Hi everyone my name is Carl or now better known as Rodders .
I am currently on a year out from university where I am a mature student studying marine Biology. I have had a number of careers during my working life, I joined the army and then moved onto being a carpenter and finally have settled on a career in Diving.
I learnt to dive in 2007, in the UK, and since then I have become obsessed with marine life and diving in general. I have a 500 Litre marine fish tank and a tropical fish tank with 200 Litres, I have approximately 13 breeds of fish and 40 different species of coral.
I have joined Dive and Sea as a PADI Rescue Diver and I have over 100 logged dives, I have already studied for the old PADI Divemaster course but unfortunately I was unable to finish the course.
It will be very interesting to me to see the differences not only in the Divemaster courses but also in working within a dive centre in the nice warm waters of Tenerife.
This week was a fresh start for me and I had the pleasure of meeting Aaron AKA (Juan well once we had finally settled on his name Canadian Dave was a favourite for a while but then we decided it was too long).
We started with an induction to Dive and Sea Tenerife with many useful tips about the dive school the do’s and don’ts and surrounding area, Juan and I had to give a 5 minute presentation on our self’s which went well except for the 36 eerrmm’s need to slow down and breath!
Later we did two dives the last dive for Zippy as he was flying home the following day. I was too busy kiting up Nick and Josh so forgot my own weights so missed the first dive must switch my brain on. Second dive was night dive and had to go back to the marina to pick up Louise who was also joining us on the night dive, really good saw more of the predatory species out in the open.
We went diving in the north of the island at Tabaiba, we were there to complete the PADI Advanced Open water dives deep and wreck for Aarons and Nick. This was two fantastic dives we saw Common Stingrays along with the rest of the many species we have out here. The wreck was called El Raton and is laying in 30 meters of water with bow up and tilting to starboard (Right), Dolphins were about but didn’t come over.
Saw my first (hope fully one of many) Angle Shark at Starfish Bay with Melissa, Aaron, Louise it was only about a foot away from us but way too sleepy to wake up and see us. Also saw nice Cuttlefish, and Anemones.
My diving leadership skills are improving I am paying more attention to other students and customers in the water. Aaron and I took bearings during the dive for when we are leading dives unaccompanied!
As part of our mapping project that Aaron and I are doing at Yellow Mountain, I tried to navigate but ended up getting lost not good!! Especially as I already have my navigation speciality. I don’t even know where I went wrong either to sort it out, however my second attempt was much better must remember to take my bearings with me (all the gear all the time).
My swimming stamina is coming on nice and I managed to pass my 800m snorkel bonus don’t have to do it again. Can just about smell my Dive Master nearly there then on to PADI Assistant Instructor.
Good week all in all learned loads finding the more you put in the more you get out.
Been swimming twice a day all week so hopefully my 400 Meter swim will be ok worked really hard trying to sort my stamina out.
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