moments later, Sue and Norah joined us; lovely ladies. Sue and I share a career background as she is also in Marine Science. Her knowledge of seagrasses is proficient, I would say, and I admire that. Norah is a talented photographer and is pretty good behind the lens. Later on, Jahawi, the other half of East African Explorers would join us as mentor/co-pilot to Elke for this amazing 10-day experience, taking us through underwater cinematography.
The first day of training was really important for me, because the foundation for the lab, and for life to come, was being laid. Our instructors; Steve, Helen, Arnold, Dominic, and Herbert; were great people, and I could tell they had tons of experience after a short interaction with them. We were taken through the introductory theory session before going for the swim test. Luckily, we all passed! Then we were taught how to gear up for a dive. This was interesting-it feels different each time you do it even though it’s the same process and doing it correctly by myself was such an achievement for me. Gearing up is anything but difficult. However, it is a very important activity because diving depends on it. It does not matter how experienced one is, the right procedure must be followed. Don’t forget the buddy checks! I didn’t find it hard; by just observing and following instructions, I did it just as required.
The first pool session gave a glimpse of what was to come, the feeling of being weightless without much effort, just like an astronaut in space. I was super excited. Later that evening, we were introduced to East African Ocean Explorers and had the opportunity to watch Bahari Yetu, a short documentary film created by Jahawi and Elke Bertolli. And just like that, I was introduced to a whole new interesting world of filmmaking and storytelling. The next 8 days would see me work around my discoveries; diving, underwater filming, and storytelling. I had imagined that underwater filming would be easy, but I was wrong. It is a highly technical skill that takes time and practice to master. I found it challenging but worth learning about.
Sessions that followed were similar to those of day one, but we were learning something new each day and building on what we had learned previously. Even though things were not easy; with lots of chapters to read in the evenings and knowledge reviews to complete, and practical sessions all day, especially on days with two dives, we managed to smile through it all and had lots of fun and laughter. For instance, we were learning underwater navigation during one of the dives. I was supposed to swim 15 kick cycles in a certain direction and back to the starting point. I however went beyond the distance, swimming at a neck-breaking speed and not looking back. Herbert, my instructor, was frantically chasing after me (Chasing Josh), trying to draw my attention. Elke was watching and trying hard not to burst into laughter. Norah, my dive buddy, was busy getting separated from us. Herbert had to leave me with Elke and go looking for her (Finding Norah). It’s only at the surface that Hassan and Sue shared their experience, and they also had separated. In the end, of course, we had improved and had learned how to use the compass and estimation of distance.
Then came the first open water dive, on day 3 of the lab. This was a special day for me. I had no idea I would be spending a whopping 40 minutes underwater, and at a depth of 12 meters! Let alone the deep dive that would soon follow. Doing the seated back entry roll like any professional diver anywhere in the world was mind-blowing to me. I made it.
By the end of the 10 days of the Dive and Story Lab, with a total of 9 training dives, I had learned a lot regarding diving, underwater cinematography, and storytelling. NEWF Fellows who had done Dive and/or Storytelling Labs before shared their experiences, advice, and success stories during our Zoom meetings. The stories behind My Octopus Teacher, Phefumla and Bahari Yetu were an inspiration and a place to learn from. I had also had my very first manicure, and guess what, from cleaner shrimps! I can’t wait to book my second appointment.
My perspective of the ocean has changed even more because now, I feel I’m part of the ocean, like an atom in an element. Everything that happens down there, and even at the surface, is somehow my business and responsibility. Thanks to the great minds behind the idea of the Dive and Story Labs, I finally feel that my purpose has been clearly defined. Conservation through storytelling. Bridging the gap between conservation science and the art of storytelling and the film industry. Being one of the newest NEWF fellows, one of the very first from Kenya for that matter, is a great honour and privilege. It’s something I had neither anticipated nor seen coming. I am grateful to be a part of this. Next stop: Dive Master and beyond!
By Joshua Oginda
