Deciding to come home and leave my dream behind wasn't hard. I've already mentioned many of the things I found difficult to deal with.
My roommate was a pretty good guy. He was learning to drive the boat and did so often when in the open ocean. He was however a slob. I managed to get all of my clothes into the limited space provided but he used the shelves and floor for his. At times you could barely get to the sink and the door was always blocked with dirty clothes.
I may have mentioned the bathroom before but its worth another mention. It was shared by 4 crew members. I was tiny and the toilet rarely flushed correctly. All of us used a public toilet in another part of the boat. The shower was small and dirty. There were exposed pipes covered with corrosion, rust and mold. The cover for the vent fan was missing leaving exposed wiring about 6 inches from your head.
Remarks were make several times during the week when we attemped to go diving. No one said a word if you slept or stayed in your room when not on duty but diving seemed to be discouraged. This is very strange on a dive boat. I went diving anyway and assisted diver with finding creatures and finding their way back to the boat. Other crew members went diving my themselves and never went with customers. I just don't understand this philosophy.
One dive master was highly regarded by the captain but not at all liked by most of the crew. His dive briefings were a joke. He couldn't read or understand a compass at all and was unable to provide directions to divers. He was outstanding under water however and could find things and get around without any problems. He did dive with the guests a couple of times but was the only one to do so.
The new first mate got off the boat after only 2 days. He left when we stopped for repairs in Key West. The engineer that joined us in Belize left when I did. He said he was going to have a breakdown if he stayed another day. He said he was not properly trained and there were too many problems with the boat and its systems. I don't think its normal that 3 crew members would leave a boat within a week. This boat is a mess.
Other than the captain, cook and steward, the most senior person on the boat had been there about 6 months. They were in constant training mode with people like me that didn't stay long. They were all burned out and in need of a break.
The crew was only allowed 2 to 3 hours per week off the boat. All other live aboards dock on Friday afternoon and let most of the crew off until mid day on Saturday. This one didn't dock until late at night and no one is allowed to leave. The other boats hire local workers to clean the boat on Saturday and get it ready for the next cruise. This boat did not do that. The crew cleaned the boat and restocked it for the next cruise. The nearest restaurant (no lunch or dinner served on Saturday) or Internet cafe was at least a 1/2 hour away leaving you with an hour to call home, get email, get a haircut and do any personal business. I could not deal with that.
Monday, October 30, 2006
A WEEK AT SEA
Pictures include a part of my 5' by 9' room. No mirror on the medicine cabinet. A picture of the hatch leading to the engine room. A picture of the boat.
I hope I can remember my first and last week at sea with paying customers.
I enjoyed the week and the work is much easier than the shipyard duties. Basically, I had dive deck duties each day and then had night watch 2 times and was galley assistant once. Galley assistant is not too bad with only 6 guests on board. I had plenty of time of relax and eat more food than I care to a admit. In fact, I spent much of the week eating. There is always food available and its pretty good. I must have eaten 30 or 40 large cookies during the week.
Dive deck duties included helping get the boat hooked up to a mooring sight. One person handles a huge 2" bow line that they drop into the water. Another person jumps into the water and uses a giant shackle to fasten this line to the mooring line. A "granny" line is then dropped into the water and that is fastened to the mooring line also and the diver swims the line to the back of the boat where its attached. This line serves as a safety line in case of strong current for divers.
Other duties include filling tanks, assisting divers get into and out of their gear. I helped keep the deck clear and clean. I raised and lowered the platform as necessary. I was shocked to find out that we did not accompany the divers in the water. Unless you went diving on your "off time", no diving was involved with this job. This is very strange is not the way any of the other live aboards work. I was really disappointed.
I began to learn just how complex this boat was. Most of the systems were totally manual and included no safety devices to prevent human error. Several errors were made during this first week that resulted in various problems. One engineering assistant forgot one of several switches during a routine switch of generators and caused major problems with the chiller (air conditioning) system on the boat. I couldn't see the water level in the water reservour so and there is no shut off so the water overflowed into the engine room. It wasn't serious but it did require the use of pumps to get rid of the water. A water pipe broke one night and caused flooding in the engineering area which drained into the engine room. That water was pumped back into engineering and then fell back into the engine room again. What a mess.
Several air handlers were broken when we left Fort Lauderdale. Most were fixed by the end of the cruise week but it was always guesswork that fixed them. No one really understand them. Condensation problems occured in one guest room, in the salon, and in the lower hallway during the week. S0me of the unused rooms had waste baskets on the beds collecting falling water all week. Fans ran the entire week attempting to dry out the wet carpet and some carpet was removed and taking to the sun deck for drying.
I'm not sure if the generators are too small of it the wiring is inadequate but we were constantly warned about compressor operation. There are 3 compressors on board but only one can operate at one time. Apparantly the entire system shuts down with lots of damage if two are accidently switched on at one time. Two are on one side of the boat and the other is far away on the other side. They are all in very dark area's and its difficult to see the switches.
There are small stainless tubes (1/4" inch at most) that run from the compressor to the dive deck that supply the air or Nitrox. At least on of these tubes runs across the boat about 40 feet. It was only attached in a couple of places so it dangled around. It was leaking (surprise) so one side of the boat did not have Nitrox.
I think you can tell this boat is a mess. I don't know if its really unsafe or not but its certainly not very enjoyable when something is constantly broken. I was embarrassed the entire week by the condition of the boat. Rust is everywhere. Most doors don't work properly and you have to lean into them to get the open or closed. Over spray and paint drips are everywhere. Some things are painted but have rust holes going completely through the paint and metal surface.
Nitrox scuba tanks are suppose to be marked to indicate Nitrox is being used so air and Nitrox are not mixed up. The Nekton did not mark their tanks. The "hang tank" or safety tank placed in the water before every dive had at least 2 leaks. It was empty within an hour of being placed in the water leaving no air for emergencies.
There was an emergency on another boat during the week. The Sundancer II from Peter Hughes had a diver collapse on deck. He had been complaining of severe heartburn for two days but did nothing about it. He stoped breathing and the crew could not revive him. They hailed our boat and we had a doctor on board that immediate went to help along with an AED and some oxygen. He was unable to revive the diver however and he died.
I had the opportunity to teach a Nitrox class during the week. It was fun and easy. The student studies on their own and completes a couple of knowledge reviews and quizes. I covered those with him and explained the answers for those he missed. I then gave him a final exam and explained those missed questions. He did very well and was certified on Friday. He was my first real student.
As I said earlier, I'm back at home now. I told the captain about 10 am on Friday that I was leaving. He was not happy.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
ITS ALL OVER
I'm back home. I'll explain everything as I get caught up. Basically the boat was a mess and the job wasn't at all what I expected. More later.
Still Going
Today is Saturday and we are still about 22 hours away from Belize.
This morning I volunteered to replace the scuba tank holders on the dive deck. This was one job that didn’t require any painting for a change. I also didn’t thing it would be that dirty but it wasn’t that clean either. The plastic holders fit into an aluminum channel that is screwed onto the boat. I removed one of channels only to find out the holders themselves were damaged so badly and everything was so corroded that they wouldn’t budge. I tried another unit that had a single holder and that one worked properly so I switched it out. I was also able to remove 7 holders from the adjacent channel. In all I replaced a dozen holders but another 30 need replacing. We didn’t have any more parts however.
After lunch the captain suggested I look at their computer that wouldn’t boot. They have no disks on board – not even a repair or Windows disk. He did locate a Windows disk from a different brand PC and I tried to repair using it but it failed. I suggested that I move the hard drive to another PC so we could copy the data from it. I did that and was able to copy all of the presentations they use for customers and as well as many stolen movies. Luckily this took most of the afternoon.
Each day I’m more convinced that this is a mistake. Today I learned that the Steward (the captain’s girl friend) will no longer do watches. It seem as if she has to shortest schedule of any crew member but maybe I’m missing something.
I have been coughing badly ever since the 3rd of 4th day on board. I truly believe I may be allergic to all the mold around the boat. I’m sure its in the air.
This morning I volunteered to replace the scuba tank holders on the dive deck. This was one job that didn’t require any painting for a change. I also didn’t thing it would be that dirty but it wasn’t that clean either. The plastic holders fit into an aluminum channel that is screwed onto the boat. I removed one of channels only to find out the holders themselves were damaged so badly and everything was so corroded that they wouldn’t budge. I tried another unit that had a single holder and that one worked properly so I switched it out. I was also able to remove 7 holders from the adjacent channel. In all I replaced a dozen holders but another 30 need replacing. We didn’t have any more parts however.
After lunch the captain suggested I look at their computer that wouldn’t boot. They have no disks on board – not even a repair or Windows disk. He did locate a Windows disk from a different brand PC and I tried to repair using it but it failed. I suggested that I move the hard drive to another PC so we could copy the data from it. I did that and was able to copy all of the presentations they use for customers and as well as many stolen movies. Luckily this took most of the afternoon.
Each day I’m more convinced that this is a mistake. Today I learned that the Steward (the captain’s girl friend) will no longer do watches. It seem as if she has to shortest schedule of any crew member but maybe I’m missing something.
I have been coughing badly ever since the 3rd of 4th day on board. I truly believe I may be allergic to all the mold around the boat. I’m sure its in the air.
ON THE WAY
I had watch last night and talked to one of the boat drivers for a minute or two. At that time we were 49 hours from Belize. We should arrive about 5am on Sunday. Apparently they are entertaining the guests that were suppose to join us Saturday night. They will join us Sunday night instead.
I am still seriously considering getting off the boat in Belize and not going on the first charter. I dislike just about everything on this boat. The captain had a management style that I don’t like also.
Last night on watch, I washed a lot of dishes that were left lying around. Later I decided to do some laundry. It was still going when the Captain woke up about 6am and he was really nasty in telling me I should have finished the laundry that was lying around and should have folded the items I removed from the dryer. I had no idea whose it was or that we were responsible for folding other people’s clothes. It was his tone that was the real problem however. I explained I didn’t know the rules and he suggested that if I was home I would fold the previous clothes. Frankly, that doesn’t happen very often and you certainly wouldn’t do that at a public Laundromat. It appears that we’ll be doing laundry and dishes every time we have watch when there are guest on board. You also have to prepare the boat for the next days dives and guests.
Today I helped with the scuba tanks some more. We removed the valves again and took off the old O rings. We don’t have enough new ones so we are attempting to reuse the old ones. I cleaned them up and lubed them. I put some epoxy primer on the tanks that is suppose to help prevent rust. It is suppose to dry for 24 hours but they started painting over it within a couple of hours. It was very runny and still as wet as when I applied it. Every thing around here is done to expedite things regardless of whether its right or wrong. I looked up the procedure this morning for inspecting tanks and we definitely did not do it correctly. Steel tanks are to be left alone or sent someone so steel balls can be placed inside and tumbled to remove rust. We didn't have the tools and we used a steel cable for cleaning. This is pretty scary.
Later I was asked to clean up the sun deck. I cleaned a bunch of shelves and some storage lockers. Then I had to start cleaning chairs. We have about 40 chairs and each one had to be hand scrubbed and then washed down
I am still seriously considering getting off the boat in Belize and not going on the first charter. I dislike just about everything on this boat. The captain had a management style that I don’t like also.
Last night on watch, I washed a lot of dishes that were left lying around. Later I decided to do some laundry. It was still going when the Captain woke up about 6am and he was really nasty in telling me I should have finished the laundry that was lying around and should have folded the items I removed from the dryer. I had no idea whose it was or that we were responsible for folding other people’s clothes. It was his tone that was the real problem however. I explained I didn’t know the rules and he suggested that if I was home I would fold the previous clothes. Frankly, that doesn’t happen very often and you certainly wouldn’t do that at a public Laundromat. It appears that we’ll be doing laundry and dishes every time we have watch when there are guest on board. You also have to prepare the boat for the next days dives and guests.
Today I helped with the scuba tanks some more. We removed the valves again and took off the old O rings. We don’t have enough new ones so we are attempting to reuse the old ones. I cleaned them up and lubed them. I put some epoxy primer on the tanks that is suppose to help prevent rust. It is suppose to dry for 24 hours but they started painting over it within a couple of hours. It was very runny and still as wet as when I applied it. Every thing around here is done to expedite things regardless of whether its right or wrong. I looked up the procedure this morning for inspecting tanks and we definitely did not do it correctly. Steel tanks are to be left alone or sent someone so steel balls can be placed inside and tumbled to remove rust. We didn't have the tools and we used a steel cable for cleaning. This is pretty scary.
Later I was asked to clean up the sun deck. I cleaned a bunch of shelves and some storage lockers. Then I had to start cleaning chairs. We have about 40 chairs and each one had to be hand scrubbed and then washed down
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
KEY WEST
KEY WEST
We arrived in Key West about 9am on Wednesday. We parked at an old dock that has some very old junky boats. In fact our slip is between two partially sunken wrecks. It was a really tight fit.
The repair crew drove down from Ft. Lauderdale and arrived about 10am. They immediately started removing the broken turbo so they’d be ready when the new one arrived. Apparantly it was a real challenge getting the old one out but they finally did about 2pm. Unfortunately the new parts did arrive until about 5:30pm. It turns out that all we needed was a $5 part and they knew that several days ago. Because of some bad decisions, I estimate the repairs cost more than $5000 not counting the expenses caused by the now delayed or possibly cancelled charter that is suppose to start on Saturday. We won’t even be there by Saturday.
This boat only travels at 6 knots and its 600 miles to Belize.
We had some challenges today. The repair crew brought us a new washer and dryer while they were at it and we had to install them. Unfortunately, they don’t fit through the normal hallway in the boat so we had to bring them in using a small removable bulkhead in a storage locker at the front. We had to rip out the insulation that had just been replaced to get to the steel plates. We also had to totally empty this huge locker and the laundry room.
We were able to get the old ones out and the new ones in however. It was hard work and it was extremely hot. I believe it reached a 100. We didn’t replace the insulation and we used duct tape to cover up the cracks in the poor fitting plates. It looks horrible and it was just a quick fix.
I was able to talk to Gerri again today and I could pay $12 to connect to the Internet but I’m not sure how long we’ll be here.
I’m more convinced than ever that this job won’t last long. This boat is generally in poor condition. Because of the extremely long days when divers are aboard, the living conditions for the crew deteriorate rapidly. They is just no time for personally clean up from what I’ve heard. I also hear that there on only about 10 to 12 guest for several weeks so there are lots of empty rooms that could make things more pleasant but I don’t think we’ll be able to use them.
We arrived in Key West about 9am on Wednesday. We parked at an old dock that has some very old junky boats. In fact our slip is between two partially sunken wrecks. It was a really tight fit.
The repair crew drove down from Ft. Lauderdale and arrived about 10am. They immediately started removing the broken turbo so they’d be ready when the new one arrived. Apparantly it was a real challenge getting the old one out but they finally did about 2pm. Unfortunately the new parts did arrive until about 5:30pm. It turns out that all we needed was a $5 part and they knew that several days ago. Because of some bad decisions, I estimate the repairs cost more than $5000 not counting the expenses caused by the now delayed or possibly cancelled charter that is suppose to start on Saturday. We won’t even be there by Saturday.
This boat only travels at 6 knots and its 600 miles to Belize.
We had some challenges today. The repair crew brought us a new washer and dryer while they were at it and we had to install them. Unfortunately, they don’t fit through the normal hallway in the boat so we had to bring them in using a small removable bulkhead in a storage locker at the front. We had to rip out the insulation that had just been replaced to get to the steel plates. We also had to totally empty this huge locker and the laundry room.
We were able to get the old ones out and the new ones in however. It was hard work and it was extremely hot. I believe it reached a 100. We didn’t replace the insulation and we used duct tape to cover up the cracks in the poor fitting plates. It looks horrible and it was just a quick fix.
I was able to talk to Gerri again today and I could pay $12 to connect to the Internet but I’m not sure how long we’ll be here.
I’m more convinced than ever that this job won’t last long. This boat is generally in poor condition. Because of the extremely long days when divers are aboard, the living conditions for the crew deteriorate rapidly. They is just no time for personally clean up from what I’ve heard. I also hear that there on only about 10 to 12 guest for several weeks so there are lots of empty rooms that could make things more pleasant but I don’t think we’ll be able to use them.
A DAY OFF
Finally – A DAY OFF
Tuesday we didn’t have to do anything. We were headed to Belize finally and the captain decided to give us a free day. I did a few simple things like put carpet in my room and put in some wall hangers. I also rebuilt a guest camera table that was falling apart.
Since we were going along the coast of the Keys, I was able to get a cell signal so I talked to Gerri several times. Other than that the day was pretty slow.
I didn’t mention that I would not have made it through the previous day without the support of Gerri once again. She was able to get me calmed down enough to even discuss the problem with the president. We talked more about it today also. Basically we decided the two guys would win all around if I left the boat.
Chance and Brad haven’t talked to me since the big event of course. I say “hi” and greet them on occasion but they just ignore me. I know the crew is wondering what is going on but no one is saying a word since this is all he said, they said.
We found out about mid day that we a turbo had broken and we were headed to Key West to do repairs.
Tuesday we didn’t have to do anything. We were headed to Belize finally and the captain decided to give us a free day. I did a few simple things like put carpet in my room and put in some wall hangers. I also rebuilt a guest camera table that was falling apart.
Since we were going along the coast of the Keys, I was able to get a cell signal so I talked to Gerri several times. Other than that the day was pretty slow.
I didn’t mention that I would not have made it through the previous day without the support of Gerri once again. She was able to get me calmed down enough to even discuss the problem with the president. We talked more about it today also. Basically we decided the two guys would win all around if I left the boat.
Chance and Brad haven’t talked to me since the big event of course. I say “hi” and greet them on occasion but they just ignore me. I know the crew is wondering what is going on but no one is saying a word since this is all he said, they said.
We found out about mid day that we a turbo had broken and we were headed to Key West to do repairs.
Wow! What a day!
Wow! Monday was interesting. All of us that were not STCW certified had to get off the boat about 7:30 am for the coast guard inspection. We were taken to the Nekton offices that are in a large commercial type garage. We never went into the offices themselves to I have no idea what they look like but the outside was very unimpressive. The garage area was cluttered with junk and 3 new freezers. We had to use a special paint on the bottom and hinges that is suppose to inhibit rust. These are regular indoor freezers that are kept outside exposed to the salt air and they deteriorate rapidly. Anyway the paint was really for aluminum and not steel but we used it anyway. We then covered it up with white marine paint.
When we finished we were allowed to go off and run errands for several hours. I had to ride with Chance (the guy that lived in the car) and Brad. The car was a mess and full of clothes, booze and junk. I barely had room to sit in the back seat. I was seated right next to a speaker panel and the music was often turned up full blast. Chance drives like a mad man and the entire trip was horrible.
We started off by going to a storage facility to Chance could find out how much it would cost to store his car. He used his dad’s name and attempted to use his dad’s credit card number without actually having a card. After some discussion the facility just said he couldn’t stay there. It was just too fishy.
Next we hit a dive shop and Brad bought a $1000 worth of equipment and I bought a back up computer since I got instructor pricing.
We had lunch at some little pub and it was okay but not great. We all wanted some “real” food for a change.
I suggested we pick up the pace of things so we could get back to the boat. Both of the other guys didn’t like that idea and wanted to fool around for awhile so they didn’t have to work. I explained that the rest of the crew was working and it wasn’t fair for us to be messing around. They were not impressed.
Brad was upset and called the captain to find out how things were going. He determined the inspection wasn’t done yet but we had to go take a drug test. Suddenly the mood changed. Brad reached down onto the floor and pulled up two bottles of something. It was some sort of drink that is supposed to fool drug tests. They drank it down but it was apparently horrible tasting and they both gagged on it several times. Chance asked my to get him a bottle of booze from the back sit so he could mix it into this crap. I found a bottle of booze and he poured just a little bit into the bottle.
They started laughing histerically and said the hoped this $50 a bottle stuff would really work. Chance asked Brad it he thought it was worth while to “smoke” on the last night. Both agreed it was and kept laughing and joking about the entire situation.
Then we went to Lowes so I could buy some hooks and things to help create space in my crew cabin. I bought a few things but there were several items I wanted that I couldn’t find.
We headed off to another dive shop and every time a “good” song came on Chance would crank up the volume. I was so mad about the drugs, booze, crazy driving and loud music that I finally said “Stop the car, I want out”. They stopped and let me out at an Arby’s. I called the office and asked for a ride. Some of the staff was gone already so I had to call someone at the boat. I explained what I had witnessed and that I was standing on a street corner and needed a ride.
The president of the company showed up about an hour later. He wanted all the facts and details which I provided as best I could. He seemed genuinely concerned and we talked about it for a while and he drove me to take my drug test. Chance and Brad showed up at the same time. We all took the test but the results wouldn’t be known for 3 days. Chance and Brad proceeded on there way and John (the president) returned to pick me up. He purchased some immediate results drug tests for them to take. I was taken to the boat and he proceeded to pick them up at another storage facility. He took them to the office and did the drug test which they both passed. Apparently the cover up worked and I was now the bad guy with no proof.
John discussed the situation with me and still seemed concerned. I had said I wouldn’t be going on the boat if Chance and Brad went so he now wanted to know my plan. He recommended I stay since their test was negative so I decided I would give it a try.
As I said “wow, what a day”.
When we finished we were allowed to go off and run errands for several hours. I had to ride with Chance (the guy that lived in the car) and Brad. The car was a mess and full of clothes, booze and junk. I barely had room to sit in the back seat. I was seated right next to a speaker panel and the music was often turned up full blast. Chance drives like a mad man and the entire trip was horrible.
We started off by going to a storage facility to Chance could find out how much it would cost to store his car. He used his dad’s name and attempted to use his dad’s credit card number without actually having a card. After some discussion the facility just said he couldn’t stay there. It was just too fishy.
Next we hit a dive shop and Brad bought a $1000 worth of equipment and I bought a back up computer since I got instructor pricing.
We had lunch at some little pub and it was okay but not great. We all wanted some “real” food for a change.
I suggested we pick up the pace of things so we could get back to the boat. Both of the other guys didn’t like that idea and wanted to fool around for awhile so they didn’t have to work. I explained that the rest of the crew was working and it wasn’t fair for us to be messing around. They were not impressed.
Brad was upset and called the captain to find out how things were going. He determined the inspection wasn’t done yet but we had to go take a drug test. Suddenly the mood changed. Brad reached down onto the floor and pulled up two bottles of something. It was some sort of drink that is supposed to fool drug tests. They drank it down but it was apparently horrible tasting and they both gagged on it several times. Chance asked my to get him a bottle of booze from the back sit so he could mix it into this crap. I found a bottle of booze and he poured just a little bit into the bottle.
They started laughing histerically and said the hoped this $50 a bottle stuff would really work. Chance asked Brad it he thought it was worth while to “smoke” on the last night. Both agreed it was and kept laughing and joking about the entire situation.
Then we went to Lowes so I could buy some hooks and things to help create space in my crew cabin. I bought a few things but there were several items I wanted that I couldn’t find.
We headed off to another dive shop and every time a “good” song came on Chance would crank up the volume. I was so mad about the drugs, booze, crazy driving and loud music that I finally said “Stop the car, I want out”. They stopped and let me out at an Arby’s. I called the office and asked for a ride. Some of the staff was gone already so I had to call someone at the boat. I explained what I had witnessed and that I was standing on a street corner and needed a ride.
The president of the company showed up about an hour later. He wanted all the facts and details which I provided as best I could. He seemed genuinely concerned and we talked about it for a while and he drove me to take my drug test. Chance and Brad showed up at the same time. We all took the test but the results wouldn’t be known for 3 days. Chance and Brad proceeded on there way and John (the president) returned to pick me up. He purchased some immediate results drug tests for them to take. I was taken to the boat and he proceeded to pick them up at another storage facility. He took them to the office and did the drug test which they both passed. Apparently the cover up worked and I was now the bad guy with no proof.
John discussed the situation with me and still seemed concerned. I had said I wouldn’t be going on the boat if Chance and Brad went so he now wanted to know my plan. He recommended I stay since their test was negative so I decided I would give it a try.
As I said “wow, what a day”.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
ARE WE HAVING FUN YET
Friday was another day of more painting. For that matter so was Saturday. This boat needs a lot of paint and a lot of work. Anyway, nothing to unusual happened on Friday.
In addition to the painting I also helped load more crap into a trailer so they can bring all this stuff back when the coast guard leaves. In addition, I helped throw out tons of trash. The new carpet is almost done and we trashed all of the little extra pieces and scraps. I saved a piece so I can carpet my room if I ever find time. Now that I think about it, I should be able to do that today (Sunday) since I'm currently on watch again. Its about 4:15 am and they let me go back to bed for a couple of hours after my shift ends at 7 am.
We learnd a little (very little) about MARSEC today. That's the marine equivelant of the homeland securty stuff for land based security. We also had a meeting on the various emergency procedures such as fires, man overboard and abandon ship. Since I'm not STCW certified, I only listened and didn't participate. Later today we are suppose to go out to sea and practice some of this stuff some more.
I signd all of the employment papers today and they are really strange. There were about 20 or more pages most of them saying you have no rights, no benefits and lots of extra costs that you are responsible for. (STCW certification and your own gear for which they take no responsibility regardless it its stolen or lost) They take no responsibility for anything except the mandatory workers compensation. They pay you $6 a day if you get hurt. WOW!
This situation has got to get a lot better if I'm going to stay. They claim it will be fun once we get passengers so I"m hoping that's the case. I think I can survive long enough to give that a try. I did read one thing however that really bugs me. The old crew actually takes a vote after your first week working with passengers to determine if you get to stay or not. The customers don't matter, your work doesn't matter, and the captain doesn't matter. This is really strange and I don't like it very much. If they are worried that you might be more popular with guests and get some private tips, they could vote you off. That makes no sense to me.
In addition to the painting I also helped load more crap into a trailer so they can bring all this stuff back when the coast guard leaves. In addition, I helped throw out tons of trash. The new carpet is almost done and we trashed all of the little extra pieces and scraps. I saved a piece so I can carpet my room if I ever find time. Now that I think about it, I should be able to do that today (Sunday) since I'm currently on watch again. Its about 4:15 am and they let me go back to bed for a couple of hours after my shift ends at 7 am.
We learnd a little (very little) about MARSEC today. That's the marine equivelant of the homeland securty stuff for land based security. We also had a meeting on the various emergency procedures such as fires, man overboard and abandon ship. Since I'm not STCW certified, I only listened and didn't participate. Later today we are suppose to go out to sea and practice some of this stuff some more.
I signd all of the employment papers today and they are really strange. There were about 20 or more pages most of them saying you have no rights, no benefits and lots of extra costs that you are responsible for. (STCW certification and your own gear for which they take no responsibility regardless it its stolen or lost) They take no responsibility for anything except the mandatory workers compensation. They pay you $6 a day if you get hurt. WOW!
This situation has got to get a lot better if I'm going to stay. They claim it will be fun once we get passengers so I"m hoping that's the case. I think I can survive long enough to give that a try. I did read one thing however that really bugs me. The old crew actually takes a vote after your first week working with passengers to determine if you get to stay or not. The customers don't matter, your work doesn't matter, and the captain doesn't matter. This is really strange and I don't like it very much. If they are worried that you might be more popular with guests and get some private tips, they could vote you off. That makes no sense to me.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Water Problems Continue
Water Problems Continue
I took my mattress up to the sun deck today and let it dry out. I had to carry it down the hall, through the engineering area and the up two flights of stairs. It was worth it however. It was nice and dry.
I decided to gut the room of carpet today so I cut it off where it met the bed. I left the part under the bed. I did however remove everything from under the bed. It was truly disgusting. My roommate had cloths down there that I’m sure had been there dirty for months. I tired of the situation so I just piled all his crap on his bed for him to sort out. I then removed the carpet and put in some fresh padding. I don’t have any carpet yet so its just padding for now.
During the cleanup I discovered that the missing ceiling panel was behind the door. They had used a pillow case taped to the ceiling because they were too lazy to fix it correctly and maybe they couldn’t find the panel behind all the crap. Any, I cut the panel to fit and the ceiling is back together. The panel was steal so cutting it was fun.
I also removed the ceiling vent cover because it was really rusty. I scraped it down and painted it. I reinstalled it only to find water dripping from it a little later. After further investigation I determined that the flue pipe feeding the air conditioner sweats from the floor, through the closet and up into the ceiling. I asked the captain about getting it fixed and one of the people suggested I turn off the AC when I’m not in the room. I’m trying that now. If this doesn’t resolve the water issues, I’m going to reconsider this enter adventure. I can put up with a lot of stuff but wet clothes and moldy carpet is more than I can take.
Work was much easier today. I just worked on my room and did on jobs off and on. It rained in the afternoon so that put a stop to a lot of the work. We are suppose to cruise to Belize next week but I’m not sure if we’ll be ready or not. I really hope we get under way so we don’t have to sit here another week and work on this boat.
I took my mattress up to the sun deck today and let it dry out. I had to carry it down the hall, through the engineering area and the up two flights of stairs. It was worth it however. It was nice and dry.
I decided to gut the room of carpet today so I cut it off where it met the bed. I left the part under the bed. I did however remove everything from under the bed. It was truly disgusting. My roommate had cloths down there that I’m sure had been there dirty for months. I tired of the situation so I just piled all his crap on his bed for him to sort out. I then removed the carpet and put in some fresh padding. I don’t have any carpet yet so its just padding for now.
During the cleanup I discovered that the missing ceiling panel was behind the door. They had used a pillow case taped to the ceiling because they were too lazy to fix it correctly and maybe they couldn’t find the panel behind all the crap. Any, I cut the panel to fit and the ceiling is back together. The panel was steal so cutting it was fun.
I also removed the ceiling vent cover because it was really rusty. I scraped it down and painted it. I reinstalled it only to find water dripping from it a little later. After further investigation I determined that the flue pipe feeding the air conditioner sweats from the floor, through the closet and up into the ceiling. I asked the captain about getting it fixed and one of the people suggested I turn off the AC when I’m not in the room. I’m trying that now. If this doesn’t resolve the water issues, I’m going to reconsider this enter adventure. I can put up with a lot of stuff but wet clothes and moldy carpet is more than I can take.
Work was much easier today. I just worked on my room and did on jobs off and on. It rained in the afternoon so that put a stop to a lot of the work. We are suppose to cruise to Belize next week but I’m not sure if we’ll be ready or not. I really hope we get under way so we don’t have to sit here another week and work on this boat.
Interesting Characters
I haven't had a chance to report on the crew yet so this is my first attempt. I don't really know anyone very well yet but I thought I'd share what I do know.
One guy is named DOC. He apparantly is a retired surgeon. He's a divemaster and soon will have his captain's license. I thought my story was crazy but his is even more crazy.
Another young kid that started a few hours after me is called Chance. He was living out of his car near the beach. Apparantly someone saw his diving sticker on the car and started a conversation with him. They invited him to the boat and the captain is giving him a "chance". I think he's going to be an engineer on board. He claims to have been to diving schools as a divemaster but he hasn't completed some of the training and paperwork. He's only 18 and was working at a sub shop to earn a few dollars before stumbling onto this job. He won't make much money but he'll have a place to stay and descent food. I suppose he'll do some diving at some point too. Since I've got so much money invested in my dive training and insurance, I'll be watching what they do for him.
Another guy started a couple days after me and he was training and working in Thailand. I like him and he and I share some of the same concerns although he seems to like all the hard work a lot more than me. His name is Wade.
I mentioned to the captain the deal I made with the president of the company. The captain had not heard of it and may not honor it. I was suppose to come back to the states and attend a dive show and then get my safety training. I guess we'll just see how that all plays out.
One guy is named DOC. He apparantly is a retired surgeon. He's a divemaster and soon will have his captain's license. I thought my story was crazy but his is even more crazy.
Another young kid that started a few hours after me is called Chance. He was living out of his car near the beach. Apparantly someone saw his diving sticker on the car and started a conversation with him. They invited him to the boat and the captain is giving him a "chance". I think he's going to be an engineer on board. He claims to have been to diving schools as a divemaster but he hasn't completed some of the training and paperwork. He's only 18 and was working at a sub shop to earn a few dollars before stumbling onto this job. He won't make much money but he'll have a place to stay and descent food. I suppose he'll do some diving at some point too. Since I've got so much money invested in my dive training and insurance, I'll be watching what they do for him.
Another guy started a couple days after me and he was training and working in Thailand. I like him and he and I share some of the same concerns although he seems to like all the hard work a lot more than me. His name is Wade.
I mentioned to the captain the deal I made with the president of the company. The captain had not heard of it and may not honor it. I was suppose to come back to the states and attend a dive show and then get my safety training. I guess we'll just see how that all plays out.
IT NEVER STOPS
Today was more painting. I had to paint the railings around the top deck of the boat today. I used some sort of epoxy paint that is very difficult to work with. It is sticky and doesn't spread well at all. The deck is obviously out in the hot sun so that made the work even more fun.
I did get a short break while a crane was brought in to lift the lift rafts onto the boat. Apparantly the are removed and inspected each year. They are 25 man rafts that are extremely heavy hence the crane.
New carpeting was installed in parts of the boat today and work continues on installing it in the guest cabins and common areas.
After dinner I went to my room as usual to shower and change clothes. Another surprise. My bed, the top bunk, was soaked. The clothes on the bed were soaked along with the bedding. I was pissed to say the least. I went to the captain and reported the problem. An engineer came down to look but we couldn't find any leak. It turned out the someone was changing the faucet in the room above and didn't shut the water off properly.
I did go to the store tonight along with the cook. I bought a lot of junk food I didn't really need along with a few supplies such as gloves, hat, flashlight and a few other things.
I needed a new place to stay but the boat in such a mess I couldn't really find a room. I got dry bedding and deciced to sleep on the deck again. This time I used one of the mattresses tempoarily stored there. I didn't sleep well however and I had watch again at 3:30. It the middle of the night as I write this entry.
I did get a short break while a crane was brought in to lift the lift rafts onto the boat. Apparantly the are removed and inspected each year. They are 25 man rafts that are extremely heavy hence the crane.
New carpeting was installed in parts of the boat today and work continues on installing it in the guest cabins and common areas.
After dinner I went to my room as usual to shower and change clothes. Another surprise. My bed, the top bunk, was soaked. The clothes on the bed were soaked along with the bedding. I was pissed to say the least. I went to the captain and reported the problem. An engineer came down to look but we couldn't find any leak. It turned out the someone was changing the faucet in the room above and didn't shut the water off properly.
I did go to the store tonight along with the cook. I bought a lot of junk food I didn't really need along with a few supplies such as gloves, hat, flashlight and a few other things.
I needed a new place to stay but the boat in such a mess I couldn't really find a room. I got dry bedding and deciced to sleep on the deck again. This time I used one of the mattresses tempoarily stored there. I didn't sleep well however and I had watch again at 3:30. It the middle of the night as I write this entry.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Hard Tuesday
Another great day in paradise. Today I cut the heads off of hundreds of screws. All the carpet on the boat is being replaced and the tack strips used along the edges have to be screwed down because the floor is aluminum. They don’t come back out the next time you need to carpet. Most of the screws are stainless steel and strong as heck. We went through several cut off wheels on dremel tools and drills. What fun.
I finally got a ride to the drug store today after missing the trip to Wal Mart last night. I bought some much needed soap and a bunch of snacks. I need a bunch of other stuff but I’ll have to wait until the next Wally World trip.
On the road back from the store, the captain said he bought me something. I looked in the bag and it was a replacement quart of RED paint for the one I spilled. Lucky me got to do a lot more red painting in the afternoon. I missed some previous gas pipes because they were behind a bunch of machinery. No excuse, I had to just reach back there and paint them anyway. What a joy but it got worse. I had to crawl down into the engine room in the pontoon again and paint a dual fuel filter down there. That was a joy. Getting materials like rags, Gunk, paint brush and paint down the shaft is a challenge in itself. I loaded my pockets and then put some of the stuff on an angle iron wall and moved it as I descended. The darn filters were behind the engine so I had to crawl over all kinds of pipes, tubes and other dangerous items to reach the filter. I had no room to work but I did the best I could.
We had to remove all of the oil and flammable liquiuds from the boat. Apparantly the coast guard doesn’t allow this stuff. Strange to think you can’t have oil on board. We must have removed 50 or more gallons of oil. They all go to storage and then come back apparently later. I’m not really sure what was going on, I just do what I’m told.
Later in the day they started power washing the dive deck. I’m not really sure why at this point since there are still several more dirty jobs to do so it will get dirty again. Oh well, I’m sure there is some reason for all of this but they sure don’t tell us what is going on. The general lack of communications is pretty crazy.
Can you tell – I’M HAVING FUN!
I finally got a ride to the drug store today after missing the trip to Wal Mart last night. I bought some much needed soap and a bunch of snacks. I need a bunch of other stuff but I’ll have to wait until the next Wally World trip.
On the road back from the store, the captain said he bought me something. I looked in the bag and it was a replacement quart of RED paint for the one I spilled. Lucky me got to do a lot more red painting in the afternoon. I missed some previous gas pipes because they were behind a bunch of machinery. No excuse, I had to just reach back there and paint them anyway. What a joy but it got worse. I had to crawl down into the engine room in the pontoon again and paint a dual fuel filter down there. That was a joy. Getting materials like rags, Gunk, paint brush and paint down the shaft is a challenge in itself. I loaded my pockets and then put some of the stuff on an angle iron wall and moved it as I descended. The darn filters were behind the engine so I had to crawl over all kinds of pipes, tubes and other dangerous items to reach the filter. I had no room to work but I did the best I could.
We had to remove all of the oil and flammable liquiuds from the boat. Apparantly the coast guard doesn’t allow this stuff. Strange to think you can’t have oil on board. We must have removed 50 or more gallons of oil. They all go to storage and then come back apparently later. I’m not really sure what was going on, I just do what I’m told.
Later in the day they started power washing the dive deck. I’m not really sure why at this point since there are still several more dirty jobs to do so it will get dirty again. Oh well, I’m sure there is some reason for all of this but they sure don’t tell us what is going on. The general lack of communications is pretty crazy.
Can you tell – I’M HAVING FUN!
Blue Mondayh
I thought I knew what hard work was. Boy was I mistaken. Today I spent about 7 hours scraping not skid material from the engineering deck. The deck is made up of 2’ by 2’ heavy aluminum panels that cover various pipes, hoses and wiring. The panels are normally slippery so the glue this non stick material on them. They changed there mind and now want to paint it with non skid paint. I used a razor blade in a holder to try and scrape this crap up. I was difficult I broke one of the tools. I eventually learned that you need to break off the corners of the razor blade so its not so wide. Then you start scrapping any way you can. Since it’s a floor in an machine area, there is oil and grime everywhere. There are also hundreds of nicks in the floor and your tool gets stopped by every one of those nicks. It was unbelievably hard and tedious but I made it. Someone else had done a little of it earlier so that helped.
What makes the job more difficult is that one of the generators is always running so its incredibly noisy and pretty warm. Fans keep the air moving but its still no place you want to be. I wore ear plugs and ear muffs today do try and stop some of the noise. I really don’t like being around all that machinery when its running but its just part of the job.
I had my first night watch last night. I was woken up at midnight and had to be on duty until 3:30. Basically I had to crawl down into each pontoon and make sure no water was coming in. I also checked the generator and a few gauges, the ice machine and the chiller. You do that once every hours but it only takes about 10 minutes for each round. Obviously its pretty hard to stay awake in the middle of the night. I found some yogurt to snack on the help pass the time. I have watch again on Wednesday and I think I’ll have my computer ready so I can mess around on it to pass the time. That assumes they don’t have duties for me.
Speaking of duties, the work seems to never stop. We are working 7 days a week in port with only the evenings being free. This is grueling.
My free internet isn’t working tonight so its hard to say when this will get posted.
What makes the job more difficult is that one of the generators is always running so its incredibly noisy and pretty warm. Fans keep the air moving but its still no place you want to be. I wore ear plugs and ear muffs today do try and stop some of the noise. I really don’t like being around all that machinery when its running but its just part of the job.
I had my first night watch last night. I was woken up at midnight and had to be on duty until 3:30. Basically I had to crawl down into each pontoon and make sure no water was coming in. I also checked the generator and a few gauges, the ice machine and the chiller. You do that once every hours but it only takes about 10 minutes for each round. Obviously its pretty hard to stay awake in the middle of the night. I found some yogurt to snack on the help pass the time. I have watch again on Wednesday and I think I’ll have my computer ready so I can mess around on it to pass the time. That assumes they don’t have duties for me.
Speaking of duties, the work seems to never stop. We are working 7 days a week in port with only the evenings being free. This is grueling.
My free internet isn’t working tonight so its hard to say when this will get posted.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
ABOARD THE NEKTON PILOT
Well I'm here and in shock. The boat is a total disaster. I had no idea dry dock meant the boat is almost stripped. All the guest rooms are stripped bare. The lounge is a mess with stuff just thrown everywere. The sun deck is most open but its got mattresses piles all over the place.
Things are not as I expected. The work is dry dock is exhausting and relentless. I spent the entire day today painting. I started out using white paint and painting various parts of the enginneering area. Basically its the room with the generators, water maker, ice maker and many other gadgets I fail to understand or comprehend at this point. Anyway everything is dirty and oily and you just spray GUNK on it and then wipe it off and paint. I don't think its very effective but I suppose there's no real choice. I painted some wooden tables and shelves and people were putting stuff back on them before they were even dry. We use very strong oil based paint.
Later I had to scrap, sand, clean and paint the fuel lines on the boat. They were painted bright red as you might expect. I screwed up and tipped over the quart can of RED paint and made a mess. I took me over and hour to get it cleaned up and even then it wasn't very good. I spilled most of the paint so they have to buy some more so I can finish.
Still later I helped paint some of the floor. I think they bought the wrong paint and I don't think its going to work but we'll see in the morning.
Its impossible to accurately describe my room. Its very very tiny with a set of bunk beds that are much smaller than normal. There is one shared closet that is about a foot wide and 4 feet in height. I have one shelf about 12" x 18" for all my stuff. Basically all my clothes are just piled up. The light is over the bed and I can't see in the closet anyway. The rooms are not maintained at all and are dirty and crumy. I knew it would be rough but this is much worse than I ever dreamed.
I'm using an open internet connection on one of the boats in the harbor so who knows if I"ll be able to do this often. I'll only have internet on Saturday in Belize assuming I last that long.
I have "night watch" duties tonight from midnight to 3:30am. That will be fun. I have to walk around and take various reading from various devices every hour. I have to crawl down into the engine rooms which are in each of the pontoons. There's a tiny hatch and about 20 steps down a tube to get into the rooms. You can't stand up in them and you barely have room to move around. I have to check at least 3 things down there as well as make sure no water is coming it and stuff like that. This isn't very glamorous.
At this point I have my doubts that I'll make it but my chances of working on a live aboard are doomed it I don't stick it out. Stay tuned.
Things are not as I expected. The work is dry dock is exhausting and relentless. I spent the entire day today painting. I started out using white paint and painting various parts of the enginneering area. Basically its the room with the generators, water maker, ice maker and many other gadgets I fail to understand or comprehend at this point. Anyway everything is dirty and oily and you just spray GUNK on it and then wipe it off and paint. I don't think its very effective but I suppose there's no real choice. I painted some wooden tables and shelves and people were putting stuff back on them before they were even dry. We use very strong oil based paint.
Later I had to scrap, sand, clean and paint the fuel lines on the boat. They were painted bright red as you might expect. I screwed up and tipped over the quart can of RED paint and made a mess. I took me over and hour to get it cleaned up and even then it wasn't very good. I spilled most of the paint so they have to buy some more so I can finish.
Still later I helped paint some of the floor. I think they bought the wrong paint and I don't think its going to work but we'll see in the morning.
Its impossible to accurately describe my room. Its very very tiny with a set of bunk beds that are much smaller than normal. There is one shared closet that is about a foot wide and 4 feet in height. I have one shelf about 12" x 18" for all my stuff. Basically all my clothes are just piled up. The light is over the bed and I can't see in the closet anyway. The rooms are not maintained at all and are dirty and crumy. I knew it would be rough but this is much worse than I ever dreamed.
I'm using an open internet connection on one of the boats in the harbor so who knows if I"ll be able to do this often. I'll only have internet on Saturday in Belize assuming I last that long.
I have "night watch" duties tonight from midnight to 3:30am. That will be fun. I have to walk around and take various reading from various devices every hour. I have to crawl down into the engine rooms which are in each of the pontoons. There's a tiny hatch and about 20 steps down a tube to get into the rooms. You can't stand up in them and you barely have room to move around. I have to check at least 3 things down there as well as make sure no water is coming it and stuff like that. This isn't very glamorous.
At this point I have my doubts that I'll make it but my chances of working on a live aboard are doomed it I don't stick it out. Stay tuned.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
JOB OFFER
Nekton Pilot: I can't believe it. I only got home on Saturday and I'm not even unpacked yet. A friend send a job notice to me so I applied on Wednesday. Today I got a call and after a long discussion I was invited to visit the boat and crew of the Nekton Pilot. Its currently in dock in Ft. Lauderdale for a refit. I'll be going down to visit next week and if everything works out, I'll sail to Belize with them in a week or two. I try a week on the boat as an intern and it that works out, I'll start working full time on the boat. The current schedule is 8 weeks on and 3 weeks off so I'd commute back and forth every two months.
Gerri is okay with this so far and both of us are excited about the opportunity. There are still a million details to work but this sounds too good to be true. I thought I'd wait around for months before getting an offer from some resort or dive shop. Working on a boat sounds like a dream come true to me. The hours are long and the work can be demanding but living on the sea in the tropics can't be all bad.
More to come.
Gerri is okay with this so far and both of us are excited about the opportunity. There are still a million details to work but this sounds too good to be true. I thought I'd wait around for months before getting an offer from some resort or dive shop. Working on a boat sounds like a dream come true to me. The hours are long and the work can be demanding but living on the sea in the tropics can't be all bad.
More to come.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Update
Update: Sorry I haven't been able to update the blog lately. Gerri and I were aboard the Utila Aggressor for 7 days with no Internet access. We just got back home late last night and I have a huge amount of catching up to do. Hopefully I'll update the blog in a few days.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
INDEPENDANCE DAY
Holiday: Yesterday was Honduran independace day. There were a few local celebrations including a running contest, boxing and greased poll climbing. I only saw the boxing and it was pretty funny. The ring was very small and just a temporary structure with a few boards and loose rope for the outer ring. They had 3 referrees just to keep the boxers off the ropes and boards. The just boxed until one gave up which was usually about 2 or 3 minutes. Several adults tried it and then a few kids. They used the giant adult gloves so they were pretty funny to watch.
My students from Isreal finished their class without any problems. The test was a real challenge to grade because our answer keys didn't match up completely. They took the test in Hebrew so we they got one wrong we had to have them read the question and answers in English and they try to determine if they got it right. The questions don't always translate well so it was fun trying to determine if they got the correct answer. They all passed however and they did very well on the 2 funs dives we had. They were extremely complementary of my teaching and they said I was "cool".
The reward of seeing a divers eyes when they see something new is unbelievable. It makes all the training and work worth every penny. We did the kick boxing underwater again and they loved it.
When we got back I let them use my computer to make calls and do some emails. They were extremely appreciative and even bought me a tee shirt and gave me a hand written thank you.
They also insisted that I have their email addresses so I could contact them if I ever go to Isreal. One of them is a professional tour guide and offered to show Gerri and I around.
Last night was a going away party and yet another snorkel test. Considering how many people have left recently we had a good turnout and a great time. We all went out to one of the local bars after eating and I stayed until midnight setting a new record for me.
Today is packing day. I'm already to go and meet Gerri this afternoon in La Ceiba. I talked to the boat staff yesterday and they said I could ride with them to LaCeiba but they were leaving at 6am. The ferry leaves at 2pm and that gives me time to get some deposits back, pack up and say some more goodbyes. I will truely miss many of the great people I've met here and hope to see many of them again someday.
My students from Isreal finished their class without any problems. The test was a real challenge to grade because our answer keys didn't match up completely. They took the test in Hebrew so we they got one wrong we had to have them read the question and answers in English and they try to determine if they got it right. The questions don't always translate well so it was fun trying to determine if they got the correct answer. They all passed however and they did very well on the 2 funs dives we had. They were extremely complementary of my teaching and they said I was "cool".
The reward of seeing a divers eyes when they see something new is unbelievable. It makes all the training and work worth every penny. We did the kick boxing underwater again and they loved it.
When we got back I let them use my computer to make calls and do some emails. They were extremely appreciative and even bought me a tee shirt and gave me a hand written thank you.
They also insisted that I have their email addresses so I could contact them if I ever go to Isreal. One of them is a professional tour guide and offered to show Gerri and I around.
Last night was a going away party and yet another snorkel test. Considering how many people have left recently we had a good turnout and a great time. We all went out to one of the local bars after eating and I stayed until midnight setting a new record for me.
Today is packing day. I'm already to go and meet Gerri this afternoon in La Ceiba. I talked to the boat staff yesterday and they said I could ride with them to LaCeiba but they were leaving at 6am. The ferry leaves at 2pm and that gives me time to get some deposits back, pack up and say some more goodbyes. I will truely miss many of the great people I've met here and hope to see many of them again someday.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
MONSTER FOUND ON UTILA
WEIRD: A couple of nights ago we had a really wicked thunderstorm. One of the tranformers was hit and a lot of the Island lost electric for several hours. The news wasn't the storm as much as what is brought to the shores. A mermaid like monster washed up onto shore. We all heard about it the first thing in the morning and we all thought the Utilian's had gone mad. They are superstitious people anyway and this had taken things to the extreme.
Later in the afternoon the interupted the cable TV again and showed the so called monster. It had fused legs like a mermaid and webbed hands. It had a large boney structure from its shoulders up around its head. The mouth was perfectly round and very large in relation to its head. It was all pretty ugly. Someone had used a little imagination and some old TV or movie clips to create this "monster". Its actually a bit sad that the local people actually believe and watch this stuff. All the tourist sat around laughing wildly while the locals were glued to the TV.
My Open Water Class is going well. I'm team teaching with Tom and we've switched students around a couple of times so they get some time with each of us. I never thought I'd really like teaching entry level divers but its been and eye opening experience. The thrill you see in their eyes when the are able to complete and task is amazing. The look on their faces when they see their first underwater sights - even through the mask and regulator - is reward enough. I love it as much as they do.
Last night was a really quiet night. Matt, Joe, Audry, Shanini and I went to La Pirata's and had a great dinner. Everyone headed back to their respective apartments by 9pm. Everyone was really exhausted from the diving and previous late nights.
Later in the afternoon the interupted the cable TV again and showed the so called monster. It had fused legs like a mermaid and webbed hands. It had a large boney structure from its shoulders up around its head. The mouth was perfectly round and very large in relation to its head. It was all pretty ugly. Someone had used a little imagination and some old TV or movie clips to create this "monster". Its actually a bit sad that the local people actually believe and watch this stuff. All the tourist sat around laughing wildly while the locals were glued to the TV.
My Open Water Class is going well. I'm team teaching with Tom and we've switched students around a couple of times so they get some time with each of us. I never thought I'd really like teaching entry level divers but its been and eye opening experience. The thrill you see in their eyes when the are able to complete and task is amazing. The look on their faces when they see their first underwater sights - even through the mask and regulator - is reward enough. I love it as much as they do.
Last night was a really quiet night. Matt, Joe, Audry, Shanini and I went to La Pirata's and had a great dinner. Everyone headed back to their respective apartments by 9pm. Everyone was really exhausted from the diving and previous late nights.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
BEN IS LEAVING THE ISLAND
Ben's snorkel test: Ben, the young new doctor did his snorkel test last night up at the Barracuda bar. We had a good turnout. His initiation was a little more than mine since he's drinks a bit more than me. He had rum, tequilca, beer and blue curasau all mixed together. He gagged a few time like I did but he made it in pretty good shape. He had taken his shirt off but his bathing suit was a mess as he spit up a lot of good booze.
Matt, Audry, Marious and Tony also got certificates even though they haven't completed the course. All of them will finish by Friday I think. They aren't sure if they are doing a snorkel test or not.
Many of us that have been here for a couple of months are leaving so the place is going to change a lot in the next few days. There are a few new students but they don't seem to party nearly as much as those that are leaving.
I'm in the middle of an Open Water class right now so I've got to run.
Matt, Audry, Marious and Tony also got certificates even though they haven't completed the course. All of them will finish by Friday I think. They aren't sure if they are doing a snorkel test or not.
Many of us that have been here for a couple of months are leaving so the place is going to change a lot in the next few days. There are a few new students but they don't seem to party nearly as much as those that are leaving.
I'm in the middle of an Open Water class right now so I've got to run.
Monday, September 11, 2006
TEAM TEACHING
Team Teaching with Tom: Yesterday I went for a couple of fun dives in the morning and both were excellent. We went to Iron Bound and Aquarium. I led to dives for 2 other fun divers.
In the afternoon, I assisted Tom with an Open Water class as an instructor rather than a divemaster. This meant I was able to actually instruct one of the students. Tom was having problems with the class as they are pretty slow learners. I think they just want to go diving and don't want to learn the skills. I took the student with the most problems and worked with her. She did just great and got through the skills without any serious problems. Tom had her do the controlled emergency swimming ascent though and she has trouble with that one. She can get to the surface just fine but she can't kick hard enough to be high enough above the water to orally inflate her BCD which is part of the skill. I think she'll have to practice it again today and she's not going to be happy about it. Its the hardest skill to do.
The students asked me to come back today and help out and that made me feel really good.
A few people went out to an Israeli restaurant last night. I didn't think I'd like it but I had chicken curry and it was excellent. Our students who were from Israel showed up later also but we didn't sit at the same table. I made it an early night again and I was in bed by 10pm.
In the afternoon, I assisted Tom with an Open Water class as an instructor rather than a divemaster. This meant I was able to actually instruct one of the students. Tom was having problems with the class as they are pretty slow learners. I think they just want to go diving and don't want to learn the skills. I took the student with the most problems and worked with her. She did just great and got through the skills without any serious problems. Tom had her do the controlled emergency swimming ascent though and she has trouble with that one. She can get to the surface just fine but she can't kick hard enough to be high enough above the water to orally inflate her BCD which is part of the skill. I think she'll have to practice it again today and she's not going to be happy about it. Its the hardest skill to do.
The students asked me to come back today and help out and that made me feel really good.
A few people went out to an Israeli restaurant last night. I didn't think I'd like it but I had chicken curry and it was excellent. Our students who were from Israel showed up later also but we didn't sit at the same table. I made it an early night again and I was in bed by 10pm.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
DONE TRAINING
Done Training: NO MORE CLASSES. I'm done. I'm now a Master Scuba Diver Instructor as well as an Open Water Instructor. Basically I can teach most of the PADI classes and certainly all of the popular ones.
We won the Pub Quiz last night and Bundo's . We've come so close for the last few weeks and we finally did it. We had 3 teams and we cooperated on a few of the questions (cheated). I actually knew a couple of answers again and contributed just a little bit. Two of the teams from our group won the "heads or tails" round and competed against each other in the drinking contest. They mix a giant bowl of booze and mix and the winners drink it in teams for 4 through straws. The team that finished the drink first gets 5 extra points. I did not participate as they needed some stronger drinkers.
We named one of our teams "The Music Round Sucks" and it did. We didn't do well again but the extra points plus scoring well earlier put us in second place. However our other team argued one of the songs and they lost 2 points for arguing so we tied for 1st place. We got a couple of beers each (about 20 of us) for winning and I think we also got some cash but I haven't seen any of it.
It poured down rain during the quiz and it didn't stop so many of us walked back to our various apartments but it let up enough that we didn't get totally soaked this time.
Today was Saturday and I went on a couple of great dives in the morning. Later I just relaxed and spent some time talking to everyone in the dive shop. I made another visit to the ATM to get more money. It doesn't last as long as I'd like. I bought a couple bottles of wine that should last me until Gerri arrives. I'll meet her in just a week in La Ceiba. CAN'T WAIT!
We won the Pub Quiz last night and Bundo's . We've come so close for the last few weeks and we finally did it. We had 3 teams and we cooperated on a few of the questions (cheated). I actually knew a couple of answers again and contributed just a little bit. Two of the teams from our group won the "heads or tails" round and competed against each other in the drinking contest. They mix a giant bowl of booze and mix and the winners drink it in teams for 4 through straws. The team that finished the drink first gets 5 extra points. I did not participate as they needed some stronger drinkers.
We named one of our teams "The Music Round Sucks" and it did. We didn't do well again but the extra points plus scoring well earlier put us in second place. However our other team argued one of the songs and they lost 2 points for arguing so we tied for 1st place. We got a couple of beers each (about 20 of us) for winning and I think we also got some cash but I haven't seen any of it.
It poured down rain during the quiz and it didn't stop so many of us walked back to our various apartments but it let up enough that we didn't get totally soaked this time.
Today was Saturday and I went on a couple of great dives in the morning. Later I just relaxed and spent some time talking to everyone in the dive shop. I made another visit to the ATM to get more money. It doesn't last as long as I'd like. I bought a couple bottles of wine that should last me until Gerri arrives. I'll meet her in just a week in La Ceiba. CAN'T WAIT!
Friday, September 08, 2006
Jade Seahorse
Jade Seahorse: This is a picture of the entry to the restaurant we tried last night. We actually ate outside as we do in most places. All they serve is fish prepared various ways. It is a very unique place but the food was not that great. They also messed up some of the orders but we all got through it okay.Later we went to the bar above called TreeTanic I think. I've mentioned it before. Its very unique with many levels and many varied seating areas. We went to the swing area again and enjoyed it for about 15 minutes when a powerful thunderstorm came up. We all huddled in the center of the cover for several minutes until it let up a bit. Then we went to the cave area and I've included a picture of Marius and Audry in the cave.
Earlier in the evening I did another night dive for my Master Scuba Diver Instructor class. Everything went smoothly and I even found my way back to the boat. We went to the location where we all got lost last week. Maybe I'm making some progress.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Morning Dive
Morning Dive: Yesterday I didn't have any classes scheduled except for the night dive class and it was cancelled. I went fun diving in the morning instead. We didn't see anything special but the sites were interesting as usual.
We had new trainee start yesterday. He's a 46 year old Chinese fellow from NCY. Several of us invited him to dinner and we tried a new place none of us had tried before. It was excellent and the price was about the same as anywhere else. We are all pretty tired of the restaurants here however and all of us can't wait to eat at a "real fast food" place.
This morning I came into the dive shop early to check my email and update the blog only to find that we had no electricity. You must pay in advance here and someone actually sets a meter that shuts your electric off when your KW's run out. Someone at the dive shop forgot to watch the meter each day to make sure we had some time left so we ran out. We had students taking classes outside and we took ours in the attached restaurant which has its own meter and paid its bill. This was so unprofessional but pretty much normal for the way things work in Utila.
The class I attended was the Nitrox Instructor class. This class has newer materials and is very straight forward. Since I had prepared for the class it only took a few minutes to complete.
We had new trainee start yesterday. He's a 46 year old Chinese fellow from NCY. Several of us invited him to dinner and we tried a new place none of us had tried before. It was excellent and the price was about the same as anywhere else. We are all pretty tired of the restaurants here however and all of us can't wait to eat at a "real fast food" place.
This morning I came into the dive shop early to check my email and update the blog only to find that we had no electricity. You must pay in advance here and someone actually sets a meter that shuts your electric off when your KW's run out. Someone at the dive shop forgot to watch the meter each day to make sure we had some time left so we ran out. We had students taking classes outside and we took ours in the attached restaurant which has its own meter and paid its bill. This was so unprofessional but pretty much normal for the way things work in Utila.
The class I attended was the Nitrox Instructor class. This class has newer materials and is very straight forward. Since I had prepared for the class it only took a few minutes to complete.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
WRECK AND DEEP
Wreck and Deep: Yesterday I went diving on the wreck to complete my Master Scuba Diver Instructor class for wreck diving. We did 2 dives and practiced the skills we are expected to teach. We did very well and I'm confident we could all teach the class. We mapped the wreck, laid a line outside for practice. The instructor laid the inside penetration line because we were running out of bottom time. The wreck is at 90 feet and bottom time is severely limited. We were diving on Nitrox however and that lengthens the time a bit. Anyway we pulled the line in while we completed the penetration. Of course I just did this same class as a student a few weeks ago so it was all fresh in my mind.
Today we did our deep specialty and used the wreck as our dive site again. We took down a coke bottle and bag of chips to watch them get crushed by the pressure. The chip bag gets to be a little ball and very hard. It all comes back when you surface but of course its mostly crumbs by then. This is a common demo used when teaching about deep diving. We also took several colored items down so we could see the colors disappear with the depth. Red is totally gone at about 35 feet or less. Green and blue are still pretty clear however even at 100 feet. We practiced a few other deep water skills and then surfaced. Since we were going down again we just stayed on the surface for 15 minutes rather than climbing back onto the boat. We were on a small speedboat with no ladder so getting on was a huge challenge for me. We did another dive just swimming around and then did a simulated decompression stop at 20 feet for 8 minutes while handing on to the mooring line. All of this was possible because we were using 32% Nitrox mix which allows longer bottom times and shorter surface intervals.
Someone from another school got bent yesterday and spent part of the night in the chamber. This really can be dangerous is you're not careful.
Today we did our deep specialty and used the wreck as our dive site again. We took down a coke bottle and bag of chips to watch them get crushed by the pressure. The chip bag gets to be a little ball and very hard. It all comes back when you surface but of course its mostly crumbs by then. This is a common demo used when teaching about deep diving. We also took several colored items down so we could see the colors disappear with the depth. Red is totally gone at about 35 feet or less. Green and blue are still pretty clear however even at 100 feet. We practiced a few other deep water skills and then surfaced. Since we were going down again we just stayed on the surface for 15 minutes rather than climbing back onto the boat. We were on a small speedboat with no ladder so getting on was a huge challenge for me. We did another dive just swimming around and then did a simulated decompression stop at 20 feet for 8 minutes while handing on to the mooring line. All of this was possible because we were using 32% Nitrox mix which allows longer bottom times and shorter surface intervals.
Someone from another school got bent yesterday and spent part of the night in the chamber. This really can be dangerous is you're not careful.
Monday, September 04, 2006
MASTER SCUBA DIVER INSTRUCTOR
MSDT
Saturday evening we had an orientation about the Master Scuba Diver Instructor classes. Three people including myself are taking part in the program. You choose at least 5 special areas of interest and then you study to become an instructor in those areas. I have chosen Deep Diver, Night Diver, Wreck Diver, Fish Identification, Digital Underwater Photography and Nitrox. By taking the class from a course director (basically a highest level PADI instructor), you are qualified to teach the class right away and you don’t have to teach regular classes first. These classes are easier to teach and usually make more money for the instructor and student.
Later that night, Ben (one of the med students - pictured above with his girl friend) had a birthday party. About 20 people showed up and most got pretty hammered. Ben actually managed to get several fellow students from England to attend. We had a great mix of people and even the course director came. We ate at the Irish Pub that serves Vietnamese food. I left at 10:30 and they were just headed to a couple more bars. Most didn’t get home till 2:30 or later and some had been drinking since about noon when they went to a small uninhabited island to drink, smoke stuff and snort stuff etc. They were totally wiped out when they got to the party. This group included at least 4 medical students.
I was suppose to start the wreck class on Sunday but one student had a cold and couldn’t dive and the other had a hangover and didn’t want to dive. I used the time to prepare for several other classes so I’m ahead of the game now. The day ended up being pretty boring as watching video’s and reading most of the day isn’t too exciting.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Emergency First Responder Class
This is a picture of Jack practicing rescue breathing on a baby Mannequin. This second picture is Jack practicing CPR. We practiced these skills and more in our class. We all had a great time learning on doing this. I can now teach CPR and FIRST AID to anyone anywhere. These class are not related to Diving.
Near Perfect Storm
Near Perfect Storm: Last night proved to be very interesting. We had small group of people that decided to go night diving again. It was lightening in the distance but no one seemed concerned so we left the dock about 6pm to get an early start. We planned on visiting a site called Aquarium which is one of the better dive sites in Utila. About half way there a rain squall suddenly hit us. The boat captain continued on however and indicated it would blow through quickly. When we got to the mooring buoy the seas were pretty rough and we tried to put the rope on the tiny little eye hook on the buoy several times. It got really rough and we had to put on our scuba mask just to see a little bit. We were blinded by the rain and strong wind. It got so bad we coudn't even see the buoy after about the 4th try.
We had 2 guests on board and they were a bit scared and cold from the rain so they climbed into a small compartment at the front of the boat that is used for keeping things dry. There is also a "head" up there but it doesn't work. The place is really dirty and nasty but they climbed in anyway.
The boat captain couldn't see either so he just put the boat into a tight turn so we'd stay in the area. Unfortunately it continued to get worse and the boat was rolling more than any of us would like. Gear was coming loose and racing across the deck. The captain decided to head back although I'm not sure he knew which way was back. We came across another boat that had divers in the water that appeared to have broken loose from its mooring. We all stood on deck with our lights and masks and attempted to spot the divers underwater. We finally saw their lights and they were right near their boat so we assumed they were okay.
It calmed down just a touch so we found another buoy with a very large eye loop and attached to it. The instructor with 2 students advised the students to stay on board and the rest of us decided to go diving anyway. It was very strange. Because the rain and wind made us very cold, the ocean water was like being in a hot tub. It was almost too warm. We quickly descended and of course under the water everything was calm and we proceeded to dive. I think we were at Ron's Wreck. We went diving as a group and all got lost together. I can't believe 3 instructors and 2 divemaster trainees would get lost but we did. We came up about 50 yards or more from the boat and we had to swim back. I think this was the most difficult swim I've ever had. For a while, I thought someone would have to rescue me. I was just so tired but if you stopped swimming the wind and current would carry you further from the boat. Needless to say I hope I never see another dive like that.
We had 2 guests on board and they were a bit scared and cold from the rain so they climbed into a small compartment at the front of the boat that is used for keeping things dry. There is also a "head" up there but it doesn't work. The place is really dirty and nasty but they climbed in anyway.
The boat captain couldn't see either so he just put the boat into a tight turn so we'd stay in the area. Unfortunately it continued to get worse and the boat was rolling more than any of us would like. Gear was coming loose and racing across the deck. The captain decided to head back although I'm not sure he knew which way was back. We came across another boat that had divers in the water that appeared to have broken loose from its mooring. We all stood on deck with our lights and masks and attempted to spot the divers underwater. We finally saw their lights and they were right near their boat so we assumed they were okay.
It calmed down just a touch so we found another buoy with a very large eye loop and attached to it. The instructor with 2 students advised the students to stay on board and the rest of us decided to go diving anyway. It was very strange. Because the rain and wind made us very cold, the ocean water was like being in a hot tub. It was almost too warm. We quickly descended and of course under the water everything was calm and we proceeded to dive. I think we were at Ron's Wreck. We went diving as a group and all got lost together. I can't believe 3 instructors and 2 divemaster trainees would get lost but we did. We came up about 50 yards or more from the boat and we had to swim back. I think this was the most difficult swim I've ever had. For a while, I thought someone would have to rescue me. I was just so tired but if you stopped swimming the wind and current would carry you further from the boat. Needless to say I hope I never see another dive like that.
Friday, September 01, 2006
RELIEF
Wow: What a relief. I'm so glad that's over. Most of it was a lot of fun but the book work was a killer.
The pictures I've included today are from Fidi's beach restaurant with world class chef "Mario". We ate there a few nights ago. He only serves about 4 or 5 items - all fish. Its pretty good but no not close to "world class". His soup was great however. I have no idea what it was other than some sort of "fish soup". We ate at the table next to the sign. The tide was up and the chair nearest the ocean was in fact sitting in a little water. No one sat there of course. It also slopes backward and is virtually useless. I guess you could dig the front legs into the sand to level things off. Anyway is was a fun little diversion. The building is the place where the food is prepared. Its most an empty shell with a small counter to pay and a little Honduran home kitchen.
Thursday was a day off and I got a bunch of running around done again. More laundry of course, gathering up all the books and materials I accumulated during the class. I can't figure out how I'm going to get all that stuff home.
I went to take the pictures shown today and stopped at a tiny little store and ended up talking to the locals for a fairly long time. Some of the people are just so darn nice you feel rude when you try to leave. We mostly talked about the weather here and some of the places they have visited. Its been really hot for a couple of days around here. One of them said its a bad sign. He said that the lack of breeze means a hurricane would not be pushed away if one formed nearby. Normally the wind pushed them north and away from the Island according to him. I certainly none form down this way.
Four of us went out and had a nice long lunch. Most of us a pretty bored with the food around here and we are all looking forward to some "real" home cooked food. I've eaten more chocolate cake than anyone can imagine.
I went for a night dive last night. Me and another newly certified instructor were actually asked to act as Divemasters becuase one of the staff was sick. We had fun doing it but its a little scary trying to track people at night. It got a little confusing when another group crossed our path. There were lights going every which way but no one got mixed up. We saw an spotted eel and a large size octopus that just stayed around. They usually hide quickly when lights shine on them but this one was feeding we think and wasn't really bothered by us. I'd guess it was about 2 feet across. It stayed pale blue most of the time but it was switching colors as it moved along.
We ate at the attached restaurant and then went back to the apartment and drank beer and talked till we all just gave out for the night.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
I DID IT!
I DID IT!
I’m a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. I couldn’t have done it without the support of Gerri (my terrific wife). Peter Wilcox and Jungle Jim McClendon were the course directors and they were absolutely essential to my success. They are truly experts and are willing and able to share their knowledge with instructor candidates. Rich attended most of the classes so you could earn his Staff Instructor rating. He did a lot of running around for all of us and was always available to help anyone anytime.
My fellow students were also helpful and I want to publicly thank all of them. Joe, Jack, Scott, Jose, and Dan – I’m grateful to all of you. Tyco also attended the classes but didn’t sit the exams. She was always willing to help at any time.
The actual practical exercises went well. We were well trained and confident. The people conducting the tests from PADI USA were very helpful and did their best to put everyone at ease even though we were all incredibly nervous. The entire experience was even better than I had expected. I’m glad I DID IT!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Controlled Emergency Swimming Ascent & KNOTS
DEBRIEF: The picture shows Jack doing his debrief after and dive training session. He is being scored by 3 different instructors. As you can see our office often includes the picnic tables, the beach, the boat or the water. Its a tough job but someone has to do it. From left to right we have Rich, Jungle, Robert and Jack.
CESA: Today we practiced the CESA (controlled emergency swimming ascent). We went out with two course directors and they showed us some tips and then we practiced the procedures ourselves. The idea is to teach a student to safely ascend from 30 feet if he were out of air and couldn't find his buddy. Its a bit dangerous to do this several times in succession so our practice was limited to a few feet.
We also practiced tying knots underwater. We did the bowline and sheetbend. You have to go very slowly as if you are demontrating it to a student. It takes some practice to learn the knots and then even more to do them underwater.
We also took another practice test covering the various PADI standards. Its open book but the book is very long and complex so the answers aren't always easy to find. I got 38 out of 40 so that's pretty good.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Naked Diver
ANOTHER SUNDAY FUNDAY: Today I decided to go on the Sunday Funday even though I have a lot of work to do. We had about 40 people so we took two boats this time. When we got about 200 yards from the dock the boat decided it wouldn’t turn left. This was not going to work. The captain added a couple quarts of steering fluid to the mechanism but that didn’t help. They opened a hatch where the rudder assembly is attached and turn it manually. The rudder would turn to the right but not to the left. The other boat which was now a long way from us had to turn around to rescue us. They tied onto us and dragged us back to the dock. We took all of the equipment off the boat and put onto the lodge boat that you see on the lodge web site.
We were now an hour late so we stopped at a nearby dive site called Black Hills. Its hard to find because the buoy is submerged but we had a GPS this time so we located it without a problem. This is surely one of the best dive sites around the island. One of the guys decided to dive naked and that was pretty weird to see someone with scuba gear and no swim suit and his private parts hanging down. Our boat was all students and instructors so no guests saw the stunt – luckily.
We had a great dive. We moved onto the north side and decided to do a drift dive. They dropped us off at a nice wall and it seemed like a great place. However we started swimming in one direction (no current) and the dive turned out to be pretty boring. We only saw one giant grouper and a few small fish. The terrain was very flat and uninteresting after the first 5 minutes.
The boat picked us up about an hour later and we headed for the picnic area. Me and Jamie jumped out and had a quick lunch but then went diving again. Jamie was preparing his dive map and needed a dive buddy. Everyone else wanted to drink so I went with Jamie. We stayed very shallow and didn’t see much interesting but I had a good time anyway just looking around.
I headed back to the apartment for a good nights sleep before starting on all the assignments I have due. We only meet for a half day tomorrow and even less on Tuesday and then we take the “REAL IE” (instructor exam) given by PADI home office staff members.
We were now an hour late so we stopped at a nearby dive site called Black Hills. Its hard to find because the buoy is submerged but we had a GPS this time so we located it without a problem. This is surely one of the best dive sites around the island. One of the guys decided to dive naked and that was pretty weird to see someone with scuba gear and no swim suit and his private parts hanging down. Our boat was all students and instructors so no guests saw the stunt – luckily.
We had a great dive. We moved onto the north side and decided to do a drift dive. They dropped us off at a nice wall and it seemed like a great place. However we started swimming in one direction (no current) and the dive turned out to be pretty boring. We only saw one giant grouper and a few small fish. The terrain was very flat and uninteresting after the first 5 minutes.
The boat picked us up about an hour later and we headed for the picnic area. Me and Jamie jumped out and had a quick lunch but then went diving again. Jamie was preparing his dive map and needed a dive buddy. Everyone else wanted to drink so I went with Jamie. We stayed very shallow and didn’t see much interesting but I had a good time anyway just looking around.
I headed back to the apartment for a good nights sleep before starting on all the assignments I have due. We only meet for a half day tomorrow and even less on Tuesday and then we take the “REAL IE” (instructor exam) given by PADI home office staff members.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
MORE PRESENTATIONS
MORE PRESENTATIONS: We practice doing diving briefings for various skills again yesterday. You are given a specific task or two and then you have to prepare a briefing, decide what signals you'll use to convey those skills, plan logistics for the dive and the actual skills, plan how you'll use an assistant and most importantly watch for errors when the student does the skill. I had removing and replacing scuba equipment at the surface and efficient fin kicks. Both went okay but I was so quick with one of the students he was unable to make the mistake he was assigned. I lost some points for that. You have to let them make mistakes as long as they are not life threatening. I would have passed the test if this had been real.
Last night was pub quiz night again. We had 3 teams this week. We were never out of the race but we didn't win. This week they gave you a sheet with various countries highlighted and you had to guess the country. Many were easy but a few were a little tricky. They countries included Germany, Viet Nam, Norway, Greece, Mexico and at least one I never knew existed. Additional categories included sports, music and general knowledge.
One of our Doctor Intern frieds started working at the pub last night (not sure why a med student would need cash). They pay $10 a night plus tips. Anyway, we gave him a really hard time about bussing our table. This guy is almost a doctor so it was pretty funny to see him working in this place as a bus boy. Joe, the nurse, found it particularly amuzing that a doctor was waiting on him and cleaning up after him. GREAT FUN AGAIN.
Last night was pub quiz night again. We had 3 teams this week. We were never out of the race but we didn't win. This week they gave you a sheet with various countries highlighted and you had to guess the country. Many were easy but a few were a little tricky. They countries included Germany, Viet Nam, Norway, Greece, Mexico and at least one I never knew existed. Additional categories included sports, music and general knowledge.
One of our Doctor Intern frieds started working at the pub last night (not sure why a med student would need cash). They pay $10 a night plus tips. Anyway, we gave him a really hard time about bussing our table. This guy is almost a doctor so it was pretty funny to see him working in this place as a bus boy. Joe, the nurse, found it particularly amuzing that a doctor was waiting on him and cleaning up after him. GREAT FUN AGAIN.
Friday, August 25, 2006
PrescriptiveTeaching
Prescriptive Teaching: Yuk, this is another one of those unrealisted skills you have to master. It involves helping a class with particular questions they missed on a quiz or exam. That sounds easy enough but you have to address several key issues in every presentation. You need an Introduction, a Body and a Summary. Since you are only answering one questions these pieces occur only seconds apart. Each piece has specific requirements and at least one must be all threee parts. In other words you repeat the same thing 3 times in about 3 minutes. It difficult to do because its so boring and foreign. Doing this in a 1 hour lecture might be one thing but doing this in a few minutes makes it seem really strange. I had a really bad attitude about it anyway so I don't think I did very well when we did a group project. The homework for the night was preparing one of these presentations along with a couple of briefings for students doing various sections of various classes. Again these are not fluid since you aren't briefing in a real world senerio.
We went to the Mariposa again for dinner and I had my usual pretzel. One of the owners came up and asked my name because everyone is calling me the pretzel man since that's all I ever order.
Joe, Mario and I talked and argued politics and diving practices for several hours it seems. Joe is English and Mario is from Norway. Both are in their early 20's so we make a funny group but we have lots of fun.
We went to the Mariposa again for dinner and I had my usual pretzel. One of the owners came up and asked my name because everyone is calling me the pretzel man since that's all I ever order.
Joe, Mario and I talked and argued politics and diving practices for several hours it seems. Joe is English and Mario is from Norway. Both are in their early 20's so we make a funny group but we have lots of fun.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
RESCUE SKILLS
IDC DAY 5: Today we covered variuos PADI standards and procedures. We also discussed the law and various documents. THAT WAS FUN? We also reviewed some of the knowledge reviews we completed before the course started.
In the afternoon we practiced our briefings for a specific rescue skill. We had last night to prepare and find the appropriate material. You then just organize it into a specific method and present it to the students. Later you get into the water and actually demonstrate the skill and explain what you are doing. You then organize the students and an assistant and have the students practice the skill. They are told to make mistakes and you have to identify them. Today I was able to find the mistakes and get them corrected. I also did the mandatory congrats as each student succesfully performs the skill. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT.
I received a pretty score on the evaluation and I was happy with my performance though there is always room for improvement. I really need to slow down for instance. Anyway it was an easy day and there is no HOMEWORK.
In the afternoon we practiced our briefings for a specific rescue skill. We had last night to prepare and find the appropriate material. You then just organize it into a specific method and present it to the students. Later you get into the water and actually demonstrate the skill and explain what you are doing. You then organize the students and an assistant and have the students practice the skill. They are told to make mistakes and you have to identify them. Today I was able to find the mistakes and get them corrected. I also did the mandatory congrats as each student succesfully performs the skill. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT.
I received a pretty score on the evaluation and I was happy with my performance though there is always room for improvement. I really need to slow down for instance. Anyway it was an easy day and there is no HOMEWORK.
IDC DAY 4
DAY 4 IDC: In the morning we climbed into the pool and practiced our rescue techniques for unconscious divers on the surface. I’m finally getting better at this and feel pretty good about my progress. We took turns being victim and rescuer. The pool we use is small but functional. I’d guess its about 15 by 15.
Later we graded our tests from the day before covering various PADI standards and procedures. We reviewed all of the questions that anyone missed and I missed several though I did get a passing grade. This was just a practice test however. Some of the questions are really tricky and almost no one likes the choice of words sometimes used by PADI.
After lunch we went diving to practice a skill none of use have ever attempted. We had to brief students (ourselves really) on two different skills and then have them perform the skills in the water. The course director had the students make mistakes and we had to try and identify them. Sometimes its easy but other times especially when two students are working together, its extremely difficult to watch them, control them, and look for mistakes and dangerous situations. Some people did very poorly and I actually made a serious error. I misunderstood the skill and told my students to perform the wrong one. On the actual test, I would have failed. Luckily this was practice and I scored a 4 on the skills which is pretty good. On another, I scored a 3.7. They tried something on me that was not planned for or thought about by anyone. I had a student that tried the skill several times but just didn’t do it. I was stumped for a long time but then I decided to have my assistant demonstrate the skill to see if the student would learn from someone else. The instructor was elated that I figured out what to do. I was relieved.
More HOMEWORK.
Favorite Bakery
FAVORITE BAKERY: This is a picture of the bakery I visit almost daily. The place is about 6 by 6. The great lady that runs this place is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. She talks to anyone that will listen. She has great stories. She is from Utila but went to NYC a long time ago and worked to send her kids to college. She just returned to retire in Utila but decided after 2 months that she needed to be active. Believe me, everyone is glad she started baking goodies for all of us on the Island.
Monday, August 21, 2006
CONFINED WATER SKILLS
BRIEF SKILLS TO STUDENTS: Today we had more classroom work and took an open book test. Its not as easy as it sounds. The Instructor manual is very large and has pertinent information in multiple places. The test was 40 questions and took me about 1.5 hours. We didn't grade it so I'm not sure how I did.
Later we went to the pool and practiced our presenation skills for Open Water Students explaining and demontrating various skills. The students then performed them and make mistakes and you have to identify them. Later you brief the student identifying the problem and letting them know how to correct or avoid it next time. You are scored on about 40 different things so they watch you very carefully. Some people did well and others need some improvement. The intructors are excellent at telling in what you did improperly in a very nice way. You never feel like an idiot even though you sometimes are.
I've got lots of homework again so its time to go.
Later we went to the pool and practiced our presenation skills for Open Water Students explaining and demontrating various skills. The students then performed them and make mistakes and you have to identify them. Later you brief the student identifying the problem and letting them know how to correct or avoid it next time. You are scored on about 40 different things so they watch you very carefully. Some people did well and others need some improvement. The intructors are excellent at telling in what you did improperly in a very nice way. You never feel like an idiot even though you sometimes are.
I've got lots of homework again so its time to go.
FELLOW DM'S
FELLOW DM'S: This is another picture of myself, Lucy and Joe. A couple of the guys had a very nice cook out last night for about 25 people. The course director took the opportunity to give us all a certificate showing we had completed the Divemaster class. We all had various people that had helped or supported us in the class sign our certificates. This will help me remember all the experience and great people I've learned from and with. I'm really glad I did it.
The food was absolutely great and everyone had a great time. It was certainly a great get away from the classes.
INTENSE
INTENSE:
Well its been a hectic couple of days. The IDC (Instructor Development Course) has started. Its a well structured program that prepares you for the actual IE (Instructor Examination) conducted by PADI personnel.
The most difficult part has been learning to do something called Micro Presentations. You are given a specific topic to discuss. You look up information on that topic and there is always a slide available to help in your presentation. However, you must include several additional items in your presentation including the selling of another PADI course and the selling of an item from the Dive Shop. The presentation must also meet very specific goals designed by PADI. In a normal 1 hour lecture this might not be difficult but in a 3 or 4 minutes lecture its very difficult because everything is repeated so frequently. You have an introduction that says way you are going to say, a body where you say it, and a summary where you say what you've said. To make things more complex, the intro and summary include information from an entire lesson while the body contains only one specific item. It was extremely challenging but I got through two of them and I don't think we'll do that again.
We were suppose to have practiced some rescue skills and skills but we ran out of time so we are just a little behind. Today we'll be making presentation in the pool. We were given specific skills and we must present them to students just as if they were taking a class. You use erasable slates to help with this exercise. You get all of the required information in advance, mark it onto a slate and then use that slate to aid in your presenation to the students. You have to explain the skill, show various hand signals you'll use, demontrate the skill, have the student do the skill and then evaluate how they did. They will be told to do at least one part of it incorrectly and you have to figure out what they did wrong and correct it. Most of this is done underwater.
Because the class is so intense and I have homework every night, I may fall a little behind in updating the blog.
Well its been a hectic couple of days. The IDC (Instructor Development Course) has started. Its a well structured program that prepares you for the actual IE (Instructor Examination) conducted by PADI personnel.
The most difficult part has been learning to do something called Micro Presentations. You are given a specific topic to discuss. You look up information on that topic and there is always a slide available to help in your presentation. However, you must include several additional items in your presentation including the selling of another PADI course and the selling of an item from the Dive Shop. The presentation must also meet very specific goals designed by PADI. In a normal 1 hour lecture this might not be difficult but in a 3 or 4 minutes lecture its very difficult because everything is repeated so frequently. You have an introduction that says way you are going to say, a body where you say it, and a summary where you say what you've said. To make things more complex, the intro and summary include information from an entire lesson while the body contains only one specific item. It was extremely challenging but I got through two of them and I don't think we'll do that again.
We were suppose to have practiced some rescue skills and skills but we ran out of time so we are just a little behind. Today we'll be making presentation in the pool. We were given specific skills and we must present them to students just as if they were taking a class. You use erasable slates to help with this exercise. You get all of the required information in advance, mark it onto a slate and then use that slate to aid in your presenation to the students. You have to explain the skill, show various hand signals you'll use, demontrate the skill, have the student do the skill and then evaluate how they did. They will be told to do at least one part of it incorrectly and you have to figure out what they did wrong and correct it. Most of this is done underwater.
Because the class is so intense and I have homework every night, I may fall a little behind in updating the blog.
Friday, August 18, 2006
HYPERBARIC CHAMBER: These are some pictures of the chamber I was in today. First picture is the entire chamber, the second me climbing in and the third is me looking out the window while we are fully pressurized. It was very interesting if not a little scary. Jungle Jim explained the procedures to us and then Jose, Tyco and I climbed in and he took us to a pressure equal to 60 feet of sea water. Its much different than diving in the water. Its very loud from the air rushing in and it gets pretty warm. Basic diving laws state that as air compresses it gets hotter. We were pressurized very slowly - about 1/5 the speed you'd normally descend. You have to equilized your ears during the entire time which took 4 or 5 minutes. When it was fully pressurized we were all laughing because our voices sound like Donald Duck. Several people stood and watch and laughed at us. They have 2 way communications as well as video so the operator can monitor everyone. We stayed at depth for a few minutes and then did a very slow ascent or release of pressure. The air steams up because the temperature lowers pretty quickly. It makes it even more creepy.Earlier in the day we went over the practice tests we did yesterday and I did very poorly. I'm no too worried however because I think I'll do much better on the next practice and final test. The official program actually starts tomorrow and its a very structured event. Everything is planned out. We'll learn the PADI (certifying agency) way to do things. We actually saw a sample presentation today from people taking a more advanced class. They were extremly nervous. Its very difficult to present material to your peers because they already know the material and they are just watching how you present it. It made us feel better that the higher level more experienced people were nervous too.
The presentations are very scripted and include an introduction, the body and the summary. The subjects are very small portions of material students may have trouble with. They are chosen by the examiners in advacne and you have a night to prepare for them. During the presentation however you must attempt to cross sell additional classes and equipment. Its sometimes hard to work those things in without being real obvious. Anyway its the way it will be done.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
IDC PREP: Today was the first day of our instructor training. Its actually called a pre IDC for two days since its not really required. We took a sample test to start the day off. It took about 2 hours to complete. We didn't grade them yet so I don't know how I did. There are 6 people in the class and we have 2 instructors team teaching us. Jungle Jim and Peter Wilcox are both extremely professional, helpful and knowledgable. They may everything understandable so its just a matter of remembering everything.
In the afternoon we went and practiced our in water skills again. We removed our masks, scuba gear, weights and did bouyancy checks along with other scuba skills. Since we were actually demontrating the skills it took a really long time. The first thing you demo is putting all the equipment together. That took a while and with our wet suits on we were all about to pass out. Once we got into the water everyone cooled off quickly and we had a fun afternoon practicing the skills.
Later we listened to a presentation about the coral and coral reefs. It was an oustanding presentation and I learned a tremendous amount about the reef. It makes you appreciate everything and want to learn more.
In the afternoon we went and practiced our in water skills again. We removed our masks, scuba gear, weights and did bouyancy checks along with other scuba skills. Since we were actually demontrating the skills it took a really long time. The first thing you demo is putting all the equipment together. That took a while and with our wet suits on we were all about to pass out. Once we got into the water everyone cooled off quickly and we had a fun afternoon practicing the skills.
Later we listened to a presentation about the coral and coral reefs. It was an oustanding presentation and I learned a tremendous amount about the reef. It makes you appreciate everything and want to learn more.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
FREE DAY: This is a picture of the 4 people that did the snorkel test. I went home about 11:30 but other kept on drinking and some didn't get to bed until 4:30am. There were a few hangovers as you might expect.
Today I just got some running around done. I got some beer delivered to the apartment and I got a haircut for $1.50. That seems pretty fair for my head.
I also visited one of the souvenir shops. It has a nice selection of hats and T-shirts and I'll probably buy a couple before leaving this place. I bought some more gelato (Ice Cream I think). Its home made and very good especially considering the lack of services in this place. One guy had to take the ferry to the mainland today just to get a banking transaction done even though there are two banks here.
SNORKEL TEST: Last Night was initiation night for the new DM's. I went out for pizza with a few people and we talked about what it was like for a couple of hours. The more I heard the more I was sure I wasn't going to do it. I had a camera and was going to watch the other candidates and take a few pictures. We went to the Tranquila bar that is a huge hangout for locals and students. The place was packed. I was shamed into participation and you can see the start in the picture. They are pooring rum and beer into a funnel attached to the snorkel. You are wearing a mask so you can't breathe until you drink everything they poor into it. I think mine had two beers and 2 shots of rum. You are able to get them to stop if you can anticipate quickly enough when you need to breathe. I was able to get it all down with one breath in between.After this they fill your mask with another beer and you have do demontrate the proper technique for clearing a mask. Obviously all the beer goes all over yourself. Joe is pictured showing that skill (sort of).
I needed to pee shortly after this event. This is one of the places with only 1 toilet reserved for ladies. I hear its filthy but I couldn't use it anyway. I just stepped outside about 20 feet from the bar, stepped onto the seawall and did my thing. I've gone in the bushes before but going in front of 100 people is really strange. At least you have your back to them. My first thought was how many people must fall in after getting drunk.
I got most of my Knowledge Reviews for the IDC (Instructor Development Course) done yesterday. I finished them this morning and now I have an entire day to just hang out and do whatever I want. The real fun starts tomorrow with the pre-IDC training.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
TROUBLE IN UTILA: Saturday night (Sunday morning) a 17 year old kid was murdered not for from the dive shop. There aren't many details but it appears there may have been a fight in the middle of the night. His neck was cut with a broken bottle. There are at least a couple of bars that are open almost all night and one caters mostly to locals. It was really strange that the interupted the TV cable last night to show films of the scene. It was nothing like we'd see in the US. They showed to body just lying on the ground with his neck cut open. It was extremely graphic. All the local people came running to watch the clip. It was really strange. The report said it was very unusual and particularly brutal. No tourist seem to be affected or frightened by the event.
I finished my Dive Master work and I'm just waiting for someone to process the papers. I've started studying for the Instructor class and I have a tremendous amount of reading to do.
I finished my Dive Master work and I'm just waiting for someone to process the papers. I've started studying for the Instructor class and I have a tremendous amount of reading to do.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Week End: Lucy, Marius and myself all went diving together today. We signed up to do our map project at the most visited site on Utila. We couldn't believe it when the boat went right on by the site. We screamed that we were desparate to do our map project and the captain finally agreed to drop us off at the pier at the site. We did our 2 dives and attempted to draw a map and measure various distances. We'll submit our map and data on Monday.
I had the fish special at the Barracuda for dinner as no one felt like going any where else. There was suppose to be a jam session but no one showed up by 9:30 so I went back to the aparment and had a couple of beers and went to bed.
Sunday was another funday for the dive shop but I did not participate. I started the Nitrox class in the morning. I'm already certified by another agency but I need the PADI class so I can teach it later. I got about half of the materal done by late morning. I went to the whale shark center which is next door to the dive shop and studied. The attendant had to leave but he just let me continue my studies and told me to lock up.
At the last minute I decided to go on the afternoon dive boat and we actually ended up taking the food, booze and beer to the picnic. Since I didn't pay, I didn't get any food or booze but I helped load the boat anyway.
Jamie and I did a couple of dives and saw many of the usual critters including a green moray eel. The picnic ended a little earlier than usual since the wind was really strong and blowing the boats around that were tied to the dock.
They had beer and rum left over so everyone went up to the rooftop of the Barracuda bar and drank the rest. Some people appears to be pretty hammered. I had one beer but decided to go get a shower. I went to the apartment, had a quick shower and then brought my computer back with me to call Gerri on Skype. The Internet was down so I wasn't able to call. I had dinner (fish again) and watched part of the weekly whale shark presentation. The Internet came back up finally and I made a quick call to Gerri on her Blackberry. It appears that her router failed so she has no phone and no Internet on the desktop at home. Her laptor works but the desktop firewall is creating some sort of problem.
Gerri ran out and got a new inexpensive router and she'll try to install it tomorrow. Hopefully we'll be able to use free Skype again next week. Right now I'm calling her cell phone. Its costing me $.02 a minute plus her cell phone fees.
I'll hopefully start preparing for the Instructor course tomorrow. There is a lot of prepatory reading to do and 16 knowledge reviews to complete before staring the course on Thursday.
I had the fish special at the Barracuda for dinner as no one felt like going any where else. There was suppose to be a jam session but no one showed up by 9:30 so I went back to the aparment and had a couple of beers and went to bed.
Sunday was another funday for the dive shop but I did not participate. I started the Nitrox class in the morning. I'm already certified by another agency but I need the PADI class so I can teach it later. I got about half of the materal done by late morning. I went to the whale shark center which is next door to the dive shop and studied. The attendant had to leave but he just let me continue my studies and told me to lock up.
At the last minute I decided to go on the afternoon dive boat and we actually ended up taking the food, booze and beer to the picnic. Since I didn't pay, I didn't get any food or booze but I helped load the boat anyway.
Jamie and I did a couple of dives and saw many of the usual critters including a green moray eel. The picnic ended a little earlier than usual since the wind was really strong and blowing the boats around that were tied to the dock.
They had beer and rum left over so everyone went up to the rooftop of the Barracuda bar and drank the rest. Some people appears to be pretty hammered. I had one beer but decided to go get a shower. I went to the apartment, had a quick shower and then brought my computer back with me to call Gerri on Skype. The Internet was down so I wasn't able to call. I had dinner (fish again) and watched part of the weekly whale shark presentation. The Internet came back up finally and I made a quick call to Gerri on her Blackberry. It appears that her router failed so she has no phone and no Internet on the desktop at home. Her laptor works but the desktop firewall is creating some sort of problem.
Gerri ran out and got a new inexpensive router and she'll try to install it tomorrow. Hopefully we'll be able to use free Skype again next week. Right now I'm calling her cell phone. Its costing me $.02 a minute plus her cell phone fees.
I'll hopefully start preparing for the Instructor course tomorrow. There is a lot of prepatory reading to do and 16 knowledge reviews to complete before staring the course on Thursday.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
PUB QUIZ: We did very poorly on the pub quiz this week. I think we only got about 2 or 3 songs out of ten. I'm provide absolutely no help in that area. There was also a movie Anagram and since I never go to movies I was useless.
The first picture shows one of the teams slurping down a huge drink to get extra points. They do a coin toss and ask people to stand up and put there hands on the tits or butts to indicate heads or tails. They keep eliminating people until only two are standing. If they are on different teams the give them this huge group drink and the first team to finish gets an extra 5 points.
The second picture is our team from last night. We had a smaller turnout this time but the pub had a huge turnout. The prize was about $50 if I did my currency conversion correctly.
In the middle of the contest a dog came in a pooped on one of the mats in the middle of the place. Everyone scrambled to remove the mat. Just another pleasant Utila experience.
Friday, August 11, 2006
WRECK PENETRATION: Today I spent the first dive practicing laying a line on the outside of the wreck. This is done so that if you get lost or visibility gets low you can find your way out of a wreck. Its done on the outside first so you get used to laying a line, tying it off and then having other divers follow it. You keep constant contact with the line switching hands every time you come to a tie off point.
We did an easy second dive at a shallow site just because another student needed to practice some other skills. We actually swam under water to another site where we saw a very small wreck. It looked like a small pleasure boat that was sunk as a dive site. Its in about 50 feet of water is really shallow for most wrecks.
We went back, had lunch and then went out to the Halliburton wreck again. This time we entered through a large vertical hatch on the main deck housing and I started laying our line. We went in about 15 feet and then up through a smaller hatch to the next level. There wasn’t room to turn around and no tie off point so we actually went back outside tied off and then went back inside. We went around a pillar and then up another level through and even smaller hatch. I got stuck on something several times. Its really hard to figure out what is getting caught and what its getting caught on. Its dark and there is little room to wiggle around. I finally freed myself and continued to the next level. I tied us off outside again on one of the deck rails. We then switched roles. The other diver took the reel of line and I turned around and started following the line to get back out. Getting out is much more difficult as you sometime go head first and sometime feet first. I got my fins all tangled in the line once. The other diver had problems getting the line reeled in too.
I think this is one of the most fun classes I’ve taken. It was challenging and very interesting.
Tonight is pub quiz night again. I’m hoping to get some pictures to post. Our dive shop should have a pretty good turnout again.
We did an easy second dive at a shallow site just because another student needed to practice some other skills. We actually swam under water to another site where we saw a very small wreck. It looked like a small pleasure boat that was sunk as a dive site. Its in about 50 feet of water is really shallow for most wrecks.
We went back, had lunch and then went out to the Halliburton wreck again. This time we entered through a large vertical hatch on the main deck housing and I started laying our line. We went in about 15 feet and then up through a smaller hatch to the next level. There wasn’t room to turn around and no tie off point so we actually went back outside tied off and then went back inside. We went around a pillar and then up another level through and even smaller hatch. I got stuck on something several times. Its really hard to figure out what is getting caught and what its getting caught on. Its dark and there is little room to wiggle around. I finally freed myself and continued to the next level. I tied us off outside again on one of the deck rails. We then switched roles. The other diver took the reel of line and I turned around and started following the line to get back out. Getting out is much more difficult as you sometime go head first and sometime feet first. I got my fins all tangled in the line once. The other diver had problems getting the line reeled in too.
I think this is one of the most fun classes I’ve taken. It was challenging and very interesting.
Tonight is pub quiz night again. I’m hoping to get some pictures to post. Our dive shop should have a pretty good turnout again.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
GETTING CLOSE: Today I assisted one of the divemaster with a small group of DISCOVER SCUBA DIVING students. He is new to the dive shop and really appreciated the help. He was very complementary of the help I provided and the students were very appreciative. It was probably the only time I've felt like anyone cared thus far. It made for a really nice morning. One of the students had a huge barracuda come right up to her face and stared her down. I've never seen anything like it. The lady just stood still and was shocked. Later she said she was pretty scared but really enjoyed the experience.
A group of us went out for lunch at a place called COCO LOCO. It only serves sandwiches a bit like a Utila version of a Subway. Its popular, not very expensive and pretty darn good. Its right out on the water which explains one thing. They only have one restroom and at night its for ladies only. Men go to the end of the pier and do there thing. Women use the really crude restroom that dumps directly below the pier. Pretty gross. I've been wondering about a sign on nearly every restroom that says don't throw paper into the toiler. I could never understand what they meant but they really mean used toilet paper. GROSS. I do it anyway and plan to continue to do it. This place can really be pretty crude. In addition many don't have working sinks or soap or anything to dry your hands with if you can wash them. Sometimes I wonder why I chose this place.
I took class this afternoon that showed us how to take apart and put together the regulators we use. Its all lot of trouble and a little complex but it was fun to see how they work. The class was fun for about 1 hour but it took us about 3 hours to get everything apart and back together. We all celebrated by going out for ice cream afterwords. We all love this little home made ice cream parlor. I had a huge banana split with peach yogurt and chocolate ice cream. It was yummy.
I was suppose to night dive but I"m too tired and lazy. I'm going to get to bed early I hope. I dive the wreck twice tomorrow to get my certificate in wreck diving.
I finally got a committment from one of the other trainees to work together on a map. Hopefully we'll work on it on Saturday. That's all I have left to do to become a Divemaster. I'm having second thoughts about becoming an instructor just because its not that much fun. You have to rush around too much and you rarely dive for fun. It does make you easier to employ however. I have another week or two to decide on that.
A group of us went out for lunch at a place called COCO LOCO. It only serves sandwiches a bit like a Utila version of a Subway. Its popular, not very expensive and pretty darn good. Its right out on the water which explains one thing. They only have one restroom and at night its for ladies only. Men go to the end of the pier and do there thing. Women use the really crude restroom that dumps directly below the pier. Pretty gross. I've been wondering about a sign on nearly every restroom that says don't throw paper into the toiler. I could never understand what they meant but they really mean used toilet paper. GROSS. I do it anyway and plan to continue to do it. This place can really be pretty crude. In addition many don't have working sinks or soap or anything to dry your hands with if you can wash them. Sometimes I wonder why I chose this place.
I took class this afternoon that showed us how to take apart and put together the regulators we use. Its all lot of trouble and a little complex but it was fun to see how they work. The class was fun for about 1 hour but it took us about 3 hours to get everything apart and back together. We all celebrated by going out for ice cream afterwords. We all love this little home made ice cream parlor. I had a huge banana split with peach yogurt and chocolate ice cream. It was yummy.
I was suppose to night dive but I"m too tired and lazy. I'm going to get to bed early I hope. I dive the wreck twice tomorrow to get my certificate in wreck diving.
I finally got a committment from one of the other trainees to work together on a map. Hopefully we'll work on it on Saturday. That's all I have left to do to become a Divemaster. I'm having second thoughts about becoming an instructor just because its not that much fun. You have to rush around too much and you rarely dive for fun. It does make you easier to employ however. I have another week or two to decide on that.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
SCUBA REVIEW: Today I had to actually teach a scuba review class to 2 medical students from Europe. This is a program to review the various skills of diving with people that haven't been diving in a while. Its very similar to just teaching a class but hopefully everything goes faster because the students should already know how to do most things.
The class went pretty well though I did make a couple of mistakes. I was suppose to have them so some of the skills for 30 seconds and I didn't but it was not a really big deal. They did well anyway. These guys were very good natured and we had a great time. We took a short break after the class and then did a fun dive. Once again, I didn't get lost. I was worried but I was able to get them right back to the boat.
I also did another dive on the wreck and prepared a rough map of it. It was just one of the exercises they teach in that class. Its really pretty hard to do because you are only at the bottom of the boat for about 10 minutes and you work your way up around it for another 10 minutes or less. The boat is about 100 feet deep so this is why the bottom time is so short. You'd have to dive the site many times to get an accurate map. It was fun anyway however. I think we'll dive it using NITROX (32% O2) sometime later this week and you get another 5 minutes of so of time because you don't have the nitrogen build up of normal air.
The class went pretty well though I did make a couple of mistakes. I was suppose to have them so some of the skills for 30 seconds and I didn't but it was not a really big deal. They did well anyway. These guys were very good natured and we had a great time. We took a short break after the class and then did a fun dive. Once again, I didn't get lost. I was worried but I was able to get them right back to the boat.
I also did another dive on the wreck and prepared a rough map of it. It was just one of the exercises they teach in that class. Its really pretty hard to do because you are only at the bottom of the boat for about 10 minutes and you work your way up around it for another 10 minutes or less. The boat is about 100 feet deep so this is why the bottom time is so short. You'd have to dive the site many times to get an accurate map. It was fun anyway however. I think we'll dive it using NITROX (32% O2) sometime later this week and you get another 5 minutes of so of time because you don't have the nitrogen build up of normal air.
Monday, August 07, 2006
BANKING: This morning I made my first trip to the bank. The entire bank is about the size of someone's living room. There were 3 tellers and about 15 people in line. The line moves painfully slow. Most people in line are doing transactions for several people. After waiting for about 25 minutes and having moved up about 4 spots, someone behind me asked how old I was. I thought they were crazy since I didn't know them. They then asked if I was 60. I said yes and he told me to move to the head of the line. Apparently pregnant women and old folks get preferential treatment. I was too embarrassed but the guy made a big deal about it so the security guard grabbed me and took me to the front of the line. Wow, my first benefit for being a "senior".
I passed two more exams today so all my book work for the divemaster portion is finished. I still have several things to complete but I'm making progress.
I signed up for a wreck diving specialty class and did another dive on the local halfhearted wreck. We didn't really do anything special except observe it for possible hazards. I'll dive on it 3 more times and make a rough map and also use a line to find our way out when we penetrate the wreck. This one probably doesn't require the line but its a training exercise.
Later we went on a fun dive at Ted's point again. We saw a spotted eagle ray this time and that's one of the things that make a dive special. Tonight should be pizza again if my housemate finished his class at a reasonable hour though he didn't start the pool sessions until after 5pm. Could be a late night.
I passed two more exams today so all my book work for the divemaster portion is finished. I still have several things to complete but I'm making progress.
I signed up for a wreck diving specialty class and did another dive on the local halfhearted wreck. We didn't really do anything special except observe it for possible hazards. I'll dive on it 3 more times and make a rough map and also use a line to find our way out when we penetrate the wreck. This one probably doesn't require the line but its a training exercise.
Later we went on a fun dive at Ted's point again. We saw a spotted eagle ray this time and that's one of the things that make a dive special. Tonight should be pizza again if my housemate finished his class at a reasonable hour though he didn't start the pool sessions until after 5pm. Could be a late night.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
A TOUCH OF UTILA: Top - the bank and ATM. Scary to use because so many people hang out all the time - day and night. This is at the main intersection of the town (term used lightly).
Second: The drug store and lab. This place is about 400 square feet or less. There is a local restaurant to the right that is pretty good but no too clean.
Third: A local restaurant with carry out only. I ate here a lot until the doc said it wasn't a good idea.
Fourth: One of the local stores. This one is across from the dive shop. It seems to charge different prices for locals versus tourists. They don't speak any English so I just give them what I think something cost and they give me change.
A FEW PICTURES: I live in the top right hand aparments.
The second pictures is Kat and her mother. Kat just left to go back to school.
The third picture is Katie and Marlie. Katie left for a couple of weeks but will return. Marlie is the young girl that left our dive school and went to another one to be with younger people. The last picture is from one of the Sunday Funday's. Many people are playing volleyball while this group hung out on the pier playing music and drinking.
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