WK 14: Day & Night

The sun sets fire to the sky as it sinks slowly into the sea. Rays of light pierce through distant storm clouds as the day fends off night's onset. The setting sun's fiery light illuminates Blue Sea Divers assembling kits as our boat anchors at Twin Barges. Peering over my shoulder, I chance a glimpse at the horizon and catch the last sliver of sun before it plunges into the water. My heart skips a beat as the light fades. Kit assembled, flashlight in hand, I'm ready for my first night dive.

*****

This past week was incredibly satisfying in and out of the water. Diving continued to offer new challenges and experiences from the daily routine to my first night dive. When I wasn't in the water, I made the most of my time pursuing the Enriched Air Diver (EANx) certification and passing Part 1 of the Divemaster written exam. Day or night, soaking or studying, it was a good week.

I returned to Baie Ternay for a number of dives over the last few days. Thankfully, the visibility was much better than my first homecoming, improving the whole dive experience for myself and the clients alike. I was not as stressed about losing divers who in turn were able to explore a bit more. The bay also offered up a number of aquatic favorites including some harder to find creatures like lobsters and leafish. Clients surfaced with smiles and memories to bring home- a priceless souvenir. Baie Ternay truly lived up to being one of Mahe's best dive sites.

While diving in the bay would have been enough to have me beaming for another week or two, my first night dive was the highlight of the week's adventures. I decided not to participate in a night dive while living on base at Cap Ternay in hopes of having the chance resurface while working as a divemaster- as luck would have it, I got my second chance. I dove at Twin Barges and discovered a completely new underwater world. Glowing plankton greeted me as I descended upon the barges, shining my flashlight into the dark depths. The wrecks were wide awake with a myriad of aquatic life. A huge pufferfish manned the deep barge while lionfish floated about unconcerned. Curiously, many fish were nestled into the barges rusted nooks and crannies for what I assumed would be their night's rest. My first night dive was nothing short of remarkable. It was definitely worth waiting for the experience.

I dried off and took straight to the books this past week. Leaving no time to waste, I completed and passed the EANx course on Monday. With the certification, I am qualified to utilize enriched air during dives allowing for longer bottom times and reduce the amount of nitrogen build up during repetitive dive situations. Coupled with my curiously low air consumption, diving with EANx will ensure that I spend as much quality time underwater as possible. In addition to the passing the EANx course, I passed Part 1 of the Divemaster written exam which covered standards and procedures. Part 2 has been saved for next week, so the books have remained open for a possible weekend study session.

Week 14 wrapped itself up in a flurry of adventures, the days blurring together- exact time and date hardly distinguishable between one pursuit endeavor to the next. I've continued to grow as a diver and an individual; discovering a sense of adventure and self with every dive and every setting sun.