More Training

The last couple days have been busy. First, we learned how to help with the Discover Scuba Diving program. This is offered to non-certified individuals who want to see what a dive would be like. In practice, this looks like an instructor and divemasters leading happy people about underwater, pointing out interesting fish. In reality, this looks like instructors and divemasters hauling about life size scuba dolls underwater. Practicing this, however, is tons of fun. Since we don't practicing with real participants, we took turns playing divemaster and participant to get an idea of what it would be like to escort a person while controlling almost all their equipment for them. To make it as real as possible, we made sure to completely ignore controlling our own buoyancy and even tried stunts like knocking off our divemaster's mask or reg (regulator). Best part of the dive, though, was spotting a pipefish! 

We also had to practice demonstrating the 24 skills that Open Water students are expected to master. This meant not only doing them flawlessly ourselves, but also pointing out everything we were doing and going slow enough that it was good demonstration quality. As our instructors told us to expect, none of us passed all of them. However, I was happy to learn that I passed more than I need to redo. 

Our instructor, Maya (center), demonstrates leading two
DSD participants. 

A pipefish!!!

Relearning to Skin Dive

This morning's assignment was taking/leading the PADI Discover Skin Diving experience. Once we are certified Divemasters, we'll be able to lead the course so today we had to practice and demonstrate all the skills as well as practice instructing others in doing them. The skills themselves were not enormously difficult, most were things that we had covered back in our Open Water courses. It's an entirely different beast to try to teach the skills, of course. 

After that, we did a series of waterskills tests such as a 400-meter swim, an 800-meter snorkel swim, a 100-meter diver tow (complete with full gear on both divers), and 15 minutes treading/floating. For each skill, there was a minimum competence or time requirement. The hardest, surprisingly, was the 100-meter diver tow. The easiest, unsurprisingly, was the 15 minute float. As one of our instructors, Dec, put it, you would either get a score of 5 (perfect) or drown. I'm happy to report none of my class drowned. 

The final skill for the day was an underwater equipment exchange. Both people in the buddy team geared up fully and then descended till they were kneeling on the bottom of the bay. Then, while breathing in turns off the same regulator, each and every piece of gear was exchanged--from the mask and snorkel to the fins. While this isn't a skill you should ever need to use in a diving situation, it does give the instructors a good look at students' competence and comfort underwater.

Mike, Jen, and I gearing up in minimal kit for the skin diver course. 

The water is bathtub warm.

Listening to one of our classmates explain how to correctly
ascend after ducking underwater. 

Getting more practice at instructing others in skin diving
skills. 

The two Michaels demonstrating how to do a surface dive.

Dad out for a fun dive while I'm in class.

Divemaster Training Begins

This morning, we began Divemaster training in earnest. We technically started on Monday, but this morning was the first time we actually hit the water since the first couple days were merely bookwork. There are four other people who are beginning the course with me. In addition to the five of us, there are a number of Divemasters in Training (DMTs) who are already in their second or third week of the course.

Today's lessons were how to help get a boat ready to go out for a dive, fill out all the proper paperwork for reef fees and role call, give dive site and boat briefings, and then some advanced buoyancy control practice while on the dive. While taking Divemaster at the Utila Dive Center (UDC), you almost serve as an intern. We've been taught how to fill tanks, we're expected to prep the boats for dives, and help other students and resort divers pick and check out gear. This especially comes in handy when, later on in the course, we help out with Open Water or other lower level scuba courses. Following the short lessons, we did two fun dives. 82 degrees at 70 feet; such a change from last summer!

Utila, as seen from the ocean.

Lenard, one of UDC's captains, driving Ulysses (one of four
dive boats) to our first dive site.

Gear for six DMTs set up on the boat before our second dive. 

Mike, a fellow first-week DMT, gets an impromptu lesson 
in tying up the boat...to another boat!

Pictures

Photos from our first few days in Honduras. 

View of Tegucigalpa from the airport, waiting for our flight to La Ceiba. 

 On the ferry from La Ceiba to Utila. 

 The Mango Inn. Dad and I are staying here for the first week, while I start my dive course. 

 Dad, of course, documented my first ride in a Tuk Tuk. 

 Utila Dive Center, one of many dive shops on the island, where I am taking my Dive Master course. 

 One of the main roads (well, as much of a main road as Utila has).

 Dad, riding in a Tuk Tuk and photographing passing scenery, cars, and people (in other words, everything). 

 Utila! My home for two and a half months. 

Why is it that all my summer activities, or merely activities I consider fun, seem to include an enormous amount of work and tests? Not that I'm complaining, of course. As I said, this is what I'm doing for fun!

Welcome to Honduras!

Conclusion: Utila, Honduras is not the easiest place on the globe to reach. However, my dad and I have finally arrived following three plane flights (the first leaving at 1 am and in progressively smaller planes), a taxi ride, an unanticipated overnight stay in La Ceiba, another taxi ride, and a ferry. Perhaps not the toughest locale to reach, but certainly not the easiest. 

By now, I’m certain you’re wondering why I am in Honduras. I’ll be here for the next couple months doing a research internship working with sea turtles. We’ll be looking, specifically, at the nesting turtles and the beaches they are utilizing. That will take a bulk of my time here so expect to hear much, much more about the life of a researcher in Honduras. Unless I see sharks during my dive course, you’ll have to wait for posts regarding those creatures until my second research internship of the year sends me to South Africa.

And with that, my two months and adventures in Honduras commence!