Dive College: The building on the left is the bar and restaurant here at the college. The first floor has a tiny above water pool, the second floor has a few classrooms, the third floor is the bar and lounge and the top is an open deck with a bar. You can see the ocean from the third floor and above. The building on the right is the building where I hang out, do the blog, train, etc. The front is the fire station and the back is the recompression chamber. The Utila Lodge is just down the path and on the ocean front.

LEADING DIVERS: Last night the un-fun-jam was a bust. We were suppose have a BBQ but the planners didn't get any propane in advance and they couldn't find any. A bunch of the new DM trainees got together and had one drink and then we headed out looking for something to eat. Our first choice was closed so we turned around and headed for pizza. When we passed the Italian place everyone decided to eat there instead. I almost always have a glass or two of wine in the evenings back in South Carolina so I decided to split a bottle with another trainee. I had lasagna and it was not great but pretty good for this place.

I decided to volunteer to lead some fun divers (as opposed to students). We had one little old lady (Helga) from Germany that barely speaks English. I gave the boat briefing as well as the dive briefing and then jumped into the water for my first divemaster attempt. I had never dived the site so I was pretty nervous. I have a little booklet however that shows simulated pictures of the sites so I used it to get an idea and I was able to ask the evaluator about the area. He was very helpful and made suggestions about he direction of travel.

The dive was terrific. There were lots of fish and I was able to find a green moray eel to point out to the guest. The structure of the coral was really interesting also with some places where it just appeared to hang by threads above you. The customer was very pleased. Getting onto the boat was a bitch. There were tremendous waves. The lady tried to but her knees on the boat ladder instead of her feet and was really getting bashed around. Both the DM and myself tried to help her into the boat. She got a few bruises on the way up however.

On the second dive, I found a turtle that we watched for a long time and the DM found a scorpion fish.

We saw several Queen Angels, French Angels, Trumpet Fish, File Fish and Trunk Fish, Puffer and more. Again the customer was very pleased. The waves were large again and Helga had even more problems getting onto the boat but she made it.

I scored a 4.4 out of 5 on the evaluation with at least one weak point for not providing enough help to the lady as soon as she was having problems. I also forget the boat role call twice and that wasn't good but there were only 8 divers and I accounted for all of them in my head.

FIRST CLASS OF DIVERS:

The ladies on the left (Mirna) and right (Ottilie) were two of the students from my first open water class that I interned on. The middle young lady was already certified and a friend of one of them. This picture was taken on August 4th at the Barracuda bar which is part of the dive complex. On Friday nights they have a bucket of beers (six) for 100 limperas which is about $5.00.

Thursday & Friday: I didn't get around to writing yesterday. I had an open water (ocean) class with the students. We did a couple of dives where they have to demonstrate things such as taking off mask and other gear underwater. Then we worked on bouyancy. All of them improved a lot during the class and 2 of them decided to take advanced classes so I got roped into helping with that one too.

Thursday night the students, instructor and myself all went out to eat together. (Geoff, Mirna, Ottilie, Kevin and Tobias) We tried to go to one of the nicer places but it was closed so we ended up in a typical Utila dump. I had a burger that tasted like it was frozen for about 5 years. It was dry and rubbery and not very good. After that we went to the TreeTonic. Its the tree house bar. I had a couple of beers but still got home around midnight.

I got up about 5:45 to get ready for the advanced class. The boats were screwed up again so we got a late start. After diving the boat was broken again and they had to call for another boat. It arrived but also broke down. I had to stay in the water for almost 30 minutes because there was no room to get on board with the motor housing standing up on the deck. I finally got on board and they got the rescue boat going. We all climbed about without our gear and headed home. We didn't get back until after 1pm and I ran to the apartment and had a can of pork and beans.

At 2pm we were suppose to start our next class and test but the stranded boat finally showed up about 2 and I had to unload it and put away all the gear since the students had left. I finally started my class about 3pm. This class was on dive theory and use of computers and tables for calculations. I took the test about 6pm and passed again. Just as I finished I was informed I had to help with the night dive class. I ordered a quick sandwich and started packing gear again. I was tired and not very happy.

We were suppose to leave at 7:30 but once again repairs delayed us until after 8pm. We did a quick dive with the students. We saw lots of lobsters, giant parrot fish, shrimp, an octopus and a squid. We got back to the dock about 9:15 pm and it took another 30 minutes to get it unloaded. I'm at the bar now. I called Gerri and then got a little caught up with this blog.

There having another jam session tonight but some new volunteer players and singers. I'm going to listen for a few mintues and try to get home and get some sleep.

First Open Water Class: I spent the morning just hanging around and talking with various divers. In the afternoon, I got all of the students equipment together, loaded the boat, did the boat briefing and went diving. Most of the students did pretty well with one having just a little problem with bouyancy but he's getting better. The student were really excited about being in the ocean and seeing real fish and coral. It was fun to see their excitement. We saw a Grey Angel, Butterfly fish, needle fish and millions of minnows of some kind.

The evening concluded with a surprise birthday party for Robert, one of the instructors. We had lots of beer, run, cake and icecream. A few new people were there so I've got new faces and names to put together. More people are getting ready to leave so there is always a party or something going on it seems. It makes the evenings go fast but it leaves little time for personal things. I don't think I'll attend the next couple.

I have more diving with the students on Thursday.

FIRST TIME ASSISTANT: I'm feeling much better and the traveler's diarrhea seems to be gone. The test results for bad parasites was also negative. I've been trying to stay away from Baleadas, salads and milk products and ate bread with peach jam for a couple of meals. That combined with the pills seems to have done the trick. I bought some rice too but I haven't been at the house long enough to cook it.

I did a bunch of running around this morning including getting some more water delivered. You get 5 gallons delivered for about $2.00.

I assisted with my first class today and it was fun and interesting. The instructor has a very different style of teaching compared to my instructor. Its probably good to see different methods and then design your own. We were in and out of the pool from 1:30 until almost 7:30. Everyone was tired and cold. The pool is slightly cooler than the ocean. We got out so late we left a mess that I have to clean up in the morning.

Gerri surprised me with a new kitten last night. I knew that would happen. I hope it helps her pass the time.

DR JOHN: The morning started off with a visit to Dr. John. What an experience. I was told to get there early so I arrived at 7am. The sign said the doctor was in from 9 to 12. Other people arrived shortly after me. About 9am a lady arrived and opend the doors but said the doctor didn't arrive until 10am. About 10:15 he finally made it. The male nurse took me into the exam room through a maze of construction. He was wearing shorts, a green hopital type shirt and no shoes. It a little informal. The conditions are 3rd world to say the least. Everything seems to be just stacked around in dirty boxes. The instruments are used over and over. The thermometer came out of some sort of solution that I assume was a disinfectant but it was pretty wierd anyway.

The doctor has long stringy hair along full full facial hair. He's an unbelievable character like someone fr0m a sixties era rock band. He gave me a complete exam and we chatted for a long time. He constantly joked about me being the oldest divemaster trainee he had ever seen. He suggested that I had to attend the upcoming SUMJAM to show that I was really a part of the whole scene. I assured him I would not be attending one of the worlds largest drug fests.

Anyway, I got some anitbiotic and other pills to get my system working properly again and he asked me to get a stool sample. To my shock and amazment, they have a little lab at the medico store that has a small lab. They gave me a tiny bottle and a rubber glove. That would be loads of fun later. I finally got out of the doctors office about 11:30. I did get the sample to the lab and I pick it up tomorrow. (NO DETAILS ON THIS EVENT)

Now onto more pleasant topics. I passed another test today on Physiology. It was more difficult for me than any because it had a lot of medical terms with latin names. Anyway, I did well and that's one more off the list.

I was assigned a class to help out with as part of my internship. We have 4 students taking their open water (beginners) class. One is from England, one from Denmark, one from Germany and one from Ireland I think. Should be lots of fun. We'll do pool training tomorrow afternoon and then open water sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

In the evening a group of us got together for another going away party. We went to a place called Daves. I couldn't believe anyone ever found this place. There is a little opening in the fence with a tiny sign above it. You walk through several private areas along a really long boardwalk, past some hotel rooms and other facilities for one of the other dive shops. It was probably 200 yards or more down this tiny walkway when it suddenly opend up onto a huge deck with various facilities including Daves. Dave buys whatever he can each day, prepared 2 or 3 items and then sells them until he runs out. Today was grilled pork chops or chicken with 3 different sauces. I want with Chicken with Orange Barbecue Sauce and it was the best meal I've had yet. It came with mashed potatoes, rice and a salad but the doc told me not to eat any uncooked food especially salads to I had extra rice.

There was another movie watching party later but I opted for a good nights sleep.

Sunday Funday Again: I really don’t know how to describe the days start. I woke up about 6am with some incredible cramps from diarrhea. It definitely took a turn for the worse. I made 5 trips to the bathroom in about 20 minutes and had plans to cancel the diving for the day. After the last trip I started to feel better so I waited another ½ hours and decided the worst was over. I went diving.

We had a smaller group of about 12 divers and we went to the north side for the better diving again. Two people got sick on the trip around the island but both were fine once we got into the water. The first dive was terrific and we saw green morays, spotted morays, spotted drums, turtles, lobsters and hundreds of schooling fish. We just drifted and the boat came to pick us up. A line got all tangled around the boat however and it took them about 20 minutes to get to us. Oh well, the sea was relatively calm so it was okay for everyone.

The second dive was ordinary and I didn’t see anything unusual. We went to the picnic spot again and a lot of people got really drunk. We had the same menu with grilled chicken, baked potatoes and beans. I decided to take it easy and only had 1 beer and one rum and coke. While most people played volleyball I found a nice hammock and just took it easy. We stayed until after 6pm so we got back pretty late. A quick rain storm came up but only lasted for 3 or 4 minutes.

We have really huge double cooler for the beer and we had a lot left over this time. We started to carry it back to the bar but it was really heavy so we loaded it onto a cart. A new girl (Cloe) tried to get it to the bar and she hit something and spilled about 15 beers into the ocean right next to the dock. A bunch of folks jumped in to save the beer.

They allowed us to drink the rest of the beer in the bar but I only had one. I ran to the apartment, changed clothes and then headed back to the bar to get some food. The gang was till here and even drunker but I’m just sitting at a picnic table entering the blog info. I tried to call Gerri but the Internet is down again so no luck.

Its now an hour later and I finally got through to Gerri. She had a lonely and boring day and I feel so bad. Sometimes this is a lot harder that we had planned. I certainly couldn't do it without her support but there's no one to support her on a daily basis. I tried to cheer he up but its hard when she's there by herself. It takes everything I have just to keep from crying when I talked to her because she was so down. I know both of would like to be doing this together. Maybe when her time comes to retire, I can be there with her if she chooses something I can be a part of. I sure hope so.

LIVING A FANTASY: Today was a mostly do nothing day. I just sat around the dive shop all morning. I ran down to the ferry dock at 8:30 and 1:30 to see if the new BCD I purchased from Roatan arrived. I didn’t really know how to find out if it arrived but I checked at the post office and ferry office (both on the local dock) and neither knew anything about a package for me.

I ate a local place recommended by one of the dive staff and it was pretty good and very cheap. I had another couple of baleadas (notice another spelling) this time with refried beans and egg. Very good for about 50 cents each. I was the only non native customer and no one spoke English. The place was just a little shack by the side of road. I wouldn’t try one of these unless someone recommended it.

In the afternoon it was suggested that some of the trainees go clean a tarp under the water just off the dock. It is used for training so there isn’t as much silt stirred up by trainees. They gave us a broom. We decided to turn the huge tarp upside down to get the sand off of it. Things didn’t exactly go as planned. The 20 x 30 tarp was tide to the pier on one end and there were 4 lb weights all around the other edges. We cut the ropes but left the weights hanging on. Working under water is difficult enough but this was serious work. As soon as you start the visibility goes to about 3 feet and you can’t even see the other person working with you. The weights got all tangled up and we were really having fun with this. We thought we had it turned over but with the limited visibility we didn’t realize it was all messed up and just laying in a big pile.

We left for about 20 minutes to allow the water to clear and then tried to get it back in place. That was really difficult. Everything was either floating or all tangled up and the vis turned to zero again quickly. We messed around with it for about an hour and finally had it back in place but with almost as much dirt and sand as we started with. We tried the broom but that was pretty useless too. The entire project was futile and actually pretty funny. I’m sure we looked like a couple of crazies under water.

When we popped up I realized another ferry was coming in so I quickly changed some of my clothes and ran to the ferry again. Unbelievable but my package was on the boat. I asked for a box for Chuck Harrell and they said they had one for Charles Harrell. I love it when a plan comes together. Gerri was going to ship mine from home but the shipping was about $250 and the entire new BCD was only $350. I can’t believe it was this cheap. It cost more than $450 mail order in the US.

I had another pretzel dinner but tried a class of Chilean wine and it was okay. The owner talked to me for a little while and suggested I bring my laptop next time. They want to see if they can use a password system for wireless Internet access. I’ll try it one day. I told her I was looking for a place to bring Gerri when she comes down and she told me the Aggressor (our live aboard boat) eats there as a group already. Pefect!

The town is really packed for the last night of carnival. You can hardly get through the streets because of all the people and most are really drunk. I wish I could describe how strange and unusual this place really is. Maybe I’ll figure out how to post pictures soon. Tonight a huge party starts at 10pm with some local rich guy providing free beer for awhile. I’m not going.

There’s another festival called SUNFEST coming next week and it’s the worlds largest open drug fest. Apparantly anything and everything is available. I’m sure I’ll avoid that party at all cost. This place is just unreal. Its fun but really strange and much to crazy for me.

Tomorrow is another Sunday Funday with a trip around the Island for diving, a picnic lunch and lots of beer again. I’ll be going just to have something to do.

PUB QUIZ: Today I took the morning off. I went to Thomson's bakery for breakfast and had a couple of biscuits with egg. Their biscuits are large and flavorful and excellent. I took a little laundry to Johnnie's where we buy water. Some lady there does laundry. I have no idea what it will cost. Another lady has a dryer and does same day laundry so I visited her for the sheets on the bed. She was babysitting and couldn't do laundry today. Her son is the dive shop manager and he was out diving today for the first time in months along with his wife so grandma was in charge of the baby. She promised to do my sheets tomorrow so we'll see.

I did a couple of afternoon dives in the same places we did them yesterday. Much better today since there was no current. I went with Katie one of the newly certified divemasters. She is leaving the Island for a couple of weeks and trying to get in some more diving.

I haven't said anything about the young folks taking training around here. I'm very surprised that while most are backpackers or on very tight budgets, their world experiences are amazing. A large number of them have traveled extensively especially in Central America. Several have been volunteers for various organizations. My house mate is had traveled to Napal, Machu Picco and other exotic places. He's only 25 but works at a real job for a year or so and then travels around the world till the money runs out. He is also living off some sort of inheritance. His next trip cost him $3000 for 3 months and he's going into the high mountains of South America to track condor's and climb some glaciers.

Last night was pub quiz night. Bundu's cafe and bar organized this about once a week. Various dive shops from around the island get together with 4 member teams to compete in a trivia contest. We had 9 teams last night. I stink at trivia but they made me join one of our 2 teams anyway. We had a blast. Some of the questions were about the US and I was able to answer those where as my teammates from England and Ireland were clueless. Some of the questions were on various cartoon characters of the past such as spider man, supermand etc. You had to identify the alter ego. Another section was on music where they played short clips of songs and you had to identify the title and musician. Talk about being old, I didn't know a single one. Still more questions were about sports and I didn't contribute to that section either. The other team from out dive shop won 1st place and the prize was a case or more of beer. (It cost $5.00 per team to play). They shared the beer with us (we finished 4th I think) and several other waiters, staff and game players. It was really a fun night.

We stayed and closed the place down about 11:30 and then the rest of the team went out bar hopping. I went home to bed and crashed. Everyone went to the bathroom before leaving and I thougth that was odd. I asked and they said the restroom at the next bar called Tranquilla was really poor even by Utila standards. In fact the men's room is just going off the pier. Its a really popular hang out however and I'll have to try it one day.

I'm still suffering from mild diarrea so I went to what passes for a drug store today. They didn't have immodium AD so the lady gave me something called GABBRORAL. I'm going to look it up on the Internet tomorrow.

PHYSICS: Part of the divemaster course deals with physics and how pressure of various gases effects the air supply and your body. There are various laws developed a long time ago that are used for calculations. We did a quick classroom review and then we were offered the test. I took a chance and took the test. Another HOORAY, another test passed.

I went on a couple of morning dives. The first was on a sea mount a bit out into the open sea whereas most are near the shoreline. Its basically an underwater mountain made of coral that stands by itself for some reason with open ocean and sand all around it. This one was probably about 100 feet tall and maybe 5oo feet across and was mostly circular. The current was ripping so the dive was pretty exhausting. This site probably had the most fish I've seen but I didn't really see anything spectacular.

The second dive was suppose to be on a small sailboat wreck but we didn't go deep enough to see the wreck. It was a nice easy dive along a coral wall like formation about 30 feet high. We saw a spotted eel and and green moray eel.

I went to the Mariposa for dinner again as my new housemate wanted to try it. The menu is pretty limited and I wasn't that hungry so I has this very salty home made soft pretzel. It was really good. Later we went to a going away party and the TREEHOUSE bar. Its really pretty neat. It was dark so I couldn't see exactly how it was made but it seems to resemble a very elaborate treehouse (built on a hill side I think) with lots of little platforms and sitting areas many of which contain swings. I only had one beer and then headed for the house.

INTERNSHIP: I passed the darn snorkel test today. Hooray. I got a 3 and only needed a 2 so I'm done with that physical stuff. I had to do the rescue test twice but I also got through that. Later in the day I also passed the water skills test. I'm now officially in the Internship program. That just means they can actually ask me to help out now and I it goes on my record as being a helper.

The young girl moved out today and a new DM trainee from England moved right in. Nice (in Honduran terms) apartments are hard to find. Joe is a pretty good diver that actually took the program in Thailand but never got the paperwork so he's doing it over again.

NAVIGATION: Today I did my morning practice swim and I think I did okay. I'll probably take the test again tomorrow. Later we practiced some basic skills on our own but we still need a lot of practice on that. One of them entails removing your BCD and tank both above and below water. I can easily do both but I look pretty clumsy and you have to do it smoothly. More practice.

For lunch I had chicken in coconut milk. It wasn't too good. It looked like left over parts to me. There were huge bone structure with a little chicken on the edges. Luckily it was served with beans, rice and mashed potatoes. A weird combination but I enjoyed the sides.

In the afternoon a couple of us went on the Navigation dives included with the specialty class on Navigation. It was a lot of fun. We did and out and back, a square, a rectangle and a triangle using our compass. I has pretty tricky because there was a strong current. We had fun trying anyway. We surfaced to find huge waves about 4 to 6 feet and the boat was not there. It had gone to another dive site to drop off some divers. It took several minutes for it to arrive and meanwhile we battled the waves and wind trying not to float to far from the buoy. I don't think they should have had to boat leave but I'm not in charge. At least one person was really struggling with the conditions and none of us enjoyed it. We did all get back safely.

The second dive at the same location was also in strong current. We did a little treasure hunt and it was loads of fun. The buried plastic plates in the sand with various compass headings and distances in meters or fin kicks. We had to plot it all out on a little underwater graph. It was challenging and really fun. We were able to follow all the directions and found the treasure. It was a little wistle for use above water to signal for help.

I tried another new restaurant for dinner. Its one of only a couple that are right on the water. It was on the second floor and had a great view. The menu of actual meals was a little limited but I had chicken chunks and they were terrific. They were all white meat and very tasty. They were served with huge spicey fries and a salad. It was expensive but I had enough leftover for another meal so it worked out just fine.

The Internet connection for the Island was down again today for a considerable time so was I late calling Gerri and posting this blog.

STAMINA TEST: Well it didn't go as hoped today. I did the 400 yard swim and got one point out of 5 but that was expected. Next we did the 800 mask fins and snorkel and that's the one I thought I'd do well in. My snorkel broke about 90 meters into it. The purge valve was leaking and eventually just fell out. I drank half the ocean on the next breath. I obviously had to stop. I was pissed to say the least. I had a hard time even getting back to the dock because I was tired and frustrated. I rested a bit and then did the 15 float. I was able to score a perfect 5 on that one by holding my hands out of the water the last 2 minutes. It was easy but boring. Next came the tired diver tow for 100 yards. I'd never tried it before but I tried as hard as I could and scored a 4 out of 5. I was very pleased with that. I have 10 points and need 12 so I think I can do that next time they test me which should be Wednesday.

I did know but we also had to do a skill in which we rescue a non responsive floating diver. We had to try to get his attention, flip him over, listen for breath sounds, yell for help, and then put a rescue breathing mask on them and pretend to give rescue breaths. Then you have to count out loud for 5 seconds and give more breaths. While doing this you need to remove all their equipment and your own while towing them to shore. I didn't to real well and they want me to try that again too. Oh well.

In the afternoon, I practiced some additional training skills but that didn't go well either. It was just a frustrating day.

I showed my extra room to another candidate today since Marlies is moving out today or tomorrow. I'm not sure if he's interested or not. Marlie left her keys in the dive shop a couple days ago and had to come find me to get into the building. Last night her door blew shut and locked with her outside. This all happened after I had gone to bed so I found her on the couch this morning. I didn't know why until I saw her later in the day.

The guy I talked about meeting (Brian) that is into herbs had his wife come down to the dock today and give me a bottle of herbs they claim will cure my enlarged prostrate. I'm not sure if I'll take them or not. She left a business card and I now see that they seem to sell various herbs. I sorta hope I don't run into them again but this is such a small island I'm sure I will.

FUN DIVING SUNDAY: Sunday around here is usually a little slower than other days and I took the morning off and just hung around the dive center. I had my first restaurant breakfast at one of the more popular places called Bundo's I think. It was pretty good but I would have preferred the special of Chocolate and Banana Pancakes. I didn't notice it until I had already ordered my scrambled eggs and toast.

LAST NIGHT they had the big parade celebrating some festival week. It has a small marching band (loosely defined) with about 20 kids. Next came some fellows in uniforms that I guess are some sort of navy trainees or something similar. There were about 12 of them. Next came the queens and I'd say there were 8 to 10 of them and that was it. I heard the queens get selected based on the amount of money they fund raise during the year.

Back to Sunday - I went diving in the afternoon. I watched one fellow get a scuba tune up which is basically a class for someone that hasn't been diving in a long time. I then did a little exploration with another new DM trainee. On the second dive, I went with a new DM and she showed us the area in a little deeper water. We saw a spotted eagle ray that swam by very slowly so we watched him for a long time. Minutes later we spotted a very large hawks bill turtle and watch him chomp on coral for several minutes. I has joked about not wanting to lead the dive because my navigation skills are useless. The newly trained DM said it was impossible to get lost. We didn't get lost but we came up to the surface a really long was from the boat and had to swim forever. I guess I won't be the only one with a poor sense of direction.

Tomorrow is the big day. I will try to stamina test. I'm really hoping to get through all of it in one day so I don't have to think about it any more.

NAVIGATION CLASS: Today I started a class on underwater navigation. I'm taking this class with Chris a new Divemaster that is just going some specialties. We tried to learn how to use a compass and a little device that aids in mapping or tracking. We had a short classroom session and then started some practiced exercises. We were both pretty clue less and Peter (the head Instructor) had to get us started. Rather than start out underwater, we just did an above water exercise to MAP the dock system. After a rough start, I finally figured it out and did pretty well.

We went into the water and took a 30 meter tape with us. We laid it out under water and used weights to hold it in place. Then we swam from one end to the other at least twice to measure the time it took, the number of fin strokes it took and the amount of air we used. These measurements are used in navigation. The fin stroke count is the most accurate and we'll practice using it next week.

Tonight I'll eat at the Barracuda (the attached restaurant) and then watch the jam session again. Tomorrow will be a fun dive in the afternoon and relaxing. Monday is the stress test that I MUST pass.

SLOW DAY & OLD NEWS: Today wasn't very exciting. I did the morning practice swim and then studied for a while but the test was postponed till tomorrow. I sat in on a pool skills test for a couple of other trainees today. I tried to take notes underwater but its pretty hard to do and I can't see worth a darn anyway so I don't know how effective it was.

Last night I bumped into Brian and Linda the couple that bought my breakfast the other day. They were up here at the bar having dinner. I sat with them and we talked for a over an hour. I paid back their kindness by picking up their tab. Brian talked my ear off about is ideas on Western medicine, herbs and fruits and veggies. He and is wife are pretty committed to that lifestyle but they do eat out frequently.

Thursday's are free movie night up here but I didn't get into last nights movie. I was some sort of thriller but I missed the title. Last week it was in Spanish so I didn't watch that one either. They usually get between 15 to 20 to watch and drink beer.

I did get a housemate yesterday. Its a very, very young girl from England. I haven't actually talked with her much but I know she just got our of high school and has been traveling in Central America with friends. Today she told me she is thinking about moving to another school and apartment with a large group of people her age. Its probably a good decision for her. She is just waiting to see if the school will refund her money.

I forgot to mention the jelly fish from my dive a couple days ago. They were everywhere and everyone was freaked out. It turns out they didn't sting (most of us) so we got in the water anyway but it was really creepy and I hope it doesn't happen again. It was really weird. They were gone on the second dive about an hour later.

Gerri and I talked for a long time tonight. She is really hanging in there considering she's by herself most of the evenings. It would drive me crazy but she's started needle work again to keep busy. She continues to be extremely supportive. I don't know if I mentioned it before but she will be coming down here on Sept 16 so we can spend a week diving together on the local liveaboard dive boat. I can't wait.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Every night is the same around here and it really doesn’t matter what day or night it is. In fact, it’s hard to keep track.

Anyway, I visited a new place to eat and I don't even know the name of it. I’ll try and get a picture to post at some point. It’s a little place directly on the road. When I say on the road, I’m talking close to the road. The 5 steps up to this place are about 3 or 4 feet off the road. The restaurant is basically the front porch of a house. A guy has a grill setting on the side of the road and he prepares the meat and a kitchen in the house prepares to other things. They have a pretty complete menu and the side dishes are pretty good. I had rice, beans, carrots and potatoes along with chicken.

I had another cat keep me company at dinner.

A couple of young girls were sitting next to me with a Spanish dictionary. They were speaking Spanish but one was oriental and the other appeared American. They spoke to me later and I found out the oriental was from Virginia and the American was from Europe. So much for my guesses. Anyway they were trying to immerse themselves in Spanish and were surprised that many people speak English in Utila. They were attending a total immersion Spanish/American little school on the Island. We had a short but pleasant conversion. The Oriental young lady did most of the talking and she was preparing to go the Chapel Hill (UNC) to become a lawyer. Somehow I mentioned I was from Indiana and she asked where. When I said South Bend, she immediately said she heard it was one of the most boring college towns anywhere. She chose Chapel Hill over ND. She was married so I was surprised she cared about party atmosphere. I guess I’m just getting old.

The road by the way in basically a single lane running up and down the part of the Island I live on. Most of the vehicles are motorcycles, bicycles and golf carts. I suspect there are only a dozen or two private vehicles on the island. .I am not even sure what side of the road they are suppose to drive on because they just drive wherever they want. Its far more dangerous than anyplace I’ve ever been for pedestrians. You have to watch every step.

MORE PRACTICE. Well today I did the morning swim things again. I can't tell if I'm improving or not but it seems a little easier even if the times don't improve. I feel like I'm getting a cardio workout anyway.

My dive buddy, Tyco and I worked on our use of the dive tables and wheel today. The wheel is a PADI device to plan safe dives similar to a table but more like a sliderule. Its not too hard to use.

We went diving the afternoon and got one of the new DM's to help us practice the skills we didn't do well on the other day. I'm still not confident at all but its really a required piece. You basically demonstrate various diving skills very slowly and exaggerated to students can see what you are doing. Its actually fun but challenging and a bit hard to remember all the steps.

I really learned that this entire program is pretty much at my pace today. I just tell them what I'm really for next and they help me get through it. I think I'll do the stamina test next week as well as a couple more knowledge tests.

PEAK PERFORMANCE BUOYANCY. I practiced for my stamina test again today and did ever worse. There was a lot of wind and some current so its a challenge.

I took a class on buoyancy in the morning and then went out to perform a bunch of skills to practice what we learned. There were 5 of us. It was a lot of fun. We did such things as learn to lie motionless in the water (or try), swim through small hoops under water, knock things over on the sand without touching the sand but hovering really close to it. There was no test or anything. The point was to improve you skills and learn to be a better diver. In my case, using rental equipment made it a little harder because I'm not used to it and its not as well made as my own stuff. It was fun and I learned a few things anyway.

Tonight the head instructor is having a party at his house which is right across the street from the dive shop. We are all bringing something to share as well as our own item to grill. Should be fun. I'm sure I'll have more to say on that tomorrow.