Almost an instructor…

It’s been an interesting few weeks, at times fun and at times frustrating as all hell. It’s unfortunate that one of those frustrating times has happened today, the DAY BEFORE MY BLOODY EXAMS ah well deep cleansing breaths!

We’ve settled nicely into our lovely apartment and my waistline has steadily expanded as the last few weeks have passed. Not diving every day while having a kitchen has been a dangerous combination but…well…oh stuff it! Who cares about a few extra pounds that I am sure I’ll quickly drop off once I start diving regularly again, not me! As well as feeding ourselves we’ve been tending to a family of tiny cats who live at the edge of our non pet complex and who J, despite his cat loathing protestations, has lovingly fed every day 🐾

Jason has selflessly woken far earlier than he’d like and ferried me to school every morning and collected me every afternoon on our trusty pink moped. It’s really the first place I haven’t hated every second of being aboard one, the roads are wide, there is so little traffic and the drivers seem mostly sensible and I love the fifteen minute journey past cows and pigs and goats and dogs and smiling locals so much that I find myself forgetting my fear and enjoying the ride. He drives super slowly for me and my helmet is firmly on my head and who knows maybe we’ll make a non moped wuss of me yet, ha!

As you may know after many weeks researching and many reviews read I signed up with a dive shop that wowed me with their first response, who had great reviews and who team up with an outside organisation to provide the Instructor Development Course. Now while I had been researching one kind soul took the time out of his day to warn me about an instructor I should avoid at all costs and as it turns out that was the instructor I ended up with. Oh shit, was my first thought upon realising, at which time I’d already signed up and paid and also gained the impression that the dive shops first wowing communication was the exception rather than the norm, oh shit indeed. Thankfully as it turns out this helpful soul could not have been more mistaken as I have found our instructor relatable, informative, incredibly experienced and down to earth, enjoyably no nonsense one might even say deliciously bolshy, all of which make a great combination for someone trying to cram a whole heap of information into our brains in such a short space of time, bravo I say, I’d recommend him to anyone. It’s tricky this sharing your opinion thing huh, when is it objective enough to be constructive? I suppose when your intention is honourable…

My fellow candidates have been wonderful; there’s a buff and bronzed American with a quick smile and easy confident charm who I think will make the best instructor of the bunch, me included, a bright and lovely young Brit who reminds me so much of Mocha from my divemaster it makes my heart smile, another Brit in the form of a super intelligent ex teacher and our Spanish heartthrob (in his own mind) who has kept us laughing the whole way through. We’ve had two additional students, one feline who slept through most lectures and one canine who happily greeted us during our breaks. We’ve also had the company of a really nice instructor who is shadowing the course so that she can become a staff instructor; she’s provided lots of helpful tips and been another great role model for us to learn from.

My opinion of the dive shop affiliated with the IDC has sadly not improved, for many reasons too uninteresting to mention and a PADI professional does not disparage the PADI organization, PADI Members or any other dive industry professional, not that I think stating facts of no life jackets, first aid kits or emergency oxygen is disparaging but anyway, it seems stating the uncomfortable truth is also frowned upon, oopsy. I blame (well firstly as always my mouth but secondly) the high standards of my excellent teachers at World Diving who I more than heartily recommend should you be looking for somewhere to dive on Nusa Lembongan or undertake any certifications from Open Water to Divemaster in a safe, fun and friendly environment!

My two days of exams are supposed to be starting tomorrow but today the coastguard banned all watercraft due to an impending storm/ typhoon/ depression/ depends who you believe… which has yet to arrive… so we shall see what tomorrow brings and if our examiners were even able to get here to examine us, fingers crossed because I would quite like to pass them and become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and go out into the world and find a professional, fun, safety conscious dive shop to work, learn and grow with Xx