Due to my now-intermittent internet connection, I haven't posted anything in almost a week. So to make it up to you, here's everything you've missed.
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Day 5: (Thursday) An Introduction to Camp Cove
Jan, the Open Water candidate from Wednesday had another three dives to make before getting his cert, so off we went to Camp Cove, a site just inside the mouth of the Sydney Harbor. Not only is it a fairly easy dive site, I'm told the beach is home to nudist sunbathers in warmer weather, which should make diving there interesting. Lois and I observed as Cem ran Jan through the last of his skills tests. I even had a chance to participate, as a tired diver needing towing, and as a navigation point. Baby steps. Not too many fish I haven't seen on other dives, although I did see my first pufferfish in Australia. May not sound exciting, but it's kinda funny to see this tiny fish give you the evil eye then turn into a spiky ball. Not too much went on Thursday night, just had a drink or two at Northies with Emma and Lois. I was feeling so wild, I made it until 10:30 before I fell asleep
Day 6: (Friday) Learning to Be Social and A Surprise
Every weekend, Abyss offers free shore dives for anyone who'd like to come. As I'm a bit behind on my required number of dives, that includes me. The site of the day was again, Camp Cove! On the bright side, the sun was out all day, which hadn't happened yet. My ride to the dive, Frank, was also my dive buddy. On the way, I worked on what seems to be a paramount divemaster skill: holding conversation.
In charge of the day's dive was recently-certified divemaster Dani, overseen by Cem. One of my favorite things about doing this internship is the opportunity it provides for me to see many different teaching and leading styles. Which hopefully means I'll be ready when it comes time for me to give a dive briefing or teach a course. We spent two hours on our dives today, not terribly eventful, but we did get a chance to explore the rocks on the other side of the cove, where several seahorses have allegedly been seen. I've started bringing my camera along on dives, so hopefully I'll soon be adorning this page with some photos. Still haven't seen a seahorse, but my hopes are high. I did however find an unopened condom floating near one of the rocks, which Lois and I presented to Dani as a congratulatory medal. Then we headed back to the dive shop, and for the first time since Lois moved in, we stayed in for the night. She's a terrible influence, hopefully she won't be the death of me.
Day 7: (Saturday) And on the Seventh Day, He Dove at Camp Cove (And Was Soon Punished for the Sacrilegious Title)
Due to the awful weather that's been rolling in (the word cyclone is being tossed around), we were forced to make the day's dives at Camp Cove again. But I remained hopeful that I would see my elusive seahorse, and my sense of adventure was renewed. Today's divemaster was Emma, so I got to see how a seasoned pro handles dive briefings. Always learning, I am. Today's dives were good, great visibility and tons of fish I've never seen before. I managed to snap some pictures before the camera died, including some close ups of a very pissed octopus. In a brilliant move, I removed weights from my buoyancy control device (BCD) between dives, and spent the second dive gathering rocks to cram into my pockets. For you environmentalists reading along, I didn't disturb any sort of sea life the rocks, so settle down. After the dives, we headed to The Intersection, a pub down the road from the shop. Jamie, an instructor with Abyss was departing for Fiji, so going away celebrations were in order. After a few drinks, words were exchanged, and the unthinkable happened.
There are allegations that yours truly incited the events of this fateful night. I will neither confirm nor deny these slanderous words, in the sake of being impartial. Long story short, I received a slap to the face from my new friend, Lisa. Many say it was the slap heard round the pub. I say it was the last thing I heard on the right side of my ear that night. I wasn't in much of a party mood after that, but managed to get some dancing done at Northies to cheer me up. Then to bed with me.
Day 8: (Sunday) You Could Hear My Heart Break (But I Couldn't)
I awoke on Sunday to dried blood in my right ear. I live my life under the impression that as long as I'm not bleeding out of the ears, I'm in pretty good shape. So before I could even look at my wetsuit, I was ferried off to the waiting room for emergency patients. After ages of waiting, I was let in, only to be told (into my good ear) that I had ruptured my tympanic membrane and wouldn't be allowed in the water for four weeks, at the very least. In the meantime, I was the guy who got his eardrum popped in a bar. Sweet.
On the much more positive side, I would not be out of commission for the next few weeks. Peter and the other folks at Abyss created a schedule for me that would let me learn the business side of the industry. My family has thought about running a dive shop of our own once I graduate from college, so this experience will be extremely beneficial. Just another reason I'm thankful I went with Abyss. Got the rest of the day off to adjust to my new world of muddled sound.
Days 9 & 10: Less Thrilling Things Here
I was allowed to have these days off, since I only had one ear. I was productive for most of the days, so I don't feel too horrible about not going into the shop. Managed to open a bank account, should I find work in my time on the injured roster, and did quite a bit of theory study. Monday night, had a movie and brownie night at Emma's with Lois and Emma, which was fun. Got to bed early both nights, like a good little intern.
Caught up! (kinda...)
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