Day started at nine, again I slept like a log but was up at 6am. Burned a few emails and did the three S's Shit shower and shave, excuse the french. Email I have not quite quit the habit and here in Paradise I am typing this out for whoever cares to read my ramblings. Again picked up by Giel on the bike and off to the office at le'Meridian, most of the customers are picked up in the van as I am staying on the cheap side of town its more convenient riding bitch with Giel. I'm starting to get the feel for the way things run and don't feel quite so useless and can pitch in to help without asking questions every two minutes and I am starting to know where things are to be found.
One open water student today had paid for private tuition so for Giel an easier day than normal. Helping setup the gear is one of the things I am trusted with now the more you do it the easier it is, I'm a little spoiled from the past where dive companies setup for you. But for the would be DMT no more! You are there to lend a hand.
Off to the pool with our open water diver to practice some skills, mask clearing, mask removal and placement, fin pivots, swimming without a mask, tired diver tow, giant stride entry(demonstrated by yours truly!), buddy breathing, controlled emergency swimming ascent and I think that is it. Also a swim test for the open water diver and for me treading water for 15 minutes one of the skills I am tested, sounds easy I can float forever and tread water just about as long; I am not uncomfortable in the water. The catch though the last two minutes you have to do this with your arms out of the water, I'm not as fit as I have been in the past and I found this really tough I was struggling to keep my arms out of the water. Guess I need to pay attention to my fitness a little more. Anyway I can try to do this again better another day, maybe I will also start doing some laps of the beach to improve my fitness time allowing.
Next off to the beach! The open water diver was pretty good he did all the skills well and on the 1st attempt with only a little help here and there. That said our instructor was looking pretty pleased, I guess its always a pleasure to have a good student. The beach dive was relaxing and we saw a few things its a nice little reef off the beach we did not get as far yesterday with the kids but today with a confident student we were not so restricted and we found some lovely coral; giant bommies(Like Giant Giant Brains sprouting from the ocean floor) and smaller stuff starting to grow around the rocks closer to shore. A few fish around some schooling barracuda, some small to medium lion fish, spotted box fish and a big puffer.
Giel stepped back and let me stay close with his trainee and help without intervention he was really pretty good didn't need much help just tended to drift up a little as we got closer to the 5meter mark, gave him a spare weight which seemed to help a bit. With practice he will be a good diver when he learns to control buoyancy more with his breathing, something I take for granted now. A good reminder we were all beginners once.
So more skills in the pool and a second dive and that wrapped up the day, oh wait I forgot to tell you I made my 1st CESA line today, its a bouy with some weight attached by a rope so I have learned some new knots and how to daisy chain rope so its convenient to carry but easy to release when you want to drop the weight. Pretty easy once you know how but I guess I better do it a few times to be sure I remember.
Bumped into a familiar face, Skye is doing her thesis for her course in Geography. She has surveys being filled out by a number of dive companies to try to see the affects of environmental damage to dive sites and how that affects tourism. Met her once before diving in Phuket last time I was here. Well, that about wraps up the day I'm starving, time for dinner!
Oh yes, one more thing. Talked the price of the hotel down with the boss of my little hotel we agreed on 500THB but only clean once a week, suits me just fine. As I plan to stay a month I think we are both pretty happy. I can't rent a place back home in Sydney for that price and as I have no bills to pay back home this works pretty well for me with the diving its not much more for me to stay here than stay at home so why not!
One open water student today had paid for private tuition so for Giel an easier day than normal. Helping setup the gear is one of the things I am trusted with now the more you do it the easier it is, I'm a little spoiled from the past where dive companies setup for you. But for the would be DMT no more! You are there to lend a hand.
Off to the pool with our open water diver to practice some skills, mask clearing, mask removal and placement, fin pivots, swimming without a mask, tired diver tow, giant stride entry(demonstrated by yours truly!), buddy breathing, controlled emergency swimming ascent and I think that is it. Also a swim test for the open water diver and for me treading water for 15 minutes one of the skills I am tested, sounds easy I can float forever and tread water just about as long; I am not uncomfortable in the water. The catch though the last two minutes you have to do this with your arms out of the water, I'm not as fit as I have been in the past and I found this really tough I was struggling to keep my arms out of the water. Guess I need to pay attention to my fitness a little more. Anyway I can try to do this again better another day, maybe I will also start doing some laps of the beach to improve my fitness time allowing.
Next off to the beach! The open water diver was pretty good he did all the skills well and on the 1st attempt with only a little help here and there. That said our instructor was looking pretty pleased, I guess its always a pleasure to have a good student. The beach dive was relaxing and we saw a few things its a nice little reef off the beach we did not get as far yesterday with the kids but today with a confident student we were not so restricted and we found some lovely coral; giant bommies(Like Giant Giant Brains sprouting from the ocean floor) and smaller stuff starting to grow around the rocks closer to shore. A few fish around some schooling barracuda, some small to medium lion fish, spotted box fish and a big puffer.
Giel stepped back and let me stay close with his trainee and help without intervention he was really pretty good didn't need much help just tended to drift up a little as we got closer to the 5meter mark, gave him a spare weight which seemed to help a bit. With practice he will be a good diver when he learns to control buoyancy more with his breathing, something I take for granted now. A good reminder we were all beginners once.
So more skills in the pool and a second dive and that wrapped up the day, oh wait I forgot to tell you I made my 1st CESA line today, its a bouy with some weight attached by a rope so I have learned some new knots and how to daisy chain rope so its convenient to carry but easy to release when you want to drop the weight. Pretty easy once you know how but I guess I better do it a few times to be sure I remember.
Bumped into a familiar face, Skye is doing her thesis for her course in Geography. She has surveys being filled out by a number of dive companies to try to see the affects of environmental damage to dive sites and how that affects tourism. Met her once before diving in Phuket last time I was here. Well, that about wraps up the day I'm starving, time for dinner!
Oh yes, one more thing. Talked the price of the hotel down with the boss of my little hotel we agreed on 500THB but only clean once a week, suits me just fine. As I plan to stay a month I think we are both pretty happy. I can't rent a place back home in Sydney for that price and as I have no bills to pay back home this works pretty well for me with the diving its not much more for me to stay here than stay at home so why not!
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