Nightdive, Turtles, Turtles and….Turtles

After a heavy weekend in which we said goodbye to Trigger and Cassandra, our next diving adventure started with a night-dive at Abades at 5 in the morning. We were with 6 people, Big and little Will, Steve (Advanced student and big Wills friend), little Wills dad aka Gary, CK and I. Half of us never done a night dive, which made everything even more exciting. I buddied up with Steve, who reinsured me he was absolutely NOT scared AT ALL (ofcourse). However, once we descended it became pretty clear to me that Steve really just wanted to be with his friend big Will…. So there I was, bobbing around behind Will who had CK hanging onto his left arm and Steve on his right leg! Let’s say the buddy contact was over- appropriate at that time. I have to say that we didn’t see as much on that night dive as we had on previous ones, but still it’s the thrill of diving in the dark that really motivates me!

After the night dive it was time to watch the sun rise until we headed back into the water to assist Steve on his Navigation and Fish ID dive. I’m pretty sure Steve was just testing us when he asked us to write down and identify all the fish, instead of completing the exercise himself! Highlight was the little common eagle ray we saw when heading back to our point of descend. A good spot by Gary and little Will (and thankfully our Fish ID student recognised the ray as actually being a ray)

So on that day, even before it was midday, we done 3 dives. In the afternoon Pete had the unusual surprise of yet another dive at Yellow Mountain. How exciting we all were (NOT) but then again, we are here for the diving and the experience so we just went along, gave it out best and I it was the best dive at Yellow Mountain so far! The vis. Was absolutely awesome, like swimming in an aquarium (well, not Pete’s aquarium, that’s a whole different inside-story). Frankie and Jamie went along for Jamies first dive in the ocean, he did great, the divesite was awesome so a good end of a very very long but ‘enlightening’ day (those are the words of an actual English speaker aka Bruce ;-))

The rest of the week existed out of visiting the turtles a couple of times. To be honest, I’m at that point in my internship were it is hard to get excited about turtles. I reckon it’s a great experience for customers and you have to have done that dive at El Puertito. Don’t get me wrong, please come and see the turtles, but at the moment I’m actually thinking that I’ve been there so often that the turtles are starting to recognise the lady with the yellow mask, orange snorkel and Cressi- lady wetsuit.  You can easily say that the turtles and I have a complicated relationship….(Unlike me and the octopus! There was an explosion of octopus at El Puertito on Tuesday, a lot of them being out on the rocks, instead of hiding).

Next wednesday Pete will try to get into a wetsuit again and head down to the pool with some of us to score us on our skills. The last days we have been in the pool a couple of times to practice by ourselves and with Alice. I’m doing ok on most of the skills, except for the hover, but still a few more days and pool sessions to go before we have a face off with the big boss under water!

To finish this blog a little conversation that takes place so many times with new divers, but it is a funny part of our job right here, and demonstrates an important DM skill  patients (and knowledge of the aquatic life)!!:

Student: Did you see ALL THOSE EELS under water? I’ve never ever seen so many eels in
  my life!! They were all over the place, I think they were just sleeping or
  something, it was amazing….
DM intern:   No, actually I didn’t see a single eel today….
Student: Well they were all over the place, brown, with white dots…. Just great!….I’m all
  excited now!!
DM intern: Sorry to tell you, but I think you saw a cotton spinner, they are eel-shaped but they
                are actually no eels
Student: Ow… ok, how about the one I pointed out when we descended???
DM intern:   No that was a cotton spinner…..
Student: Ow… ok, how about the one that was in between those rocks???
DM intern:   Pretty sure that was a cotton spinner…..
Student: Ow…ok, and the one I saw in the end…..
DM intern:   Nope, just a cotton spinner…..
Student: And…..
DM intern:   COTTON SPINNER!!