‘Ahh, I just love the smell of wetsuits in the morning!’ My buddy closed his eyes and inhaled deeply walking through the door. It was one minute past nine, and staff were still in the process of switching the dive centre sign around to open.

We were the first customers of the day.

Random though that comment seemed, it did hold a grain of truth. Wetsuits do have a subtle smell. And in a world where our five human senses get culled once underwater, smell being one of the main ones, you come to recognise fragrances on land with that bit more respect.

Salt water does have a particular fragrance, as does stagnant water. Though ‘stench’ may be a more apt synonym for that one.

But underwater? Nothing. It can smell like the delicate scent of the inside of our masks, whether that be toothpaste or antifog. But apart from that, we cannot smell a thing! It’s probably a good thing. If you dive girls have ever smelt a dead fish, or kelp that’s been on the shore for a while, you’ll know why. But imagine if that sense remained with us at depth. Sniff, sniff…oh, here comes a turtle.

Because different plants and fish probably do have their own aroma, just like flowers on land. And…well…skunks.

Not only does smell aid our other senses in being, it is also the primary sense related to memory. ‘Tabu’ perfume, cut grass, wood smoke. All bring with them a certain reminder, an image in the mind. It will vary from person to person. Nanna, Summer and Winter. That’s mine. So how underwater should it be any different for us scuba girls? Apart from that our noses aren’t designed to inhale when surrounded by any other element except air. (I know. I’ve tried it. My sinuses were clear for days.)

And I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed the flood of aromas that hit us after a dive. Shampoo that lingers under our removed hood. Boat engine fumes. And wetsuit wash. They were always there anyway. But post-dive they seem that bit stronger. And it has to be because that olfactory function is halted for the duration of the dive.

In a world where humans are categorized by those five particulars, then underwater we scuba girls must become something else. But it doesn’t matter, or bother us. By losing those things we gain others. Lack of gravity for instance. I’m not complaining!