My name is Jiayong (Vic) Wu, and I'm a student at U of T studying Math and Philosophy. I was born in a city surrounded by rivers in China. Since then, I have had a special connection with water. Water contains beauty and fear at the same time. When I was in the third grade, I almost drowned in a pool, but whenever I think of that memory, the powerful water only attracts me more.

I left my hometown four years ago and moved to Vancouver, BC, where I got a better chance to communicate with water. I joined a dragon boat team in my high school and also took a scuba diving course for PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certificate in the summer of 2014. To me, this experience was priceless. After 5 practise dives in the pool, we finally got to do real diving in open water. We arrived at Porteau cove in Howe Sound in the morning and quickly prepared for diving. At first, the water was so warm because of the sun. The situation immediately changed after my gauge passed 50 meters. It was freezing, and the pressure and depression hit me. I couldn’t remember how much water I inhaled. Fortunately, I stabilized and the view I saw was absolutely amazing. Everything was crystal clear and the whole world was dyed emerald. Before we finished the first open water dive, we explored a wrecked ship. This is definitely a wonderful start for my diving life.