shark bite

Today I was getting back on track with signing off some skills and workshops. Jeff and I were actually together today to complete the skin diving workshop and attempt our skills again. The skin diving workshop was not overly exciting, it was just explaining the technique and practicing giving a briefing as if we were instructing the course or taking a group out. Skin diving at this level is a basically snorkeling yet the person can also dive down while holding their breath to get a closer look. The main technique is ensuring the person can clear the water filled snorkel when they reach the surface again. As a divemaster we could lead snorkel groups around, making this workshop an important inclusion.

Later a group of 6 interns went out to Cemetery to practice our 20 skills. The new course director also tagged along. The course director, Nick, will be instructing the DMTs that will be moving on to take Instructor development course (IDC). For the IDC the skills have to be demonstrated completely, slowly, and emphasizing all key components. This gave Nick a chance to see what he was going to have to work with. Our group had a range of interns from ones who were just starting to learn the skills and ones who were almost done with awesome scores of nearly all 5's. Jeff and I were closer to the beginner side. We both need to slow down a lot, make bigger gestures, and remember little details. I also struggle with the CESA in which I have to perform a demonstration style swim 9 meters while expelling little bubbles and making an ahhhh sound. I am gettng closer but it is hard for me to slow it down and still have ahhh's left for the end. I take a breath a little shy of the end. Another skill I had an issue with was completly taking my kit off under water. I need to distribute the weight on my kit and the weight that stays on me with the weight belt better. I did a bit of bobbling everywhere and it was not smooth. Jeff and I can complete all the skills yet now we need to make them seem easy and smooth so that a student could follow easily and think wow that doesn't look that hard. My kit removal today would not draw that picture for them. After the session, our instructor stated he did not expect us to get signed off today and we are making the correct progress. The group of interns, our instructor, and the course director discussed a few topics in which I was fighting not to fall asleep. I feel like I have been running to dive, assisting in classes, intern sessions, setting up for dives, etc and have become very exhausted. The group was deciding what to do next and I told Jeff we should go back to the room to read since I did not want to state in front of the instructor that I was in a desperate need for a nap. We should go back to the room to read in air conditioning (ie fan) was code for I have to go back to the room to either nap, go to the bathroom, or simply hide from any more work. Jeff should have this figured out by now but he still seems to dily daly around when I make this statement which would not be so bad except for when it is the "I need a bathroom reason".

As we headed back to the room, I did get a chance to wave goodbye to the children from the open water course and their dad as they got on the boat back to Cebu. After a quick nap we were back at the dive shop awaiting to hear what the interns nightly plan would consist of. It was interuppted by Mack calling me over to present Rick and I with a bottle of the local rum for helping out with the classes during the busy weekend. Rick helped very minimally compared to me and does not drink yet he decided the bottle was his and left off with it. The group had decided to meet at the beach area in front of where Betty and Garret are staying. They are a very nice couple from England who are staying for 6 months. They completed the rescue course, are starting the DMT course and will later start the IDC in July. After that they will see where the wind takes them as they plan to travel for 2 years. Jeff and I had to get a few errands done and met with the group a little late. When we arrived, they were all watching the sun set while drinking rum and coke. I wondered if this was the rum that Rick and I had received. If so, no worries as I had intended on sharing it with the group as well but just seemed kind of cheeky. Later Betty did thank me for sharing the rum which was nice to hear that my token of thanks from Mack did not just become Rick's prize. It may sound petty but these are long days and their is very little compliments or recognition therefore my first bit of recognition being swooped away quicker than I got it, just was not fair. We were watching the sunset when all of a sudden, off in the distance about 100 meters away we see the silhouette of a person on a paddle boat. This was probably Calvin. Andy started shininng signals with his torch and the paddle boarder got closer, sure enough it was Calvin. This turned into a bunch of the boys trying their luck on the paddle board which resulted in many with wet shorts. The latter of the group who tried may have learned from the first group and left their shorts on shore as they hopped on the board. Not sure which group was wiser.

We then headed to Momma's to eat but there had been a miscomunication and she only had enough to feed some of us. Jeff and I left with a few others to eat at Ocean Vida. On our way there, we passed the dive shop and heard them announce one of the dive customers 300th dive. We ran up and congratulated the diver as well since we had gotten to know him over the last few days. Others we knew were getting recognition and shark bite shots as well for completing courses or other dive milestones. The shark bite shots are a 3 layer shot, silver on top to represent the thresher sharks, blue in the middle to represent the ocean we love and red on the bottom for the blood we hope to never spill. Jeff and I would definitely get our points for customer service if we were completing the IDC. We have gotten to know many customers and have a lot of fun hearing about their dives.

After dinner we did end up back at Malditos the usual after dinner intern hang out. Interestingly enough the topic of the night was circumcision which is a common practice in the USA as a baby. We learned it is more common to not be circumcised in Canada and England. One of the Filipino dive masters which has a hiliariously fun personality shared his account of the experience when he was 13 years old. Needless to say this was an unusual conversation topic that did not seem to let up throughout the night.