Live and let dive

There is so much to tell, but there is so little time to do it. I'll try to tell something, however. As said, I started my Dive Master education about two weeks ago. From then on everything has happened in a short period of time.

Dive Master is a program provided by PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), which aims to train divers, who want to make diving as a profession. More about PADI and stuff later.

However, I managed to choose the dive shop I liked the most: Big Blue. It was kind of accident. I was wandering around and happened to walk into the shop telling my affair. I met resort's manager, Jim, and he literaly talked me in. He was very assuring and it took only 15 minutes. Live and let dive being Big Blue's motto, the resort is one of the biggest dive shops on the island, but has managed to keep it's relaxed easy-going spirit without negleting from the quality in education. This is mainly because of Jim and the other big guys, which are mostly former officers from the British Navy. One of them has been working as a combat diver. Just kind of place, where one gets the best possible education for a possible career as a diver.

Life as a Dive Master trainee (or candidate or simply as a DMT) is just awesome, but also quite tiring. Wake up is somewhere between 5 and 8 o'clock every morning. Days are spent by diving. During first 10 days I was diving 22 times and spent 17 hours underwater. Evenings go on by having dinners and some beers with numerous new friends or sometimes on lectures. Filling up exams and reviews required has also taken suprisingly long slice of the evenings. The time in between I have spent by reading dive theory, which forms a big part of the Dive Master degree. All professional divers seem to be more or less alcoholic having beers every night. Keeping in pace after a long day at the sea has been an over-whelming task. Normally I sleep already at 23 o'clock.

Since most of the people (DMT's and instructors) are from UK and talks fancy English, I have encountered a problem with the language. It's just very...advanced. Socialising is difficult because they'd just talks and I'd try to listen. However, this is probably a good change to improve my English...or then I'll just start talking like 'em...

In many ways I have experienced the back-to-the-army feeling. Philosophy of the education is very close to that leadership education I got in the army. Dive Master candidates are a bit like the lower officer candidates in the Finnish Defence Forces. Instructors are very kind to everyone. Except, if you happen to do something very wrong. Mistakes are punished by peer pressure and bad talks behind your back. Cool guys are separated and revarded with acceptance. Since DMT's are supposed to be some kind of good role models for the other customers, the life is full of strange rules. One example is a strict no for speedos. So also I had to invest to sport shorts - only to look cool.

Anyhow life here is good. Every day is again something different than yesterday. Diving is easy (no dry-suits) and the underwater world great. I have been studying the ecosystems underwater and made unavoidable comparisons to the places I have been diving before. The next text is probably going to deal with those.