WK 11: You and I are Deep Sea Divers

The rooster next door sounds like its choking as it attempts to raise the sun from its slumber at dark-thirty in the morning. Moonlight shimmers through the makeshift curtains I've crafted from an old bed sheet left around the house and spare line from diving. I roll over on my side to check the time, the entire bunk bed creaking and shifting with my weight. Holding my breath, I hope I don't wake Susanne on the lower bed. It's not even 3 am. Work is at 8. I'm wide awake, but let the night's symphony of barking dogs, intermittent fruit bat cries, and utterly confused roosters lull me back to sleep. I smile as I drift back into dreams, or from this dream... who knows. I'm alive and living; life is good.

*****

The past 7 days have been packed with new underwater experiences working as a divemaster intern in Beau Vallon. After completing my first full week at Blue Sea Divers (BSD), I dove at my first wreck site, completed a decompression dive (reaching a new max depth), and topped off the week leading a dive! I've not had a moment to rest, but the office is the ocean- I'm more than happy to work my 7 days of the week plus some! I have been settling into my role as divemaster intern, assimilating myself into the shop's rhythm and becoming a better diver with every breath.

Beau Vallon fisherman

Monday and Tuesday were devoted to rescue diver skills and theory. Dives were short and relatively shallow, focusing on specific emergency scenarios. Mornings were spent covering diver tows, out of air, rescue breathing, assisted ascents, water exits, and missing diver searches. After a rejuvenating lunch on the beachfront, the afternoons were spent covering rescue theory and reviewing the morning's exercises. A considerable amount of time has been dedicated to the rescue training at BSD which has given me more confidence in the water.

Wednesday could not have come sooner- I was overflowing with excitement when I discovered that BSD would be diving at Twin Barges, a wreck site just off NW Mahe's coast. As I descended, I feared I'd get lost since the visibility was considerably less than optimum with so much plankton in the water. But, as I followed the murky shadows and bubbles of fellow divers, the form of a bow slowly emerged from the depths. My heart skipped a beat as the entire boat came into view. Schools of fish were shimmering about its decks; peppered moray eels popped out of rusted exhaust valves; a family of lionfish swayed with the surge; and a little porcupinefish peered at me from a rusted pipe. It was an underwater playground.

But one wreck dive was not enough for my first week. On Thursday, BSD took clients to Aldabaran, a 40 meter wreck site! Diving to 40 meters required a decompression stop, and so it was both my deepest dive to date and first deco-dive! I descended down the anchor line to the wreck without trouble and did not experience nitrogen narcosis, though I did feel a little light headed as I reached the bottom. As I rounded the stern of the ship, I noticed a group of divers hovering above the sand- not thinking much of it, I continued scouring the bottom of the boat for any large shells. As I was about to place my hand on the sand, it shifted, rising up in front and below me. I froze. A huge marble ray emerged from the sand, about as wide as I am tall (or short) with a tail as thick as my arm. Its body came within inches of mine before it glided away, followed by a baby ray. Needless to say, Aldabaran was quite the experience.

Blue Sea Divers!

It was trial by fire - or water - on Friday when I led my first dive. I had one client whom I led around Twin Barges and its shallow coral reef. The experience overall was a good one. I'd been to the site once before and knew its general layout as well as what to expect to find. Juggling the clients needs and mine, like buoyancy and air, along with navigating a fun and interesting dive was challenging. I reviewed hand signals and briefed the client about the site and its details as I readied his equipment for the dive. I kept my wits about me while submerged, pointing out fish, invertebrates, and anything I thought could be of interest. The client seemed to be impressed and happy with the dive at the end of our underwater tour. There is a tidal wave of details I could have done better, so with more time and dives, everything will come together.

If the next 11 weeks go by this quickly I'll be stateside before you can say, "1, 2, 3, roll!"