Busy, Busy Times

I really love this fish, even if the photo doesn't do it justice.

Oh boy, have I really done it again this time. It has been far too long since my last post and there is no way on earth that I will be able to catch everyone up with the multitude of things that have happened since then. In fact, I don't even remember much of what happened. The strange thing about diving every day, and having each dive be even more incredible than the last, is that they start to blur. Did I dive to 126 feet yesterday? Or was that this morning? In fact, what day is it? The only way I can keep track is to check the boards outside the dive center that tell us what boats we are signed up for. Such is the life I lead.

I will do my best to recap some of the highlights of the past week or so, starting with my dive to 126 feet. It was sick. Nothing more needs to be said. Diving the North side is such a treat and the dives are so incredible. So much to see, such deep depths to explore. I went to 126 feet and felt great, no problems whatsoever! I didn't feel even "narced" (essentially feeling high. Some people claim crabs start talking to them at depth).

We dove some great caves the other day and it was an absolute blast! We swam in single file and I brought up the rear. The one problem with this is that everyone in front kicks up all the sand and silt and pretty soon the visibility drops to next to nothing. The final part of the cave was a little tiny squeeze into a little chamber. Going in wasn't a problem. There were four of us in the chamber and it was a rather tight, all of us jostling around trying not to scrape ourselves on the rock (lotta good that did, my hands are still torn up!) Going back out I was again at the end of the train and for a brief moment I felt panic rise inside me as I realized that I couldn't see where I had to go. The good news was that we were maybe ten feet below the surface (although no direct way up) and I had about 2500 psi left, which at that depth would last me well over two hours. Worse case senario I sit and wait two hours for the silt to clear. Figuring that would be boring, I darted forward at where I thought the exit was, and somehow managed to make it out! I've included a picture of what I was looking at before I got out. Some people's worst nightmare!
I've also got some cool videos from that dive that I will try to upload at some point in the near future. It might have to wait until my return though, we'll see.

Somewhere in there is the exit, I promise.

Thousands of tiny fish in the cave. So cool.

My classes are pretty much done now, and the more "practical" portion of my training starts. It was a very busy week, filled with briefings on how to work the boat, how to tie to a mooring buoy, how to conduct underwater searches, and other vaguely interesting but useful things. The nice part is that I got to dive the whole time, and when I had a down morning, I signed up for dive boats going to the Northside. I have found that I can't help myself. There have been several days when I have felt slightly stressed and too busy and I know I should take the next morning off but I can't. Some days I wake up at six feeling like someone poured sand down my ear. All it takes, however, is to step outside and I immediately feel more invigorated than ever before.

Plate coral.

I have been assisting on an Open Water class and it has been really fun. It has also been eye opening as one of the girls in the class was petrified for the first two dives. It has been so cool to watch her get more comfortable with the water. Yesterday I literally held her hand as we sat 6 feet under on the tarp off the dock at UDC. By the end of the session she was pushing people around, doing skills like a champ, and pointing at fish. It was a remarkable turn around. I head out for our first open water dives (real dives at real sites) here in a few, so we'll see how that goes.

Practicing equipment exchange 30 feet under

I guess this leads to the biggest news (well, second biggest, you'll see why in a second). I have decided that I will be pursuing my instructor credentials eventually. I say eventually because I have neither the time nor the financial resources to do it this trip, but I know that I will soon. Essentially I discovered that as a Divemaster, I won't find work anywhere. Sure there are some places where I can do a little work, but mostly places hire instructors because they can do everything a DM can do and much more. This wasn't the main reason I decided this however. The main reason is that I have found that I love sharing diving with people. Helping on this open water class has been an absolute blast because I get to pass on my knowledge to other people. It is really cool to feel knowledgeable about something and to feel like you have something to share with them. I figure this is a double bonus. I get to continue to dive, which has developed into a full blown passion/addiction, and I get to share it with others. I have a couple of issues though. The first is that I feel wildly inexperienced to be teaching people. Sure, I hit 60 dives yesterday. Sure I feel really confident in the water. But that only counts for so much. If I am really going to be teaching people how to do something that could potentially kill them, I figure that I better be pretty damn good at it myself. So I want to get more experience before starting this. I really want to make sure that I am as comfortable as possible before I even begin to think about teaching others. Luckily this means I just have to do more diving! Assisting on courses really helps as well since it allows me to not only practice my skills but to also observe how instructors do their thing.
The cool thing is that the UDC has the top PADI Instructor Development Course in the world. I have been spending a lot of time with a friend Alex and she is currently in the middle of the 12 day course. Let me tell you, she is working her ass off. Training instructors is not something they take lightly here, and I really think that says a lot about the place and the staff. It is cool to see Alex go through the process because it gives me a glimpse as to what it takes and what kind of commitment it is. I'll give you a hint, its a big one. So who knows, I may find myself back here in a couple months time doing my IDC. Or maybe I will go somewhere else to do it. Only time will tell!

A big, bad Lionfish!

I forgot what these are called but they are little shells and are really cool

This was taken at like 115 feet.

 While there are hundreds of stories I want to tell, countless anecdotes to share, I will leave you with maybe the best one so far. It started after a great drift dive with my friends Simon and James. As DMTs we can hop on boats and essentially do as we please, so it was fun to go off with these two guys and do our own thing. After the dive we got back on the boat and it began motoring north. It took perhaps a half an hour to get to the north side of the island but once there we almost immediately spotted what we were looking for: large "boils" of water and circling birds. As the boat neared, we began to see fish jumping out of the water by the hundreds.
"Line up, line up!" the boat captain yelled as we all crowded to the back of the boat and sat down, pulling on fins and masks. All of a sudden the boat slowed and Ryan, the captain, began yelling "Go, go, go, go". Like frantic cattle we slid on our butts to the end of the boat and spilled into the water. Whitewash from the prop hit my face, turning my world into a snow globe. I sucked in a breath from my snorkel and kicked below the surface, looking around wildly. When I finally glimpsed it, my heart stopped. There in front of me, maybe ten feet away, was the massive side of a whale shark. A deep blue with white spots, it blended in beautifully with the surrounding water. My heart hammered in my chest as I kicked closer, my eyes trying and failing to take in the entire body. The length of a small bus, the whale shark was absolutely massive. Truly impossible to comprehend when swimming next to it. Despite its size however, the thing could motor. I found myself quickly falling behind as it finned into the inky depths. Only as its massive tail disappeared from view did I realize that I needed a breath of air badly or I was going to pass out. I shot to the surface, too stunned to care. Words cannot describe the majestic beauty of this creature. My own memory has even failed me. It is one of the few sights in the world that can only be experienced in person, nothing else even comes close. Like I said, my memory of the moment is only a fraction as amazing as the moment itself. A once in a life time experience (except that I still have a month to do it again, and again, and again).

So much has happened and I truly wish that I could tell it all, but unfortunately I cannot. I also realized today that while I love writing my blog and making sure I keep completely up to date with everyone, it is also okay to let that go for a time. What I mean is that I have stumbled on a pretty cool place at just the right time in life. I have made close friends and found something I love doing. I wake up each morning thrilled to be here and excited by the fact that I get to go diving, even if it is to Airport Caves for the 500th time. So, while I love you all deeply, and love writing this blog, I am going to warn you that posts may be fewer in the coming weeks. Not because I don't care, but because the last couple weeks have flown by and I know the next four will as well. I want to spend those four weeks fully present in where I am, with the people I am with, not worrying about anything else. This isn't to say I am going to stop writing, because I love doing that. It is just a warning so that you aren't too disappointed when I stop writing as much!

I hope all is well with everyone and that fall is as beautiful as I always remember it. I am still in full blown summer mode, although it has thankfully cooled down a bit (just a bit though).

Until next time,
Whale Shark Stalking Gringo signing off