26/8 Claire – Scuba

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Originally uploaded by blenkers

Ian is very excited (again) about being able to do a PADI open water scuba diving course for a lot less money than we could ever imagine at home – at this point I wonder if I have enough books to keep me entertained by the pool. I have done a dive before once in the Maldives but one where you don’t really have to be trained as they take you to about 6 meters to look at the fish and basically hold on to your collar for the 30mins you are down there. The full open water course is 3 or 4 days depending on how quick you get on. This is split into 2 parts, the first day and a half gets you a PADI Scuba qualification which allows you to go to 12m with a Dive Master but the Open water gets you to 18m and you can dive without a Dive Master.

I didn’t really fancy it but I thought that perhaps I could go along for the first day and a half. In this you get pool training and two sea dives so it seemed daft not to go and have a look at the fish. I could then lie back on the sun lounger whilst Ian finished the full thing. The full course is more theory, more pool training, and exam and a further two more sea dives.

During one of our final instructor dives Karen was showing me a roll collar anemone, I had no idea hat that was just that she was seemingly pointing to it and stroking it with her finger. It wasn’t doing much so I assumed it was furry or something. She signalled to me that it was OK that I did the same, I was like “ erm, who? Me?” in under water signals but she suggested I give it a stroke. It darted into the rocks so quickly that I gave out an audible scream with an outburst of bubbles from my regulator… she swam away chuckling.

The reason for my lack of communication over the last few days is for a number of reasons, firstly there is no mobile coverage on the island. Secondly, the internet access via two computers on the resorts both at crappy dial up speed it’s really painful. Thirdly, I did the Scuba course… stayed on for the full Open Water course… went back out again after getting qualified for another two more sea dives the very next day! Sorry, have been a little busy since we got here. Have seen more of the Cook Islands from below sea level than above!

So now fully qualified today’s dives were much more relaxed as there was no more tasks to do underwater. When you are a student you have to keep practicing things like taking you mask off, putting it back on and clearing the water out of it at the bottom of the ocean, swimming tests, buoyancy exercises etc. Today we simply went for a tour of a wreck and to a place we have been before called Paradise reef. The trip started well when two Hump Backed Whales came within 10 meters of the boat. With the Dive Master who was taking us out we all popped on our masks and fins and popped in the sea to see if we could have a closer look but they’d already swam away from us. Apparently this happened a few weeks back with another group and Karen our Dive Instructor from the dive centre. They’d been swimming that close to them. Never mind, we got back in the boat and the two whales did a few tail flips for us and… I swear… popped up a side fin to wave before moving on. So that was pretty amazing!