Should of read the small print.... its great fun but definately not an eight week holiday

Last week I landed in sunny tenerife and couldnt wait to go to the dive shop to meet my new team.

After getting my new name Flo WHICH... I was very happy with it was a great start, apparently I am part of a crocodile duo fvrom the little Mermaid along with Ebb my fellow newbie intern.
First night and straight out with the team off to Meson Era Las Mozas an amazing restaurant out in the middle of Tenerife, what an amazing start to the Divemaster Internship.
Monday was the start of the internship Ebb and I had a brief induction with Melissa ... and I am dreading my presentation...
Tuesday night another team social event cocktails as Phils and then off for Pizza in Medano with cheesecake looking over the water.
The start of my divemaster couse started with testing my stamina which is in tip top shape....... how wrong I was,  the 400 pool swim and the 800 snorkel killed me I am still paying for it.
On my first dive I went to a Tabaiaba a wreck dive in the north of the island with Randall and starfish, Richard and Tony as well as randalls Dad who was completing his PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course.  Everyone took great care of me. The shipwreck was amazingggggg but the next next dive oh my god turtles yippeee.
After a really great day off an the arrival of my two friends with a few treats for the team to try from Belgium it was back to the centre on Sunday for two great dives at tabaiba, we were there with Dean to complete the Deep Specialty for Richard, also with us was Starfish, Seahorse, and Ebb two fab dives to finish the week off
cant wait for my next week of diving hopefully no more stamina.......

I am now a PADI approved Divemaster!

I’m slowly losing track of the days and weeks that I am now on as things start to get much busier at Mermaid Diving ahead of the summer period! 

I am happy to confirm that PADI have approved my Divemaster membership and I am now in full teaching status! This week I completed my Discover Scuba Diving Leader course under the supervision of Patrick.

 It was great to finally start some actual teaching in the pool and continue the experience in the open water. I felt I improved with each session and I had great feedback from my instructor. 

Things at the dive centre have been moving along nicely. With the masses of dives that have been happening, Buzz managed to reach 60 dives and has finished all the mechanics of his internship.He is now well on his way to becoming a fully fledged Divemaster. 

Alan and Steve have completed their Rescue Courses and are fully settling into life in the dive centre. 

On Sunday, Patrick took Buzz, Alan, Steve and I up Teide which was an amazing experience and we also went to the steep cliffs of Los Gigantes. We had a great day out and it was nice to get a break after a very busy and fulfilled week.

Flounder

Loads of fun deep dives this week!

This week I was able to observe Patrick conduct Alan and Steve’s Advanced Open Water and EFR course.

As I am here for the remainder of the summer and in preparation for my IDC it is always great to watch an instructor conduct all the different programs that PADI offer and it never hurts to keep refreshing the Emergency First Response skills.

 Early on in the week we dived with Yens who completed his Advanced Open Water course with us last year. We went up to Radazul for two great dives where we saw a large shoal of barracuda,trumpet fish and a couple of grouper. Yens was excited to try out his new equipment aswell, so a great day was had by all.

We were joined by Brian and Naomi from the UK who dived with us for a couple of days. Naomi completed her DSD experience and did very well in the pool with the skills and her first open water dive at Abades. Brian who was an Open Water diver completed three adventure dives with us.

We had a deep dive at Las Eras and a wreck and night dive at Tabaiba. Alan and Steve also completed the night dive and it was great to see how much they enjoyed it after such high expectations.

We had a couple of nights out at the weekend in Las Americas and El Medano and also had a team BBQ which was thoroughly enjoyed by  all

Flounder

Counting Turtles

This week was probably one of the best i’ve had in a while, 2 days at El puerturtleo and one day at a new dive site at Alcala.

 Let’s start with El puertito, we went out for two dives with an Italian man named Fabio, the first dive was without a doubt on my top 5 dives i’ve ever done, within five minutes we were ambushed by a turtle, not even 2 minutes after that we found an octopus, my favourite thing ever, the turtle was centimetres away from me but all my focus was on the octopus, I could of stayed there for hours watching it, but we moved on to quickly find a second turtle, the daddy of the family, papa turtle stayed with us for the whole dive, I was so happy, the second dive was also fantastic, I took my torch and I was looking under every rock and ledge and found some sea hares, some brittle stars, which are kind of like starfish on redbull. It was a great day and Fabio enjoyed it as much as us.

We also went to a little town called Alcala, about 15 minutes after El puertito, and a beautiful place. We soon found out that some turtles live there, so we set of to try and find them. After looking around for about 15 minutes we still couldn’t find any, my hopes were wearing thin. But on the far side of the bay, we came across a huge green turtle, way bigger than any I have ever seen, I would of screamed with joy if not underwater. We stayed with the marine giant for about ten minutes watching it feed and move around so gracefully, and then we left.

We want to go back there to explore some more and find all the other wonders hiding under the ocean.

The rest of the week went as usual, cleaning kit, maintenance, admin, etc

On sunday, my first PADI Open Water student came in to do is confined dives, I was very exited and a little stressed, but once in the water I remembered everything I was taught and it went really smoothly from then on.

Im looking forward to doing his open water dives, and to anyone out there who would also like to explore the magical place we spend most of our day’s, come to Tenerife,, it’s worth it.

Your best American accent at the ready

This week has been busy and varied. On Monday we had two new PADI Divemaster interns arrive from the USA and who were quickly renamed Alan and Steve.

I went through the induction period with them both from the introduction presentation to kit set up. In the afternoon I took them both into the swimming pool for a scuba tune up and both of them did very well for having not been in the water for some time. Alan and Steve both quickly fit in with the group and we are all looking forward to diving loads in the coming months.

On Tuesday we went to El Puertito with Rhiannon who was a rescue diver from the UK and we had a great dive with the turtles. She returned and dived again on Wednesday at Tabaiba for a fantastic couple of dives at the wreck. After the dives we all decided to jump into the sea from the jeti (without scuba gear) as the tide was so far in. We went for a swim out to the surface buoys and it was a great end to the days diving.

On Thursday the team went down to the marina to give the new interns (and Ned) some practice at the 800m snorkel and the 100m tow. The best part of this day was the fact I didn’t have to go in and my only job was to give some encouraging words from the warmth of the sun soaked jeti!!

 On Friday night Buzz, Alan, Steve and I decided to head out into Las Americas to welcome the new interns to Tenerife. We all had an amazing time and we made the most of having the next day off!

I have finished my internship, roll on the IDC after the summer!

I looked at the date today (25th May) and realised that my Divemaster Internship is over and that I SHOULD be flying home today! Luckily for me though 8 weeks has turned into more like 28 weeks! I can’t quite believe that two months have passed already though, however I am now very much looking forward to the summer.

This week started with a trip to Radazul with Chris who was a returning customer. We had a great couple of dives and saw a wide array of life from Trumpet fish to Barracuda and Groupers. Patrick, Buzz and I also re-visited and mapped the second reef at Abades so we can start taking customers there in the near future. Having built up this reef so much for the past few weeks after Randall and I explored it, I was half expecting this time for it to be deserted. Within 5 minutes of swimming towards the reef however, we saw the first of four common stingrays and a host of other fish species.

This week also brought my first dive at yellow mountain and we visited a nice swim thorough area at 13m and also Crocodile rock. I really enjoyed the steep ‘cliff like’ drops at Yellow Mountain and am looking forward to exploring this site in full.

After completing the exams and skill set on Wednesday morning I am very happy to say that I am a Divemaster!! – in terms of completing the internship anyway. I am now just waiting on PADI processing my application and bring on a busy summer of diving.

Melissa is sadly out of the shop for the next few weeks so we are all working extra hard to keep things running smoothly. Interestingly though without the ‘Mermaid’ here, we have had various team meetings about the changing of the shop name…… a clear winner was ‘Merman Diving!’ The paperwork is in the post….

Flounder 

Ciao Americanos :-(

This week has been hot and sunny! Lewis decided to continue his diving education and we went to Alcalà to do start his PADI Advanced Open Water Course and did his Navigation and Peak Performance Buoyancy. As always he did a good job and we enjoyed looking at the two turtles that lives there. Both very curious! Alcalà is such a good dive site with deep water entry and cool rock formations with vibrant aquatic life!




 Thursday we were supposed to go for a night dive at Tabaiba, but after a couple of Lewis’s Advanced Dives we realized that it was too much of a surge to dive. We drove over to Abades to see if the conditions were better, but unfortunately to chappy waters there as well. Either way it was a fun road trip, singing in the car and Alan and I had a dance session in the car park.

Friday we had a PADI Open Water Diver student. Flounder and I went to the pool with them, and as Randall and Mick did the confines we practiced skills. I’m so glad my skills are improving! And in all the seriousness, it is so much fun! Kit set up and speeches before skills are so hard, it’s like learning a new language. Submersible-pressure-gauge-low-pressure-inflator-hose, tongue-rolling words right there!

After work we went to the Americans flat to make tacos and played beer pong! That game is so much fun, and the first run I had beginners luck out of another world! Alan and Steve are leaving us on Tuesday. It’s going to be sad to see them go, and hopefully I will visit them in America at some point!

Ahhh I´m so close!! …… Just a few more dives.

Alright so Alan’s blog week number six at the wonderful dive shop Mermaid diving, here on the beautiful island of Tenerife.

So this week diving wise has been the week of El Puertito. We started off the week on monday diving with Patrick and James on their last dive with us, for now at least. Randall did a great job leading the first dive, and then he gave me the task of leading the second! I feel so much more confident with it all, like the dive briefing and the underwater navigation.

Later on in the week we went back to el puertito with a PADI Open Water diver who’s name was Fabio. He’s from Italy and only had a few dives under his belt but was still good. The first dive was the best dive that I’ve had at the site. We had a turtle follow us for a half hour and wouldn’t leave us alone, it was a great opportunity for pictures!

Friday we went to the boat. It was sad seeing it out of the water and with one of its sides deflated but we where able to clean the underside of it and get it just a little closer to going back into the water. The rest of the week was full of administration work, which is good to get that kind of experience of the dive industry.

I ended the week with 57 dives and I need 60 to be a divemaster! Ahhh I’m soooo close!! I can’t wait to be a PADI professional, it has been a dream of mine for quite some time.

Bring on week number 7!!

Week of the Turtles

I like to think of this week as the week of the turtles! I had the privilege to go on three turtle dive trips, two to the infamous El Puertitio (a.k.a. El Puerturtleo) site, and one at a new site we found called Alcala. 

This new dive site at Alcala was a very fun trip because none of us had ever dived there before. After getting lost on our road trip, we finally found our destination tucked into one of the nicest little towns I have seen on Tenerife. After first walking the beach of the new site and starting to build a reasonable dive plan for the site, we happened to come across a few divers just about to enter the water. We asked them a few quick questions about the schematics and were more than happy to find out that there lived a few large green sea turtles in the area! We enthusiastically got kitted up and made our way to a pier toward the end of the beach and entered the new site using a deep water entry technique. Using our knowledge of underwater navigation we took a tour of the entire dive site by circling its entire circumference. And right when we were headed back to shore we saw the biggest green sea turtle I have yet to see on the island! Unlike at El Puertito, this turtle was not very curious about us divers, but he didn’t seem to mind when we followed him around a few rocks as he grazed on some algae. Even though this story seems to be the highlight of my week, there was still something better that topped it.

The next day at the El Puertito site we entered the water around 9 am, and just five minutes down we happened to cross paths with the biggest and most mature green sea turtle known to inhabit the area. As usual the turtle made his rounds, inspecting each diver carefully for any signs of a free breakfast. But after realizing we had no food to offer, the turtle uncharacteristically swam about us for what seemed like half an hour. We were very spoiled on this dive, the turtle was having fun swimming along with us, we found a good sized octopus hidden amongst the rocks, and I was fortunate enough to bring my Go Pro to capture most of the dive on video! I have to say that has been my best dive since being here, but I am still optimistic that with 2 weeks still to go I will have a chance for even more amazing dives!

Shop Life!!

I got back from England on the Monday and chilled out and got some food for my apartment. The next day Paul came back….!!!! 

Paul was here for the first time in February and did his PADI Open Water Diver Course and then PADI Advanced Open Water course, but this time he was just doing some recreational diving. 

We went off and did El Puertito and Abades. Unfortunately I had a problem with my ear mid week which put a stop to my diving. I went to the doctor’s and found out I had an ear infection and I was on a lot of drugs for a week including drops, so the rest of my week involved being in the shop talking to potential customers etc.

All in all an interesting week but could have been a lot better.

Its week 7 but guess what I have decided not to leave… like ever :-)

Things are getting busy at Mermaid Diving. This week we were pretty much fully booked in diving terms, which included two separate night dives.

We were joined by Vera and Wendell from the Netherlands and returning customer Brian on Saturday for two dives at El Puertito. Vera is a PADI Instructor and was accompanying Wendell who was here completing his Open Water course. Vera, Brian and I went off and found the turtles whilst Patrick conducted the course and Buzz observing. Once Wendell became certified after two dives on Sunday at Radazul, Vera convinced him to jump straight into a night dive the following day. We all had a great time on Monday at Abades where we saw rays, groupers and a dentex and had plenty of coffee stops in between dives.

Tuesday brought the arrival of Tracey and Simon from the UK who were both open water divers. We did two dives at Abades early morning and there was most definitely a feeling of nostalgia after the late night finish the previous night! Both loved the dive so much that they decided to come to El Puertito on Thurday for some Turtle searching, and I think it was safe to say that this dive certainly made an impression on both of them!

Our second night dive of the week was with returning customer Craig at Tabaiba. As Craig was an experienced Advanced diver we chose to really push the boat out with this dive and combine the elements of wreck, deep and night all in one. We had a great day out with Craig and we even played a little pool in the local coffee shop.

I am happy to say that I have finally made a decision with what to do after my internship ends and that is to stay here!! The rising temperature and scuba diving as a ‘job’ is just far too tempting. I plan to gain experience over the summer as a DM and take my Instructor exams in September! Bring on the summer!
Flounder

Finally a Divemaster but sad its my last week

Last week! It feels a little bit strange. The rib boat is up from the water repairs  

Monday: Tinman and I go to Radazul with Kevin who is doing his last open water. He´s doing good and it´s a nice dive we saw a little octopus.

Tuesday: Day off It´s windy but I decide to go to El Medano and up mountan roja. I get sandblasted when I pass the big beach Tejina, but I make it.

Wednesday: I go and leave tanks in Las Galletas we have a new place where we fill the tanks but it´s just a hundred meter from the other one. After that it´s scrubbing the boat taking away the shells and alges . Hard work, interesting though to see the work there, but scrubbing…

Thursday: I do the rest of the stamina skills for the dive master course. Tinman and I go down to the marina. 800m snorkelling, it´s pain! No fun at all. I give it all. Please don´t let the score be a two. I don´t want to swim this again, but it turns out I swam fast, the score is a 4!

Then the tow swim, I am pumped! I tow Tinman in a record speed. The boats starts to move from the waves I create (not really) and get the score 5!

Then it´s floating in 15 minutes, well what can I say? That´s nothing in the superman state I am in now…

We end early cause this evening we will do a night dive, first for me. Tinman, Marta and I meet up at the dive centre when the sun feels a little bit sleepy. We take the Jumpy to Abades. Martha going to do her night dive as a part of her advance course. I´m leading I have a hard time to see the compass. Even though it glows in the dark, and I´m telling you that not a good thing. Am I getting old? Glasses? Crouch? Coffin? Marta do it fine and me to until the end when, yes the compass… Well we make it back Tinmans compass works better…Diving in the dark good experience, but we didn´t see that much (yes, we had torches). Not that impressed, I expected more. But I learned during this 8 weeks that diving at the same dive site can vary a lot from time to time, so I guess I have to give it one more shot in the future.

Friday: Mikey a former intern and instructor is kind enough to come by and do the kit exchange with me Tinman supervising. It´s one of the things you have to do for the divemaster exame. The cold pool… You have to change mask and fins also I wasn´t prepared for that. It went well, you just have to be calm.

Tinman and I go to the hotel pool and try to lure some new customer to the Mermaid. I´m in the water this time and there are some people trying. Couple of crazy Hungarians, not crazy but very happy to have vacation…

Saturday: Day of take it easy

Sunday: Last day. I´m doing the skills in the pool that is scored and required for the divemaster exam. Hardest part for me is the talking skills, but it all went well!!!!
What did we do after wards, scrubbing the boat? I don´t remember it´s all a blur a relief to have made it!

What I remember is that we went for a beer at Big Als after the day was finished.

Thank you Tinman Vince and off course Melissa for the teaching! Jeff, Ned, Percy, Ludo, Mike and all the rest who have helped.

And so a new Divemaster has come to the world…

Blinky

Yes the boat still there! But it was too expensive (35000€ if you’re interested) for me. Not all stories can have a happy end, after all this is not Hollywood…
 

 

Final stretch to Divemaster

On my final stretch until Divemaster status! With only 8 more dives to go, I have completed all the other water skills and prerequisites.

One of the last requirements I had to complete was a mapping activity where Alan and I were able to reconstruct the two reefs at the Abades dive site. Each of us took turns taking underwater bearings using our compasses and depth readings off our dive computer while the other calculated distances using kick cycles. It was amazing how accurate of a map we created after only two map dives at the Abades reef.

Other exciting news this week included two birthdays, one for our instructor Patrick and another for the Mermaid Melissa! Outside of the dive shop we celebrated by having a fun night out at El Medano.

I also had another opportunity this week to descend on the Tabaiba shipwreck the same as last week, descending straight down to the deepest depths of about 28 meters. This time was better however because the visibility had improved and we had an extended bottom time to explore the wreck.

Another sad ending to the week was saying our goodbyes to instructor Patrick. Alan and I were both very lucky to have such an able and fun instructor and its obvious how improved my underwater skills have become under his instruction.

Although I am now more than halfway through my internship, I am still excited to finish with as much fun and intensity as I started this internship!

Bring on the stamina tests!

A week of Divemaster reading and stamina tests.

The week of stamina started well as I received 5/5 for my kit exchange which I did with Randall. It was the skill that provoked the most thought even right back at the beginning of my internship and it was the one I was most anticipating. It went perfectly though as Randall and I had talked about how we were going to tackle it before we entered the water and it is surprisingly easy changing full kit whilst breathing from only one regulator if you remain calm and composed. 

The next day I had my practice attempt at the 800m snorkel which felt pretty torturous as I ignored Patrick’s advice of not wearing my wetsuit. I found I was far too buoyant and it was impossible to kick efficiently. It was safe to say I listened to my Instructors advice for the ‘real’ test and to just brave the cold without the wetsuit. It went very well and I received 4/5 after a time of 15 minutes. I also received 5/5 for the 15 minute tread and 4/5 for tired diver tow.

Patrick has started to give me a lot more responsibility this week in terms of giving more briefs and leading dives at the sites with which I have been gaining familiarity with. I have led three dives at El Puertito with customers Brian, Vera, Wendell and Craig.  I also led two dives at Radazul with Vera whilst Patrick conducted Wendell’s open water course. I am thoroughly enjoying the new challenge of this type of diving, as leading and having to navigate dives correctly gives a massively different outlook.

General things in Tenerife are incredibly positive. I don’t think I have seen a cloud in the sky for about a month and the mercury is rising more and more every week. I am very much now in the mood for summer – I think it’s going to be a good one!

Anyway I better go now, I have a night dive in a few hours to prepare for….!

Flounder

A new guy joins the group :-) and more old interns returning

I can’t really believe that I’m writing my week 5 blog already! Time has just passed so quickly.

This week we have welcomed back into diving Patrick, who is a former Divemaster intern and now qualified instructor who is here for 10 weeks, and new intern Buzz.

After completing the skills portion of the course I have now become a PADI Rescue Diver. Patrick, Randall and I had a great laugh doing all the skills down at the marina and it was great to do the practical aspect after all the mountains of reading!

We also saw the arrival of Zippy  aka George who returned to Mermaid Diving for a few days of scuba diving. We went up to Radazul and Tabaiba for two dives where I gave my first proper dive briefing and also helped Patrick lead the dive as I was the only member of staff to have dived Radazul previously. Patrick greatly enjoyed being back in the water and it was great to see a different instructor offer a different perspective in terms of leading and teaching.

Later on in the week we started doing various different skills that every Divemaster should know including knot tying and mapping sites etc.

I also started reading the Divemaster manual (the final manual in the long list of PADI Manuals which have become the bane of my life in the past 5 weeks!)

Randall and I also had various pool sessions where my skills are improving with every session.

Flounder

Great news Randalls back …..a brief visit from Zippy and Ian and a fun week diving with Ann and Tinman

Another hot week here in the land of the sun, amazing dives and great news for us Randal came back.  Randall completed his Divemaster Internship last summer, and having come back for a brief visit earlier in the year is now here for the next 5 and a half months.  During that time Randall is going to complete his PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor course as well as complete his Master Scuba Diver Trainer and all being well the IDC Staff Instructor course.

Fun start to the week as Tinman headed off to Las Eras with Ann, Laure, Silvain, and Flounder for two amazing dives at Las Eras, the visibility was amazing and they saw so many groups of fish as well as a Canarian Lobster.  All in all a great morn ing out on the water.

The group then headed out to Tabaiba for two deep dives, the Laure and Silvan likes the Wreck and were happy to see it looming in the gloomy waters, and explore the rocky areas of the wall hiding some glorious anemones.

Ann, Randall and Flounder went off to Abades to explore the reef, Ann as usual was practicing with her Camera, while flounder was working on his Dive Site map.  We are looking forward to seeing the finished result of his Map.

We were joined again on Thursday by Silvan and Laure for some dives at Abades, Ann joined the group as its one of her favourite dive sites, on the dives they saw a ray as well as trigger fish.
A nice early pool session was great fun for me, Flounder and Randall working through the skill circuit, it was great to see how well Randall did after several months without practice.  Flounders skills are coming on nicely a few more sessions and he will be ready for his skill circuit.

A lovely evening out with the team, at El Cordero and we were also joined by Zippy intern from two years ago and his Dad, as well as friends Phil, Mike, Helena, May and Russell.  We all had a great evening out and it was lovely to have a relaxing evening laughing with old and new friends.
Bright and early for the end of the week Patrick headed off with randall, Zippy, Ian and flounder to Radazul, a lovely morning and a great time was had by all, at Radazul they saw a grouper, trigger fish and canarian lobster.

After a very sad farewell to Ann, it was nice to have other familiar faces around.

The 40 Dive Mark!!

So glad to announce I have successfully reached the 40 dive mark!

I was happy to dive this milestone at the turtle site at El Puertito, where we saw one of the large green turtles that lives there as soon as we descended!

After being forty dives in, I quickly went to work performing the majority of my stamina tests including the tired diver tow, the 15 minute float, and the dreaded 800 meter snorkel swim.

On top of that I was able to finish my Divemaster book and passed the Divemaster exam with a 97%.

To finish off the week I was happy to dive a new site, Yellow Mountain, and added a few more deep dives at both Radazul and Tabaiba. When we were diving Radazul I was leading the group and we happened to swim across a massive sting ray.

Then the next day at Tabaiba we tried a new descent method where we swam to the deep side of the wreck and descended to about 28 meters. This was one of my coolest descents to date because it was such a far drop so we could not see the bottom or the shipwreck, everything around us was just blue.

 On a sadder note, we had to say our goodbyes to Buzz as he finished his internship this week. Plenty of more fun and diving to come, hopefully by the next blog I can officially be certified as a PADI Divemaster.

Welcome new interns Alan and Steve

This week we have had two American PADI Divemaster interns join us on Monday. They are called Alan and Steve and have come to us as Open water divers. They are fitting in really well with everyone and are already forming part of the team. This week we have started their Advanced course and did a deep dive and a wreck dive at Tabaiba. They both really enjoyed the dives. We have also welcomed back Ned who has returned to finish off his Divemaster course.

We have been diving at El Puertito with customers  Gary and Owen. We saw the turtles who were so friendly and welcoming. We all really enjoyed the dive and the visibility was excellent.

I have also had the pleasure of teaching Robert on his Junior Open water course. Robert came to us having completed his Open water confined skills in the UK. He really enjoyed his visit to El Puertito where we saw the Turtles and his dive at Gulf Del Sur marina where we saw 2 common Sting rays, cuttlefish and large Trumpet fish. I hope that he continues to dive and further develop his skills. He was very relaxed and had good buoyancy skills in the water. His sharp eye sight picked up cuttlefish on the sea bed where they are so well hidden. They are some of the most amazing things to see as they change colour to blend into the background. “Congratulations and well done Robert on passing your Junior Open Water course.”

We also met Rhiannon who is a rescue diver and who dived with us at El Puertito and at the deep wreck site at Tabaiba where she enjoyed exploring the site. She managed to encourage the 4 interns to go swimming afterwards and we all had a really enjoyable day.

On Friday we met Gwyn who is qualified as an Open water diver but who had not dived for a long time.  After refreshing his skills in the pool we went to the open water where he quickly relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the dive,  seeing all the fish and the Turtles. I hope that he has re discovered his enthusiasm for diving and continues to dive.

Ned has completed a number of stamina tests and has fitted right back in with team. We have lots to do next week to ensure we cover all the skills he requires  for his Divemaster course.

Randall has this week passed his Instructor development course and has been put forward for the exams this weekend. We all wish him every success in the IE exams.

The weather this week has been a bit of a mixed bag. For the sun worshippers amongst us we had to put up with several days of cloud and wind. It has been warm in the mid 20′s. The sea temperature has now settled at 21 degrees. The visibility for diving has been good and the sea conditions calm.

Congratulations to Buzz in passing his Divemaster exam!

It just leaves me to say ” Come and join us and us and have some fun!!!”

Time is moving so fast; but the experience is getting better and better!

I cannot believe I have already enjoyed three weeks of my Divemaster internship! 

I have become so comfortable with all the employees and the great weather; I only wish I could slow down time so I can enjoy this opportunity longer. 

After attaining my Advanced Open Water certification last week, the hard work has not let up and I am proud to now own the title of a PADI certified Rescue Diver! 

All week I practiced my skills on how to safely and effectively rescue another diver in the water. It was great fun performing all the dive exercises in the Marina which entailed search and recovery, in-water rescue breaths, and my favourite, panicked diver scenarios. 

Most of the rest of the week was spent enjoying the beautiful reef dive at Abades. This site has quickly become one of my favorite and most popular dive sites because of the magnificent variety of fish we always encounter. 

It has been so rewarding to continually progress my PADI certification levels and next week I will be prepared to take the PADI Divemaster exam! If all goes well, I can continue to accumulate my number of dives and sooner than I know it I will reach Divemaster status!

More people joining the team and great to meet new divers

Week three brought kit washes, tank runs, lots of dives and one extremely long 14 hour working day.

This week brought my first dive at El Puertito, which was perhaps the location which I was most anticipating and excited for. Tinman led the search for the Turtles and we were also joined by Tony, Amy, Paul and Art. Laced with Sardines in our BCD pockets, we were soon joined by three turtles (albeit with a million fish looking for dinner) and it was incredible to watch and interact with the animals who were obviously very accustomed to divers. This was the best dive of the internship so far and one of my favourite dive sites that I have ever visited.

Wednesday was a day that I’d rather not relive anytime soon (and I’m sure Tinman would agree) however he has told me to include this in my blog. Let’s just say Tinman had some bad experience with Seafood the night before which chose to become a problem on the motorway whilst he was trying to pull into the slip road. I wasn’t sure who was more traumatised; myself for witnessing this from the passenger seat or the jumpy for its unplanned and unwelcomed redecoration.

Luckily Tinman was feeling much better the next day and we took Discover Scuba Diver’s Steve, Ali and Anishka for their first experience diving. All three enjoyed the confined water element of the course and were very eager to explore the open water at Abades.

We had some arrivals on Saturday in the form of Randall (a Divemaster/instructor wannabe) and Ann who is a long time friend of the dive centre who is here to, funnily enough, come diving with us. We all headed out into Las Americas for some drinks, dancing and drinks.

I am looking forward to more diving next week and the start of my rescue course.

Flounder