Welcome to George ~ AKA Zippy !

Hello my name is George (18) also know as Zippy in the dive centre.


Thanks to plans of going to university in September, now is the perfect time for me to expand my diving knowledge. I am currently qualified to PADI Advanced Open Water diver, hopefully soon to be PADI Rescue diver and finally PADI Divemaster.

Due to initially learning to dive in Tenerife, it was the perfect location to continue my diving adventure and take my sport to a professional level.

First week blog update.

One week into my PADI Divemaster internship and all is well.

I met my room mate and fellow intern Chris on Tuesday, little and large being the summarising phrase. We started our first proper day with high expectations and it appeared so did our new instructors, beginning with a shop introduction followed by a presentation on what to expect over the next 8 weeks. Soon Chris and I were getting together the kit and heading down to the marina with Pete, Alice (Kim) and Melissa to show what we could do underwater.
As expected this didn’t go quite to plan, with poor buoyancy and high air consumption, on returning to the marina after two dives myself and Chris proceeded to clean and pack the kit back into the car under the watchful eye and instruction of Alice, who has just recently finished her PADI Divemaster certification and decided to stay in Tenerife for awhile.

Day one finished with some tea making practise and a nervously awaited debrief, to see where we could improve. For some reason outside of my knowledge, we left the de-brief with the new names Zippy and Bungle!

Day two consisted of two more dives, this time for Bungles PADI Advanced Open Water Course.
The dives consisted of Peak Performance Buoyancy and Navigation dives, in which we ‘perfected’ the control of our buoyancy and navigation skills resulting in us getting lost and having to rely on the all-knowing Pete to return us to the boat. I also successfully managed to lose a fin strap clip, despite being told not to unclip it moments before. Luckily I had a spare for the next day.

On to the Saturday of our first week and the night dive which entailed a pleasant 4am wake up to be at the shop for 5. It was mine and Bungle’s first night dive so nerves ran high prior to getting in the water, however soon settled after descending. The so called ‘marmite dive’, due to either loving or hating the experience, turned out to be something I loved and cannot wait for more.

However on return the weather conditions changed for the worse, resulting in the two dives planned later that day to be cancelled. On the other hand this left me plenty of time to get my teeth into the Emergency First Responder (first aid) and PADI Rescue manuals required for the completion of my PADI Rescue diver course.
Sunday was a well earned / needed day off to read, rest and practise for the 400m timed swim needed for our PADI Divemaster certification.


Sufficiently refreshed, we began the next day with once again helping get the kit ready and heading off to the marina to have some more fun under the sea. Alice, lead both of the two dives and did very well.
My day did not quite go to plan either, due to having trouble on the boat connecting my regulators due to broken O rings. After returning from diving, we had the lovely surprise of an PADI Open Water exam to complete, in order to test our knowledge, which I thankfully achieved nearly 100% correct. Feewww.

Moving on to Tuesday the 20th in which Bungle and I had the pleasure of assisting and observing on Matts PADI Open Water dives 1 & 2, which saw him one step closer to becoming a fully fledged diver. However after the consecutive dives, I was starting to notice the cold, finding myself shivering near the end of dives. Some shopping was in order.
Upon returning from the marina myself and bungle had yet another fantastic surprise of an Emergency First Responder exam to sit, again which I thankfully passed... Just. We finished the day with a debrief and a touch more of tea making.

Wednesday, I found myself on boat duty, consisting of chilling out on the boat while everyone goes diving, it’s a hard life. When I returned from the morning of relaxation Bungle and I both had to undergo an intense medical exam to ensure we were still alive. Following this, I couldn’t resist going shopping to purchase an ice vest to keep me warmer under water, so me and Melissa headed to the sweet shop for divers that is Pro Sub. Upon returning to the dive shop yet another exam awaited, this time the PADI Rescue diver exam. Which I passed with 92%. Not a bad day at-all.

Finally on to today and more diving, including mine and Bungle’s PADI Surface Marker Buoy speciality dives as well as an opportunity to begin mapping the Alien Rock and Crocodile Rock dive sites, with the ever reliable navigator Alice. Also I managed to use my lovely new ice vest which proved to be a worthy investment. Adding to a good days diving, as we approached the boat on our last dive we caught a glimpse of an angle shark. Cooool.

In the afternoon, following more swimming practise Bungle and I had the enjoyment of completing the practical side of our Emergency First Response course which involved attempting to save ‘Australian Dave’s’ life many a time.

All in all, a very good first week and I cannot wait for the challenges that lie ahead.
George