After vowing not to go to bed until I had finished my Gas Blender theory, I woke up with three chapters left to do. Not the kind of thing that'll wake you up in the morning, but I managed to cover everything before Joe picked me up.
The lecture for the theory lasted close to three hours, and it was getting dark by the time we left, but I learned a great deal today. Mainly, I learned all the ways of mixing blends of oxygen and nitrogen used in specialized diving; in theory and in somewhat-terrifying practice. And I even got certified! My first real cert here in Australia! The way I figure, if I can manage to learn such a dull subject, I'll do well in the stuff that's more difficult but interesting (I'm looking at you, Physiology of Diving).
Much to his surprise, Joe was there to earn his instructor's cert in Gas Blending, so I had a chance to see how PADI instructors are instructed to... instruct. I got to be the test student while Joe went through the process of explaining a question I "missed". Like the giving a dive briefing, when I see how it's done, I feel confident that I'll be able to teach people dive theory. Hopefully, I'm still as confident when it's me up there being graded by Peter.
The bookwork out of the way, Joe and I learned to not only fill a tank with a nitrox mix, but how to completely dismantle and clean a scuba tank for use with nitrox. To my slight disappointment, we were not made to reassemble the tanks on top of our footlockers in the barracks. Maybe next time. We both passed the test without much pain, and headed home. On the drive to Cronulla, Peter gave us advice on diving, and on life in general. My favorite bit: "Everything in life is simple. Human beings are stupid, and if they've managed to survive, then everything else must be simple." I hope the wisdom is still there, despite the lack of context. I also hope that it means the upcoming Physics test won't be that hard.
Quiet night again, although I did take some time out to go for a run around Cronulla. Nothing like running along the ocean esplanade to make one think (and keep one awake past his bedtime).
Yours in Worthwhile Insomnia,
Robert
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment