Day Started at 9, well I was up early but Giel collected me from my budget accommodation and I rode bitch on Giel's scooter to Le'Meridien where Seafun have a dive shop in the hotel, had a quick tour met more interesting and colourful people who I will eventually try to remember all their names. Dive instructors at least the good ones always seem to be interesting, often entertaining they are not your average 9-5 office workers they do it for the pleasure, even if they bitch and moan like a pack of girls don't believe it for a minute!
Day started slow was supposed to watch the dive master video where I am sure subliminal messages from Padi will tell me to buy more gear, like I need encouragement... but this was not to be we searched for an hour in the hotel swimming pool looking for a lost wedding ring, unfortunately though we scoured the bottom and enlisted a bunch of kids to search the pool the ring was not to be found. I wonder how many wedding rings are lost on the honey moon? Not a bad omen I think, wouldn't read into this.
Next came intro to scuba in the hotel pool, a few kids were keen to try. Giel dragged them round one by one while they breathed their 1st breaths of tank air, perhaps its addictive and that's the real reason I love diving. They all seemed to have fun even the shiest kid eventually had a go they all left smiling.
Next <play ominous music here> there was a last minute booking for 13 people to do discover scuba, a short introduction and practice in the pool followed by a basic dive from the beach to give people a taste. Not sure why yet but it seems discover scuba is the most groaned about task for an instructor. No wonder keeping an eye on kids is trouble enough but 13 underwater, diving for the 1st time.
Helped setup and cart the gear around for all the would be DSD's no more easy going for James, I still don't know the drill but at least I can help with a lot of things, nothing better to do anyway. The instructors ran around checking everything, double checking sizes number or fins weight belts and more. Everything seemed to come together just in time for the arrival of the would be Jacque Couesteaus. Once they watched a short video we geared them up and headed for the pool jumped had a big group photo, 13 DSD's is not so common. Parents and Dive shop alike armed themselves with an arsenal of cameras from DSLR to Instamatic the event was not under-documented.
Next skills in the pool, I am just watching and helping if the need arises and someone more qualified is not waiting and ready. Mask Clearing partial and full, recovering your regulator and purging the water were the skills demonstrated and practiced. This followed by a short swim in the pool and basic instruction on the use of the BCD(Bouyancy control device).
New skills eager to be used headed with the kids to the beach with me and the instructors, my 91st dive and 1st time I dived from the beach! Pretty calm not like the beaches back home. The waves are a little hindrance getting in wouldn't really want to gear up in big surf. We paddled out to about 40meters till the water was deep enough for a descent, did a last check everyone OK and down we went. A good place for beginners lost of sandy bottom to stop on. Giel took the lead for the 3 DSDs in our care and myself watching closely from behind in case anyone needed my help. Shortly in the dad of the two kids had a little trouble he started to flounder a bit and as I was close I quickly moved in to see what was upsetting him, broken mask strap! I quickly settled him on the bottom and super instructor was there in a flash to take over and provide a spare mask while I watched the other kids. Disaster averted and off we went.
*Note to self: take a spare mask when diving with beginners.
We headed off again and did a u-shape out left and then back towards the beach leaving us close to sure with a short swim back to the beach every one had a good time the kids were smiling, dad had his underwater emergency story to take back home and the conversation moved to sharks of the brown variety... <play jaws theme song here> a little gear packing certificate giving and hear I am typing my blog. Its my 1st ever so if I break with any blogging conventions too bad I like breaking the rules.
Day started slow was supposed to watch the dive master video where I am sure subliminal messages from Padi will tell me to buy more gear, like I need encouragement... but this was not to be we searched for an hour in the hotel swimming pool looking for a lost wedding ring, unfortunately though we scoured the bottom and enlisted a bunch of kids to search the pool the ring was not to be found. I wonder how many wedding rings are lost on the honey moon? Not a bad omen I think, wouldn't read into this.
Next came intro to scuba in the hotel pool, a few kids were keen to try. Giel dragged them round one by one while they breathed their 1st breaths of tank air, perhaps its addictive and that's the real reason I love diving. They all seemed to have fun even the shiest kid eventually had a go they all left smiling.
Next <play ominous music here> there was a last minute booking for 13 people to do discover scuba, a short introduction and practice in the pool followed by a basic dive from the beach to give people a taste. Not sure why yet but it seems discover scuba is the most groaned about task for an instructor. No wonder keeping an eye on kids is trouble enough but 13 underwater, diving for the 1st time.
Helped setup and cart the gear around for all the would be DSD's no more easy going for James, I still don't know the drill but at least I can help with a lot of things, nothing better to do anyway. The instructors ran around checking everything, double checking sizes number or fins weight belts and more. Everything seemed to come together just in time for the arrival of the would be Jacque Couesteaus. Once they watched a short video we geared them up and headed for the pool jumped had a big group photo, 13 DSD's is not so common. Parents and Dive shop alike armed themselves with an arsenal of cameras from DSLR to Instamatic the event was not under-documented.
Next skills in the pool, I am just watching and helping if the need arises and someone more qualified is not waiting and ready. Mask Clearing partial and full, recovering your regulator and purging the water were the skills demonstrated and practiced. This followed by a short swim in the pool and basic instruction on the use of the BCD(Bouyancy control device).
New skills eager to be used headed with the kids to the beach with me and the instructors, my 91st dive and 1st time I dived from the beach! Pretty calm not like the beaches back home. The waves are a little hindrance getting in wouldn't really want to gear up in big surf. We paddled out to about 40meters till the water was deep enough for a descent, did a last check everyone OK and down we went. A good place for beginners lost of sandy bottom to stop on. Giel took the lead for the 3 DSDs in our care and myself watching closely from behind in case anyone needed my help. Shortly in the dad of the two kids had a little trouble he started to flounder a bit and as I was close I quickly moved in to see what was upsetting him, broken mask strap! I quickly settled him on the bottom and super instructor was there in a flash to take over and provide a spare mask while I watched the other kids. Disaster averted and off we went.
*Note to self: take a spare mask when diving with beginners.
We headed off again and did a u-shape out left and then back towards the beach leaving us close to sure with a short swim back to the beach every one had a good time the kids were smiling, dad had his underwater emergency story to take back home and the conversation moved to sharks of the brown variety... <play jaws theme song here> a little gear packing certificate giving and hear I am typing my blog. Its my 1st ever so if I break with any blogging conventions too bad I like breaking the rules.
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