I’ve been working as a dive instructor for 6 weeks now. For the first few weeks I was scheduled to teach Discover Scuba Diver. This is the introduction to scuba diving, done in half a day. It’s a bit of a rushed morning. We describe a bit of dive theory, cover scuba kit, sort out the gear and then get them in the water.

Many guests enjoy the experience so much they come back for more diving, but many don’t get past the first few minutes in the water. In the beginning I would finish the day more upset that I couldn’t coax a guest to stay in the water instead of focusing on the successes of the dive. Scuba diving isn’t for everyone; it’s got nothing to do with me.

Over the 6 weeks, I also got to do a bit of scuba and snorkel guiding. Guiding is much easier than teaching, allowing you to focus on finding interesting things in the water and enjoying the dive.

Snorkel guiding is good fun too, you see things from a different angle, don’t have to worry about air consumption. I also get a chance to adjust the short tan lines on my legs that we all get from scuba diving in shorts and not a full wetsuit – tan lines are one of my biggest concerns these days!

The other week, I was given my first Open Water course to teach. In my opinion, it was a very messy first try! I had 5 students, 1 was there as an open water diver and 4 were signed up as Scuba Divers. Day 1 went easy, a few videos and theory and a dive. Day 2 got a little bit harder with ear problems and reluctance to do skills. By the end of the day 1 student passed as a scuba diver, the others all planned to continue on as open water divers. Day 3 and I only have 3 students; the 4th had called in sick. One of the 3 with me was not very well, but he was determined to get through the day and keep up with his mates. The 3 students decided to take two days off to recover from illness. The belated day 4 of the course actually went quite well, skills and dives all completed and 3 new certified Open Water divers. I never did see the other student; I hear he got signed off as a scuba diver.

I just finished another open water course yesterday; it went a lot better the second time around. I was only able to qualify 3 out of 4 of my students (one couldn’t equalize his ears; therefore he couldn’t complete the required dives). I was more relaxed this time, allowing me to enjoy teaching and have a bit of fun with the students.

Today I’m enjoying a day off from the sun and sea. The last time I had a day off was 12 days ago – when I was stuck in bed for three days with a twisted ankle and a cold. I’ve got to be more careful walking around the streets here! I guess I can say am the lucky one as only a few days after I did my ankle in, Clare a fellow instructor and creator of DiveBunnie did a similar thing on the street and is now at home for 6 weeks with a broken foot. I went bonkers after 3 days at home – I wish Clare speedy recovery and sanity to survive the boredom.

2 technical diving courses are included as part the internship package. The first time I was scheduled to participate in the course I pulled out as it was at the time I was freaking out over dive theory (see Mathematics and Moods blog entry).

The second attempt I nearly bailed out again, but thought I’d be better off giving it a try. As this was after my instructor course, I had a lot more confidence in my dive theory and diving skills.

The course started with an afternoon session with Leigh Cunningham, he introduced us (me, Katie, another internship instructor and Phil our videographer) to technical diving equipment and a little bit of theory. I was getting a bit excited about the kit and having a chance to try it out until the edge of the steel back plate connected with the end of my stump. Ouch! (Is saying it politely). After kit came a bit of dive theory and how it relates to technical diving, different gas blends and new depths we’d get to by the end of the course.

The next day was on the boat. Dive one was a wobbly experience. I was now wearing a twin set (two tanks), a donut shaped bladder, different fins and regulator, a lantern with a power pack, a reel and smb as well as a harness that’s just like safety/climbing rigging. It’s all completely different to the usual recreational diving gear. I spent the whole dive just trying to find a balanced position. Not only was it new kit making me wobble, I also have to dive in a new position (think of some yoga move you do on your belly).

The second dive was a lot less wobbly, but my buoyancy was pretty rubbish. The aim is to be able to stick to a certain depth and not rise above or below that depth. 50cm difference is acceptable, but not a few metres. The reason why this matters is all to do with the gas/air blends used and the depth you stop at to reduce the nitrogen in your system. You must do certain things at a certain depth or you could risk injury – fun huh?

After the two dives it was back to the dive centre for more theory, a review of the day and a giggle looking at the photos and video’s taken of us in the water – and homework assignments!

Day three was another day on the boat. A new element was added to all the kit we were already carrying – another tank, slung on our left side. So with three tanks and all the other gear on we jump into the water. Another adjustment to my balance, but it was easier this time; I was getting the hang of it. My (yoga) position was improving and I was doing ok on the buoyancy. Well that was until it was time to start messing around with turning the tanks on and off. If you see by the photos there are 3 on/off valves we have to play with, no problem for one hand if you’re flexible like me!

So, I was doing ok, but I wasn’t really enjoying myself. I felt that I was turning a simple relaxing activity into a complicated one. I was not putting a 100% into this course like I did for divemaster and instructor, I guess i didn’t want it as much. I started thinking during the dive that I’d pull out of the course; another smack to my stump from the 3rd tank was the clincher for me. I decided not to continue with the second dive of the day and pulled out of the course.

I think I might look back into tech another day, but then again, why make life difficult for myself?

If any one handers out there are interested in doing technical diving, don’t let me put you off trying it for yourself. If you are into physical and mental challenges beyond those of recreational diving, you’ll find this enjoyable – many others do. I think I’ll call you all geek divers!

Thanks to Leigh for his expertise and to Phil and Katie for their encouragement and the end of day laughs.

Warning!  This entry is a long one to make up for the delay in posting.

It’s been two weeks since the end of all the craziness.  I’ve been taking it easy, having a few fun dives, catching up on my sleep and had a sneaky trip to London.

June 16^th was the day all the hard work paid off and I reached the goal I’d set for myself. I’m now certified as a PADI Instructor.

But I get ahead of myself; I last wrote on after the end of day 4.

The IDC continued, my scores continued to be crap both in the water and in the classroom.  I kept missing one element or another resulting in scores I was not happy with.

Next was a session in the pool with Jilly and Gemma, (a previous intern, now instructor, read her blog here). These two ladies are trouble when they are together.  They played students while I attempted to teach them. It was hilarious as well as frustrating.  Apparently they did nothing to me that they’ve not see a real student before.  Geez there’s a lot to look forward to when I start teaching – makes me wonder if I’m ready for it all.

Once again we worked on demonstration of skills with one had.  I had a good giggle watching Gemma and Jilly do knots, imitating me using their forearm and a hand.  It’s easy!

Lift bags and weights lead to more fun and games, but I was ready for the silly student antics this time.

The next day I was back at the beach with Alina and Stephan.  More practice on briefing and open water skills.  Once again I got the skill with more than one student, so crap!  It was supposed to be so simple, make them swim in a circle, kick, kick, and glide.  Once again, like “herding cats”.  After day 7 I was dreading getting any skills like this for the instructor exams.

Day 8, I was back in the pool with Jilly and Gemma.  Focusing on rescue skills and a discover scuba diving workshop.  Oooh what fun I had I with the muppet students again.  I think every real student I’ll have I’ll sit there with a slideshow of all the silly things the terrible two did going through my head. I guess I’m more prepared now, thanks to the muppet show – though I wasn’t thinking that at the time.

Last day of the IDC was spent at the beach, with a last chance to practice teaching skills in the open water as well as the rescue skill that is part of the IE.  There was a final wrap up presentation from Jilly, telling me what to expect over the following two days.  I think I was too tired to even think about being worried about the next day. Stunned mullet is an expression that comes to mind.  Jilly had a few last words and a hug for me and that was the end of the IDC.

Day 10, the IE begins at a hotel conference centre.  Exams, prescriptive teaching, confined water presentation, skill circuit, open water presentation and rescue skills.  Everything is based on points, with a pass of 3.4 being required with 5 being the highest score achievable.

08:55 – First up is the two written exams.  I started with the PADI Standards exam. This is open book and just requires you show you know how to find things in the book.  I found it relatively easy.  After a 10 minute break it was time to take on the Dive Theory exam.  Dive theory has been my main concern, but the extra time I spent studying the last few weeks ( I can vouch  for the PADI dive theory e-learning) helped as 10 minutes after I finished the second exam, I was told I’d passed the exams. Yay!  4 sections left to go.

15:30 – We next moved on to Ocean College’s pool at Ocean Club (home field advantage for me) for the confined water presentation and skill circuit section.  All candidates had to demonstrate the same specific skills (regulator recovery, free flow regulator, alternate air source, fin pivot and CESA) as well as one extra skill (regulator clearing by two methods) that were to be briefed and performed as if the other candidates in my group were real students and a divemaster.  This section went well for me.  I only messed up a little on the regulator clearing de-brief, but I did well enough that the loss of points did not affect my final score.

18:30 – It was then time to go back to the conference centre for my Prescriptive Teaching session.  I’d spent the spare time in the afternoon preparing for this.  I had everything I needed props, equipment, spiel.  I was nervous, so much that I actually forgot to pick up the equipment I was supposed to be “selling” and show it around.  I scored low for this, but I still passed the section.

That was day 1, thankful it was over, I went home happy.  The day was not completely finished.  I still had homework to do which was preparation for the open water presentation.  I was tired and a little worried.  I’d been assigned a descent skill – uh ohh!

Day 2 of the IE.

08:45 – today we were at the Red Sea College.  Only two sections left to go, rescue and open water.

The day started well, I covered everything on my briefing and was able to nicely tie a bow line as a demonstration.  Then it was off to the water.

We all had to perform a demonstration of how to rescue an unconscious diver at the surface.  I got the short straw and had to demonstrate mouth to mouth, which is harder for me compared to the pocket mask method.  I was up first and had Alina to demonstrate on.  After all the practice we had during IDC, I was able to do the demo really well – I was surprised at myself actually. Another pass mark for me.

Once the rescue was completed, we had to wait a bit for the examiner to come along.  I was just chilling in the water going over the skills, it was a last minute chance to review what I was going to do.

The examiner turns up and we have a long paddle on the surface out to the descent line which sits 7m deep in the water.  I have two skills to perform/evaluate as an Instructor, descent on a line and bow line.  I get my pretend divemaster and students (the other candidates) ready to descend. And then it gets interesting.  I do the 5 point descent check and catch a “student” still with their snorkel in.  I get them to switch to the regulator and start the descent.  I stopped everyone once they were half a metre under the water and started my double check all students were ok.  Uh ohh. One has popped up to the surface.  I get my Divemaster to stay with the other students and surface to see what the problem was.  The student on the surface, the one that was caught with the snorkel at the surface, had switched back to the snorkel for the descent.  This was maybe a bit of confusion between the student and the examiner. (The examiner gives the students a problem for each candidate to spot and correct as would happen in reality.) With a regulator in the student and I descend and we all continue the controlled descent skill.  I forgot to “congratulate and remind” students at the end of the skill and went straight into the next skill.

The bowline skill was cut short, only one student got to give me problems before the examiner signalled cut, time to move on to the next candidate.

I know the bow line skill went well, but for the next period of time, while in the water with the other candidates and the wait while back at Red Sea College, about 2 hours, I was stressing that I’d failed.  If you do anything that is deemed unsafe to a student, then you automatically get a score of 1 and do not get certified.

When the examiner was back, it was time to de-brief the descent and bow line skills.  I was so nervous and stressed, still thinking I’d failed – until the examiner leaned over and said “congratulations, you’re now a PADI Instructor”.

Woo hoo!

(more photos are on my facebook page )

Phew!  All the work and study I did over the past few months came down to this moment.  It seems that Jilly knew that I wasn’t failing, but chose not to tell me, thinking that it would be all the more sweeter after all the sweating.

The day wasn’t over yet.  There was a wrap up talk from the examiners and then the handing out of certificates.  Each candidate that passed was called out to the middle of the gathering to be congratulated and receive the certificate of completion.

Then it was on to celebrations – mojitos, the funnel test, Russian style suicide tequilas and dancing on the bar until 2am.  A good way to end the IE.

I have to thank  Jilly for her hard work, helping devise the best way to demonstrate skills one handed and drilling me hard on everything she could.  Amr, I also have to thank  for his unique method of teaching me – he (and any of his past students) knows what I mean.  The combined knowledge and experience these two have were a great benefit to me.

So day 4 of the IDC is over with. Yay!

The long hours of study, presentations, skills and homework is catching up with me. My concentration is starting to lapse and I’m giving Jilly blank looks a lot more often now.

Yesterday we spent 2 ½ hours in the pool doing 4 skills. The other student from Red Sea College and I both had two skills to brief above water and underwater, demonstrate the skill and rectify “student” mistakes.

There’s a lot of detail in one single skill. I’ve got a long way to go before it becomes a simple automatic spiel.

While the two of us did our thing (I had alternate air source and air depletion skills) we were being evaluated by 3 different instructors. They’ve got a large set of criteria to mark us upon. Most of the time we spent in the pool was due to the 3 of them talking through our scores. I made mistakes with the pool skills and again when it was time to do different skills (free descent with reference and regulator recovery) in open water at the beach.

I have a favourite saying “like trying to herd cats”. That’s what it was like today when I was supposed to be doing the free descent skill. It looks so easy when other instructors do it, but not when I do it. Instead of all students descending in a nice, neat controlled manner – 1 student dropped like a stone, another had ear problems, the 3rd was not looking at me and my pretend divemaster not really assisting. Shhhessh! What a disaster!

I got a 1 for that skill (we’re all aiming for 5). No one student met the skill objective especially as I didn’t make them all repeat the skill. I also got a 1 yesterday because my “students” didn’t meet the required objectives during the air depletion skill.

I’m hoping I learn from my mistakes and avoid anymore scores of 1.

I’ve spent tonight writing up a classroom session on streamlining, a briefing on how to do a no mask swim and a sales presentation using the 4 E’s.

This course is very comprehensive, it’s not just about being in the water. I’m learning about all the other elements that make diving a successful business. This all might come in useful if I branch out on my own one day.

I’m off to bed now. Since I’ve joined the #1 club I go to sleep in the hope I do better tomorrow and there will be no more scores of 1 – especially during my 2 day Instructor Exam.

So the study paid off. After a day in the classroom discussing demonstration techniques, the right things to say and playing with CPR dolls – I’m now an Emergency First Response (EFR) Instructor. That means I can now (well when the paperwork has cleared) teach other people CPR, first aid and a few other things in-between. Teaching others how to save a life – what a great thing to do!

So the EFR training is just the beginning. After spending Saturday at home studying dive theory, yet again, the Instructor Development Course began on Sunday.

It’s just me on the IDC, which I was thinking is a good and bad thing. So far though, I’ve enjoyed the experience, Jilly is good company and I have no competition for top of the class.

I seem to be a lot calmer about the IDC than I was about the Divemaster. I’m not stressing out over the theory or pool skills or the upcoming 2 day instructor exams, well not yet anyway.

I guess I may be feeling calm as the first two days have been easy. Jilly has been doing most of the hard work giving me a ton of presentations. I’ve been learning about the business of diving, risk management, marketing and teaching specialities. Nice and stress free kind of stuff. Surprisingly, a lot of it is quite interesting and I have to rein in my tendency to get excited and start on the “let’s do this”, “why aren’t they doing that”?

Each day, we’ve had a session in the pool. Jilly has been drilling me on demonstrating skills so that I am to PADI standards and make it all look easy. It’s been a fun environment, allowing me to improve my demo’s and each time we do it I get more confidence – I know I’ll be able to become an instructor.

Tomorrow, “Dips” will join in on the fun and games as well as another IDC student and his teacher. We’ll be in the pool practicing teaching as well as playing silly students.

Wish me 4’s and 5’s!

I’ve been feeling like I’m in limbo these days. The last few weeks after the Divemaster course have been spent shadowing other instructors while they teach or guide. I am enjoying the experience, getting a chance to see how each instructor differs in their way of doing things and practicing what I’ve learnt. But really, I just want to be on the other side of the Instructor Development Course.

I’m impatient to know if I am (or not) able to become a scuba instructor. There are some things that must be done to PADI standards, no if’s or buts or modified ways. What they are and whether I meet these standards are a few days away. I wish it were sooner.

So far, my blog has not really been that specific about being an amputee – as I just get on with it and do my best to adapt. I thought I’d make this entry about diving one handed (well one hand and a very useful stump), because, maybe, possibly, someone is actually reading this blog to find out about how easy it is to dive even if “inconvenienced” (I call myself inconvenienced, not disabled).

The first thing you need to know is that I’m a stubborn lil bugger and want to do everything for myself. There are many times when people offer assistance, or I’ll see them in the corner of my eye about to come do something for me, I say no thank you and shoo them away. I think I’ve managed to get all the staff here both at the school and on the boats to leave me to it. This is just how I work, there is no reason why anyone else shouldn’t ask for help if they want it – or just enjoy letting someone else do the hard work for you.

Setting up the scuba kit is not hard. I can pick a tank up one handed for short distances, or if it’s a bit of a walk, I’ll support the air on/off handle in the crook of my left elbow and carry the base of the tank in my good hand.

The buoyancy control device or BCD is easy to slide onto the tank, although closing the tank band buckle is a good test of strength – knees holding the tank help. Next is the regulator and associated hoses and gauge. Again, I make use of the crook of my left elbow to hold things steady while I screw the 1st stage of the regulator onto the tank and connect the low pressure inflator hose to my BCD. Once I’m all connected, it’s time to turn the air on. The on/off handle on some days is a lil hard to turn, it’s one of the few times I’ll ask for assistance.

Once I know my kit is working ok, it’s on to weights. Some days I get to use the BCD integrated weight pouches, which are more comfortable, but a fiddle to put into their pockets. When I’m on a course and students are around, I must wear a weight belt. Threading the weights on is time consuming and a bit of a faff. Once the weights are on the belt, you have to check they sit in the right position when on. So to put a heavy belt on one handed requires a bit of a technique. I grab the end without the buckle, hold it up high by the back of my right hip and kinda hope the other side drapes over my back the right way. Then I bend over and thread the belt through the buckle and hey presto, one very tight, uncomfortable, unfashionable weight device is in place – no hipster style allowed with these babies!

The next struggle is the wetsuit. Anybody with one hand knows the extra work it takes to get dressed, it gets even harder with skin tight neoprene that has no loops, grips or handles to help pull it on. It’s a wriggle and a half – I’m looking forward to the water warming up so I can wear shorts and a rash vest. (I tried diving the other day in the pool with shorts and a bikini top, spent most of the dive concerned on whether I’d pop out of my top or not – so it’s definitely a rash vest for me)

Boots go on like tight socks. Fins are easy to slip on and snap closed. I like to put my fins on before putting the scuba gear on. It’s easier to do without all that extra weight and gear getting in the way.

Most of the time the scuba gear is in a rack or the tank is in a hole, allowing you to sit down and strap yourself in. Doing everything up, is quite easy to do for me, the annoying bit is standing up. Usually I’ve got about 20 kilos of extra weight on me. I’ve done some training, but some days it’s still heavy. I have one less bit of leverage, but I always find something to help lever myself up, whether it’s a box, the scuba gear next to me or the wetsuit hanger rail – if all else fails a lift from a fellow diver.

Diving from a boat – Walking in fins is easy, but not when a boat is rocking. Everyone needs to hang on, I just have to make sure my walk to the back of the boat has handholds on the right side. Something to hang on to is anything steady, people or objects. Once at the stern (back of the boat) it’s time to jump in. Mask on, reg in and step off. Once I’m in the water it’s all easy.

Diving from land – once I’m up and standing with all the gear on it’s a walk down to the water. If I’m at the pool, then I just jump in, like off a boat. If it’s a beach dive, the fins are off and it’s a waddle down to the shore line, dodging tourists and sinking in the sand. Once chest deep in the water it’s time to get the fins on. Some days I make it look easy and other days I look like a newbie diver while doing this.

So as soon as I’m in the water with all the gear on I find the actual diving easy. Easy, unless Amr is trying to get me to guide, or I have to demonstrate weight belt removal or fin pivots. At least my underwater antics give my fellow divers a laugh.

Getting out of the water is also another challenge to the “inconvienienced”. I have improved over the last two months, but still, some days getting up that boat ladder is a crappy way to end a good dive. Beach diving is easy, fins off, walk out, waddle and dodge the tourists. If I’m in the pool and I have the energy then I get out with the gear on. I can be kinda lazy and take the gear off and leave it floating. I say kinda lazy, because I still then have to pick it up out of the water and carry it back to the setup area.

I don’t think what I do is all that much different from other divers. I just need to be organised, keep an order to the way I do things and look out for a hand hold or two to keep steady. Just to prove how easy it is, I hope to have a video uploaded shortly, showing me getting geared up and diving.

In preparation for the upcoming Instructor course, I’ve been working with my instructors to find the best way to demonstrate scuba skills, one handed, to make it look easy for the students. It has been so amusing, I have to clear the water out of my mask often from laughing so much. Watching my instructors try skills one handed is so entertaining, I enjoy watching them try – and succeed!

Now, it’s time to get back to my studies. On Friday I start my Instructor training with the Emergency First Response course. I’m looking forward to some hard work and having a good laugh.

I’m happy to say I’ve passed my Divemaster course! Yesterday, the final day, was spent fun diving and celebrating.

I had an easy day diving the local reefs. Instead of being the guide I was allowed to bubble along at the back of the group, camera in hand. Two lovely dives at sites we rarely go to, Ras Bob and Ras Nasrani – so pretty and colourful.

At the end of the day some of the Ocean College staff got together at T2 to celebrate Gemma’s birthday (another recent intern) and my Divemaster completion. It was a nice quiet gathering. I was hoping to go unnoticed in the corner, but there was no escaping the Snorkel test. The snorkel test is an unofficial rite of passage you do when completing Divemaster and Instructor – so I’ll be doing another one sooner or later.

Although I wanted to avoid it, I was quite happy with my result. I downed two bottles of vodka id in a matter of seconds and it all stayed down!

Today, I’m enjoying a day off. I’m off to watch some of our Instructors play a football match and then off to a bbq. What a hard life!

Here are a few photos taken over the last few weeks.

The last month has flown by in a blur for me.

Other than the 3 days I’ve had off, I’m up at 6:15 (or earlier) out the door at 7:20 to catch the staff bus at 7:30. I then go to either one of the Ocean College dive centres and then sort out paper work, guest lists, do exams, prepare students etc.

I either spend the day out on a boat diving or working from the Naama Bay centre learning to teach. For a while I was the one learning, but over the last week Amr has been getting me to guide guests or teach students. I’m slowly gaining confidence in my ability to do it all. It’s a big change from fun diving. Fun diving you pay to let someone else do all the thinking. Now I’m the one doing all the thinking – and it’s a lot to think of! Responsibility for the safety of the divers, not getting lost and making the dive fun/interesting for the guest is still making me nervous.

I’ve passed all my exams and skill tests now. I’m learning how to tie knots one handed, well not exactly one handed, but it’s definitely not two handed. I can do a crappy boat briefing. My dive briefing is yet to be an entertaining spiel that inspires the guest to want to get in the water, right now its bare bones info L

The day usually ends around 4:30 – 5. Once the paper work for the day is filed and the guests are on their buses back to their hotels, I can go home. I’m usually lucky enough to get a ride home from one of the Ocean College staff, so that saves me a walk in the afternoon heat.

For most of April, my evenings were spent with my head in some book studying theory, or learning skills of some sort. The last few nights I’ve not done any of that, just chilled and watched a movie, cooked a little (if I eat on the boat, then I don’t need to eat much for the rest of the day – eyes bigger than my tummy syndrome!)

I need to keep the study frame of mind going though. When the instructor training starts I want to be on top of the theory that I only did so-so on. I’ll also get back into learning Egyptian. The little I know helps just a smidgeon, but I need more.

I’m usually in bed by 9-10 now, earlier on in April, it was closer to 8…the diving does wear you out, so does all that time in the sun and sea air.

If anyone reading this is considering doing the internship I’d recommend it. If you can handle early starts, sun, sea and a bit of hard work you’ll be fine. I’ve still got two months to go, remember though; a woman has the right to change her mind.

So, it’s been a few days since I last wrote. The DM course has been progressing along, a lil bumpy in parts, but I’m getting my way through it.

In the midst of my studies and practical learning, the underwater world has been keeping me entertained. I’ve played hide and seek (lost diver) with a student doing a rescue course. While hiding a fish kept me company because I could stir up the sand for it. I’ve been a used by coronet fish as a hunting hide, they use divers as a way to sneak up on their food. I also enjoy checking up on the 3 clown fish out in Naama bay. There is a baby clown that is so tiny and cute! There have been so many other things I’ve seen, you’ll just have to come out and dive with us to see for yourself.

Some of the easier things I’ve done of late for the DM course are the water skill and stamina tests. I needed a minimum of 12 points in total to pass. I completed the 400m in 9 minutes (Yay for preparation and all that time in the gym back in the UK). The 800m fin/snorkel swim was done in 17 mins. (I recommend the dolphin kick for anyone who will be doing this-less tiring than the regular up and down kick). I got 3 points out of 5 (5 best, 1 low) per swim and I got 5 points for treading water for 15 minutes, the last two minutes, hands out of water. So the last test I only needed to score 1 point, towing a tired diver across the surface for 100m. I got 3 points for that test. So 14 points! I pass, but of course I’m nowhere near as stellar as Amr…how does one get 22 out of 20?

The harder subject of DM for me and the title of this entry – mathematics and moods. I absolutely suck at mathematics, never got the hang of it until I was 18 at some office admin course. I’m not sure if that’s a statement on schooling in Australia or just my fluffy head. Anyways, physics has taken up a large chunk of my thoughts of late. Understanding the calculations and concepts used to raise objects to the surface, absolute pressure, partial pressure, air density, air consumption rates. If I can’t understand something it bugs me something fierce, then I get frustrated and then of course, because I’m a girl, the hormones start kicking in and so do the tears. Damn numbers had me bugging out twice. So on top of being frustrated over my inability to grasp the physics concepts, I was embarrassed, as both episodes happened on the boat in between dives. Such a girl!

I’m happy to say, that thanks to Amr’s help and some extra time with the books I seemed to have completed the physics test. It was such a surprise to me when I passed. Unfortunately, physics is not over and done with yet. I’ll have to keep on top of it and get a better understanding of the subject, it will be back to bug me – for sure!

I had my second ever night dive on Tuesday. It was from the Hilton Waterfalls beach, the dive site is called Paradise. It was completely different to my last night dive at Ras Katy, which seemed safer somehow as it wasn’t that deep and there’s a lot of sand there. Diving Paradise at night felt more like something out of the Abyss movie. I was following behind all the guests with Amr leading the way. I think I missed seeing most things as they’d been scared off by the 9 people ahead of me. It was a good learning experience but kinda boring on a personal level. I had the most fun at the end, with my torch off, playing with the phosphoresce. It looked like I was making sparks in the water.

I’m also learning how to guide. One thing is about knowing the dive sites, what’s good to see at which depth and the resident creatures. This knowledge will come with time spent on the dive sites. The other aspect of guiding is making the dive interesting, safe and the right speed for the guests. At the moment, when I’m up front leading the dive I feel I should have one of those “don’t follow me, I’m lost too” stickers on my tank and some “go slow” fins.

It’s all slowly coming together.

Today I was tasked with presenting the Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) spiel. You get to cheat a little bit, there’s a big flip chart that you can use with the guests to help you remember all you need to say. I did ok this morning as I’d spent the previous night reviewing the chart and talking to an imaginary audience. I’m sure my new neighbours thought I was nuts. There’s a few things not on the chart, some of them I remembered to say and a few others I hope to remember for tomorrow, I get to do it all again.

It’s interesting to see how people react when they actually get in the water. One day soon, I’ll be managing the effects of the guest’s reactions. Right now I’m happy to observe and learn, leaving the ascents and descents to Amr.

The DSD is only a half day of work, so my afternoon was spent reading up on physiology (cardiovascular system, how the eye sees colour) and getting back into the pool to improve my swimming skills. With finishing up my life in London and moving over here to Sharm I’d not had time to do much exercise of late. My fitness has decreased slightly, not good when I have a few swim tests ahead of me. After so many days spent scuba diving, it felt weird to switch from swimming with fins and my arms crossed to freestyle and breast stroke, hand and feet.

Tomorrow after the next DSD session I’ll be putting my swimming ability to the test with a 400m swim. My target is to do it in less than 8-10 minutes – definitely not going to threaten any Olympic or Paralympic records this time around. There’s also an 800m swim with fins, mask and snorkel – not sure what time I’ve got to do that in.

I’m going to be a tired little dive bunnie tomorrow night for sure.