More Diving

March 9, 2009 10:25 PM
Just don't know where to start this time. If I haven't mentioned
before I am diving with Coconut Tree Divers in Roatán. This dive shop
is one of many on Roatán but stands out because it is the first shop
you see when entering West End. It is also very lively with many
people hanging out at the shop after there dives conversing about
their dives or anything that always seems to be interesting. There is
a wide range of personalities and nationalities and atitudes. My first
experience was meeting Gay one of the Owners. She was very helpful and
kind something that most people don't realize is the key to making
people comforable and more receptive. Her atitude was really a
clincher for me when I look back on it. As any establishment goes you
always have people comfortable in there environments that have been
around for a while and know each other. In this situation even some of
the best people can seen rude unitentive or just simple to helpful.
This is totaly understandable. Is it acceptable well I don't make the
rule nor do I want to but what business can aford to lose potenial
clients? Now I'm writing some sit of missin statment opps.
Anyways it's a great place with a range of peronalities as any place
is and these people and diversity is what makes it intersting. The
importanthing about them is they are safe and responsible.
All that said I have begun my adanced certification training and will
soon be thinking of the next steps of life down here. The first dives
for the advanced certification were Deep Dive and Navigation dive. The
deep dive started with an amazing sighting of two Southern sting rays
and one little Hawks bill turtle. This got us all even more excited
than the deep dive it self.
We decended to 100ft below and rested on a sandy patch at a max depth
of 112ft. I then compuortably settled to the sand and watched as one
diver was trying to adjust her ear pressure and another student tryed
to take it upon himself to handle the situation. Al the while I'm
sitting back watching in amazement thinking I hope this dosent end up
bad. Students are not ment to nor are we trained to assist divers in
distress. And she wasn't even in distress this guys reaction was
inapropriat as we have divemasters and our highly trained and skilled
instructor to handle it. All the while we are down here to test our
suceptiblility to nitrogen narcosis which basicaly getting a little or
in some cases intoxicated. This happens only ant these extrem
depthsand is not life threatening or harmfull on it's own yet the
disicions a diver makes while experincrng nitrogen narcosis can be if
they are unaware or not trained for the situation.
So a sat back and watched from about ten feet away. Our dive master
who is there to assist our instructor jumped into action and grabbed
the guy and gestured with athority for him to move back and return his
atention to our instructor. The dive master then comunicated with the
diver trying to adjust her ear presure and the situation was dealt
with. Very exciting. I just could believe this guy thought he could
take her up to adjust her ears. A rapid asent at this depthould not be
good.
Anyway one of the skills we needed to do was to complete a math
problem at 100ft down and see how long it would take compared to
asimilar test we took on the surface. I had no problems it may have
taken a bit long under than on the surface but that was the purpose to
see how we preformed at depths suceptible to nitrogen narcosis.
All in all a great day and tomorrow I will do three dives. A wreck
dive to start then a dive to perfect my bouyancy and control and
finaly a night dive. After this it's all done and I'm an advanced open
water diver.
This was just my dive stories there is much more I did in the evening.
But I hope to go to bed now. But I will write more about the most
interesting conversations I've had with anybody I've ever met! And I'm
rooming with the two Brandon and Vanesa. Both amazing people I've only
known for a few days. I'm out big day tomorrow. More later.