Dave the DM

Hey hey everyone I finally can now call myself a Divemaster!  Completed the last of the required skills today and now I am beginning the IDC (Instructor Development Course) with a great Course Director Kev who is ably assisted by Simon who has also gained a new qualification and is now known as an IDC Staff Instructor.  ooh err misses.

This is where the hard work starts!  Loads of revision and study now needs to happen to help me get through.  I am going to apologise now but if I leave a post a bit infrequently over the next couple of weeks it is not through me losing interest.  Please be patient but I am going to be a bit stressy.  I promise I will get you all up to speed properly at the end....now where is that beer!

Knackering...

Hi all, well good news as another element to the Divemaster training program has been passed! It was not easy and my legs are like jelly and really ache. What where these tests? I hear you ask. Well here goes.

400 metre swin
800 metre swin with fins, mask, snorkel and face in water
15 minute treading water with last 2 minutes hands out of the water
100 metre tired diver tow.

This was all performed just off Torremolinos beach with waves and a strong longshore current. Tiring just does not cover it. Oh I also forgot to mention that thuis was timed and it had to be done within certain time frames with points awarded. Yu had to get a total of 12 points and I scroed 16 so I was really pleased.

Today we took some divers to Marina Del Este and it was really flat, viz is still questionable but getting better with every day. The temperature is also gong in the right direction with the water being about 15-16 degrees and the air temperature is about 23 degrees. Lovely.

At the moment I am also trying to help out and get a contact for Delta Airlines to see if we can sell diving to the Americans. They have a 5 a week service from JFK so it could be a bit of good business.

Just counting down the days now until Amanda joins me out here for Easter, a week is not long enough but it will be great!

Ta ta for now...

One down a few more to go

Just got pass the first hurdle as I managed to score 95% on my physics test.  Boyles Law, Charles Law, Archimedes Theory, Gas laws, formulas etc etc, but got through it.  As those who know me Maths is my stronger subject so harder tests to come.

Writing this again in the traditional McDonalds in down town Torremolinos, I have found a signal nearby where I live but it does mean a small drive to the reception area of the estate.

Some more good news, just when I thought that I would be coming home with an Irish accent (only english channel on TV was RTE 1!) I have had a fiddle with the tuning and found I have been missing out.  I now have BBC1, ITV and all Skysports 1,2 and 3.  Get in footie Sunday for me!  Also found a few movie channels, not well known ones but none the less it makes a change from 'The Afternoon Show', Seioge and Fair City.  You thought Emmerdale was bad just try sitting through Fair City.  It is very pants.

Dived again in Gib yesterday with a newly certified Diver.  She was a bit nervous but once the first dive was over she was much better on the second dive.  Viz on the first was very bad due to some building work nearby disturbing all the sand on the bottom.  It was a real struggle to in front of your face and it was very disorientating.  The second dive however was much improved.  Lots of sea life - Box lipped mullet, juvenile wrasse and I managed to find a great small octopus swimming past.  I find them incredible creatures and so hard to find when they camoflague.

Pool skills tests today, good to get them out of the way and to practice them at the same time.  I am also having to watch the Open Water training video so I can kind of memorise the training schedule and what skills I have to teach and in what order.  The OW course is the bread and butter for diving trainers as it is the first rung of the diving ladder and where all divers start when they train with PADI.

Not long now until Amanda joins me for Easter week!  I am trying to sort out which dives she would like most then she can come along and have a go in the lovely Med!

Ta ta for now, thanks again for following

Marina del Este

Yesterday we were joined by 2 trainee´s taking the Advanced Open water training. Early start from now on seems to be the norm with shop open for the day´s prep at 8am. Build all the gear for yourself and students so when the arrive it is a quick hop in the van and we are off.

As I said yesterday it was to marina del Este which is about an hour east of the shop just past Nerja. Nice quiet little cove with a very South of France feel about the place. These dives were assisting the instructor, first up was deep dive. We swam out and then it was down gradually to 29.9 metres (on my watch anyhow). They completed a couple of tests to give them examples of Nitrogen narcosis, after that it was a gradual ascent and back to the shore. The second dive was Underwater Navigation, this was great as it gave me a chance to practice what is a weak area for me.

Today it was back to Gibraltar for another 2 dives with the trainees. This time it was Peak Buoyancy and Wreck Diving. Peak buoyancy is all about weighting properly and learning how to keep neutrally bouyant making for an easier and more in control dive. The second dive was wreck diving and we came across quite a few in Little Camp Bay! Visability all day though was not bad at around 10-12m. It does have an upside in that learning to teach students in so-so viz does show you how easy it is to lose track and orientation. Lots of things to bear in mind to ensure the safety of all.

Tomorrow I think the trainees have picked Search and Recovery as another elective to go towards their certification which should be great exposure for me.

Managed to speak on the phone with Amanda the other day as I now have a Spanish mobile, great to hear her voice. Still roaming the estate to find a free wifi area! Need to have skype. Not long now until she comes out to join me for Easter.

Back to the books tonight - the delights of Boyles Law, Charles Law, Ideal Gas Law, General Gas Law, Dalton´s Law, Archimedes Theory you name it I have to master it. Pressure, temperare, volume, M-Values, Halftimes, there is a hell of a lot of theory that goes into Divemaster training!

Day 2

Its easy when you know how. Day 2 today and it was spent going through the divemaster manual. Remember I was having trouble with ´halftimes´well I had it explained by Simon today and it is all starting to make sense.

This is my first post since I started properly at Simply Diving here in Torremolinos. Yesterday was all about meeting Simon the owner/instructor and getting aquainted with the shop and various do´s and don´ts. You might have to excuse my typing, this is a spainsh keyboard and just starting to find where some of the keys haev moved to.

Really great operation which comes across as really well run and professional. I think I have made a good choice and I am looking forward to getting in the water. I believe we are going to try a new dive site tomorrow - wreck diving.

Managed to find a few good supermarkets yesterday as well, which means I am now starting to eat properly. Last nights gourmet meal - salad with blue cheese dressing and four cheese pasta with a sprinkle of emmental. All washed down with a couple of cerveza and some 1€ Dom Simon vino tintos. Lingo is going slowly but as you can see the important stuff is sinking in - namely beer!

Missing Amanda terribly but it is now less than a month until she comes out to join me. Hopefully she will get a chance to dive with me and can grade me on how I am doing.

Sun is just starting to come out which is needed as it can have a bit of a chill without it it. Not UK chilly but still might need a small cardy!

Back to the books for me now so catch up soon.