Monday, 21 September 2009
Monday, 16 March 2009
The End Of This Chapter is upon us>>>>>>>
So im sitting here in the sun, on a comfortable chair listening to great music and soaking up some sun for one of the last times at Le Merdien resort Dahab, the best five star hotel in town. As you can tell my job is terribly stressful and it has been hard to find the time to write this blog.
On a serious note it is nine days before I return to the UK after my time in Egypt. Poseidon divers have looked after me better than I could have ever imagined. When I arrived in Dahab I was a rescue diver with a passion for diving and a passion to learn more. I am now preparing to leave, now a PADI Open water instructor and TDI extended range diver with a multitude of dives under my belt. When I first arrived I felt the journey was just beginning but now the journey is far from over it just has a stronger knowledge and a greater passion.
I have a funny feeling I will return to Dahab, it has a great sense of community which pulls you in with great force. I feel very welcome here and everyone who visits never has a bad word to say. My friends Tom and Helen gave me surprise visit last week when they turned up at my local drinking hole. I never in a million years expected to turn around and see two of my best friends from University standing in front of me. They stayed for just under a week and were both taken in by Dahabs charm. We cycled to the legendary Blue Hole and dined in the restaurants of Dahab. Friday night I DJ’d a Rush and I played “Samuai”, awesome tune. The final night we ate…….. a lot and then headed off to see the shisha man and smoked shisha……. A lot of shisha.
So just over a week remains, I hope to dive the legendary Arch one more time before I go. I am working right through to the last day. Well I say work but diving in the red sea, teaching a sport I am so very passionate about cant really be classed a work, can it?
On a serious note it is nine days before I return to the UK after my time in Egypt. Poseidon divers have looked after me better than I could have ever imagined. When I arrived in Dahab I was a rescue diver with a passion for diving and a passion to learn more. I am now preparing to leave, now a PADI Open water instructor and TDI extended range diver with a multitude of dives under my belt. When I first arrived I felt the journey was just beginning but now the journey is far from over it just has a stronger knowledge and a greater passion.
I have a funny feeling I will return to Dahab, it has a great sense of community which pulls you in with great force. I feel very welcome here and everyone who visits never has a bad word to say. My friends Tom and Helen gave me surprise visit last week when they turned up at my local drinking hole. I never in a million years expected to turn around and see two of my best friends from University standing in front of me. They stayed for just under a week and were both taken in by Dahabs charm. We cycled to the legendary Blue Hole and dined in the restaurants of Dahab. Friday night I DJ’d a Rush and I played “Samuai”, awesome tune. The final night we ate…….. a lot and then headed off to see the shisha man and smoked shisha……. A lot of shisha.
So just over a week remains, I hope to dive the legendary Arch one more time before I go. I am working right through to the last day. Well I say work but diving in the red sea, teaching a sport I am so very passionate about cant really be classed a work, can it?
Technically speaking >>>>>>>>>
The last twelve days have been spent learning the ways of the Technical diver. For those of you who don’t know, technical diving involves two tanks on your back and sometimes another two strapped to your waist with varying degrees of oxygen and nitrogen. Normal recreational diving involves descending to a certain depth for a set amount of time, with the option of ascending at any time. Technical diving takes you a little deeper for a little longer. The major difference is that you have to stoop at certain depths on the way up to decompress, hence the name decompression diving.
Its been a hell of a lot of fun and a new string to my diving bow. There is so much to explore down there and this gives me a ticket to some of those lesser explored areas.
The key now is practice practice practice, with time my abilities will become a lot more natural and it will be time to progress once again.
Its been a hell of a lot of fun and a new string to my diving bow. There is so much to explore down there and this gives me a ticket to some of those lesser explored areas.
The key now is practice practice practice, with time my abilities will become a lot more natural and it will be time to progress once again.
Saturday, 7 February 2009
A Sub Chapter Of Its own >>>>>
As I said before I’ve been running the Meridien operation for the past few weeks which has been cool. It was rather quiet but it gave me a chance to learn how to wake board!! The days leading up to my final day were spent teaching Mustafa, the boat driver, his PADI rescue course. It’s a very rewarding course to teach and it was my first complete course. I really enjoyed the process and in return I was allowed a final run on the board.
The final day saw the end of the course followed by one last go on the wake board. I have really enjoyed this little sub-chapter. I learned the basics of running a dive centre, not to mention the fact that I got to hang out and dive from the best 5 star resort in Dahab.
The final day saw the end of the course followed by one last go on the wake board. I have really enjoyed this little sub-chapter. I learned the basics of running a dive centre, not to mention the fact that I got to hang out and dive from the best 5 star resort in Dahab.
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Mines A Bottle of SAKARA>>>>>>>>
Well the two have, the one Snipper Ched and my little leopard gekko. After just one day in Dahab they had both secured jobs at one of Dahabs hottest bars, RUSH. Rach secured a job on the main bar while Mr Med has been given the duty of running the inside bar, pretty cool for one days work. So they have been here for a week now and seem to be settling in pretty well. Rach lives with me, for the first time ever, and chedder bob has a flat with my friends Paul and Osama….no not the beardy one.
Ive been managing our five star operation at Le Meridien for the past month and am reaching a state of boredom. All good for the CV though.
All in all its going well, its been five months now and we are reaching the final leg of this little excursion. Before I go I am looking to a Technical course, giving me the ability to dive a little deeper and for a little longer which will be fantastic.
When I return to the UK its off for the yearly pilgrimage to Portugal which will be fantastic, with lots of diving!! Then who knows, there are a few options including a job at the London School Of Diving otherwise known as……LSD!!
Ive been managing our five star operation at Le Meridien for the past month and am reaching a state of boredom. All good for the CV though.
All in all its going well, its been five months now and we are reaching the final leg of this little excursion. Before I go I am looking to a Technical course, giving me the ability to dive a little deeper and for a little longer which will be fantastic.
When I return to the UK its off for the yearly pilgrimage to Portugal which will be fantastic, with lots of diving!! Then who knows, there are a few options including a job at the London School Of Diving otherwise known as……LSD!!
Thursday, 22 January 2009
It’s been A while>>>>>>>
So it has been ages since I have written in my blog so I’ll brush over some stuff that’s happened and see if any memories come back while I’m writing.
So what’s been going on? Well I finished the instructor course and then chilled for a while. I went home for Christmas, which was cool. In fact it was very cool, around -6 degrees C for that matter. It was a bit strange really; I was looking forward to being cold for once. I got to see my Girlfriend Rach which was awesome, she was a little surprised to see me. I turned up un announce in a pub in leamington, stood at the bar and got my friend Tom to bring her over. When she stood next to me I turned around and said “hi”. The initial reaction was a punch and a few profanities but I’m pretty sure she was happy to see me.
Being back in England was good, I seemed to slip back into the routine very easily but I still felt like I was on holiday there. The main reason was that I didn’t have a job so just ended up hanging around all day.
Christmas was spent in the UK, along with new years and before I new it I was back on a plane on the way to Dahab. Its 21 degrees here and that’s all good for me. I’ve been put to work up our five star operation in the Le Meridien resort Dahab. Its all good, the sun is shinning and I’ve been wake boarding a couple times which I have found to be quite painful, but more fun than pain.
When I returned to Dahab I moved into the new Poseidon house, a five bedroom affair set in the Bedouin end of Dahab. It is a great place to live and the shower is ten times better than my old house, which to me is the most important thing. The only problem is that it is a half hour walk to work, so I invested in a bike, awesome. The bike has had a few problems, which I wont go into but lets just say I’ve got a good rapport with the man in the bike shop.
The next major event to hit the world of Simon is that my girlfriend Rach is coming out to stay for the duration of my little Egytian tour!! This is all good, finally we may actually spend some time together. She will not be travelling alone, the one and only Sniper Ched, a very good friend of mine, will be making his way here for a little fun in the sun…. Well that’s about it really, I still have not taught a course yet but that is top of the priority list. I will report back next time with news of the two new Dahab residents and hopefully news that I have been wake boarding again.
Note to self: learn how to wind surf.
14th Jan
Saw a gecko on the wall at work today. This was the highlight of the day….. work is quiet.
15th Jan
Went wake boarding again today, I am getting better I’m sure of it.
Rach arrives in six days!!
So what’s been going on? Well I finished the instructor course and then chilled for a while. I went home for Christmas, which was cool. In fact it was very cool, around -6 degrees C for that matter. It was a bit strange really; I was looking forward to being cold for once. I got to see my Girlfriend Rach which was awesome, she was a little surprised to see me. I turned up un announce in a pub in leamington, stood at the bar and got my friend Tom to bring her over. When she stood next to me I turned around and said “hi”. The initial reaction was a punch and a few profanities but I’m pretty sure she was happy to see me.
Being back in England was good, I seemed to slip back into the routine very easily but I still felt like I was on holiday there. The main reason was that I didn’t have a job so just ended up hanging around all day.
Christmas was spent in the UK, along with new years and before I new it I was back on a plane on the way to Dahab. Its 21 degrees here and that’s all good for me. I’ve been put to work up our five star operation in the Le Meridien resort Dahab. Its all good, the sun is shinning and I’ve been wake boarding a couple times which I have found to be quite painful, but more fun than pain.
When I returned to Dahab I moved into the new Poseidon house, a five bedroom affair set in the Bedouin end of Dahab. It is a great place to live and the shower is ten times better than my old house, which to me is the most important thing. The only problem is that it is a half hour walk to work, so I invested in a bike, awesome. The bike has had a few problems, which I wont go into but lets just say I’ve got a good rapport with the man in the bike shop.
The next major event to hit the world of Simon is that my girlfriend Rach is coming out to stay for the duration of my little Egytian tour!! This is all good, finally we may actually spend some time together. She will not be travelling alone, the one and only Sniper Ched, a very good friend of mine, will be making his way here for a little fun in the sun…. Well that’s about it really, I still have not taught a course yet but that is top of the priority list. I will report back next time with news of the two new Dahab residents and hopefully news that I have been wake boarding again.
Note to self: learn how to wind surf.
14th Jan
Saw a gecko on the wall at work today. This was the highlight of the day….. work is quiet.
15th Jan
Went wake boarding again today, I am getting better I’m sure of it.
Rach arrives in six days!!
Thursday, 18 December 2008
The Storm is over, Long live the wind>>>>>
A whirlwind two weeks began with the EFR instructor course (Emergency First Response). A day of CPR and first aid was a nice introduction to the PADI system of learning.
The next two days were filled with IDC prep, which consisted of a number of skill circuits and a number of mock exams. It was a good introduction to what the next eight days would have in store. On the same day we also received a timetable, consisting of 8:00am starts and 7:00pm finishes along with homework to fill the time. It all looked a little daunting to begin with but as we began the IDC it was apparent that there would be no time for fear, tears or any other form of emotion for that matter. Two weeks of intensive learning were upon us and we were assured that the time would fly, sure enough it did. People’s scores began to dip but with almost certainty over the last few days everyone was getting good scores. As if by magic we found ourselves on the eve of the IE ( the Instructor Examination). We all retired to bed early and regrouped at 6:30am to begin two days of evaluation.
We began the day with an hour of orientation; we received an assignment sheet telling us what skills we had each been given. We were also allocated a number and a colour, which would now be our names for the next two days. When I looked at my assignment sheet I realised I had been allocated the CESA (controlled emergency swimming ascent) for the open water portion of the exam, this would take place on the second day. We were all told not to worry about the second day but to concentrate on day one. The CESA is one of the more complex skills and can easily be gotten wrong, naturally this was at the back of my mind. We began by completing the confined water exam then we headed back to the Hilton Hotel for our three hours of written exams. We were all told our results after each section and all was going well. We completed our classroom presentations and as if by magic day one was over. After a quick snack for dinner we all retired to put together our briefings for the open water exams the next day.
A nice long sleep was welcomed and we all regrouped at 7:00am. After practicing our briefings we headed to The Red Sea Relax hotel for our final evaluation. We where the second group in the water and so an hours nervous wait was in order before it was my groups time. Before we new it we were in the water and one by one we where going through the skills, problems where allocated by the examiner and the new instructor candidates were spotting them easily. I was last in line and finally it was my turn. I began with a rope skill that went smoothly with no hitches, excuse the pun. Finally it was time for the CESA, the one I had been dreading. I took one student up, spotted the problem and fixed it. Then the second student, I spotted the problem and that was it, over. An air of relief was felt, along with a bit of a blurred memory, it really was over. Our final task was a rescue assessment, which we all past. After leaving the water we all completed our de-briefs and awaited our fait.
100% pass, awesome and the certificate ceremony followed shortly. Of course the 80’s party then followed that and if I could remember what happened there I would have written about it.
It was an awesome two weeks and it passed very quickly. We completed our MSDT training in the three days that followed. The fact is that this is only the begging of the road to becoming an instructor. Its not about the pieces of paper, or the scores on the exams. Its about gaining experience teaching something we love, there’s a lot to be learnt yet and a hell of lot of fun to be had in the process.
The next two days were filled with IDC prep, which consisted of a number of skill circuits and a number of mock exams. It was a good introduction to what the next eight days would have in store. On the same day we also received a timetable, consisting of 8:00am starts and 7:00pm finishes along with homework to fill the time. It all looked a little daunting to begin with but as we began the IDC it was apparent that there would be no time for fear, tears or any other form of emotion for that matter. Two weeks of intensive learning were upon us and we were assured that the time would fly, sure enough it did. People’s scores began to dip but with almost certainty over the last few days everyone was getting good scores. As if by magic we found ourselves on the eve of the IE ( the Instructor Examination). We all retired to bed early and regrouped at 6:30am to begin two days of evaluation.
We began the day with an hour of orientation; we received an assignment sheet telling us what skills we had each been given. We were also allocated a number and a colour, which would now be our names for the next two days. When I looked at my assignment sheet I realised I had been allocated the CESA (controlled emergency swimming ascent) for the open water portion of the exam, this would take place on the second day. We were all told not to worry about the second day but to concentrate on day one. The CESA is one of the more complex skills and can easily be gotten wrong, naturally this was at the back of my mind. We began by completing the confined water exam then we headed back to the Hilton Hotel for our three hours of written exams. We were all told our results after each section and all was going well. We completed our classroom presentations and as if by magic day one was over. After a quick snack for dinner we all retired to put together our briefings for the open water exams the next day.
A nice long sleep was welcomed and we all regrouped at 7:00am. After practicing our briefings we headed to The Red Sea Relax hotel for our final evaluation. We where the second group in the water and so an hours nervous wait was in order before it was my groups time. Before we new it we were in the water and one by one we where going through the skills, problems where allocated by the examiner and the new instructor candidates were spotting them easily. I was last in line and finally it was my turn. I began with a rope skill that went smoothly with no hitches, excuse the pun. Finally it was time for the CESA, the one I had been dreading. I took one student up, spotted the problem and fixed it. Then the second student, I spotted the problem and that was it, over. An air of relief was felt, along with a bit of a blurred memory, it really was over. Our final task was a rescue assessment, which we all past. After leaving the water we all completed our de-briefs and awaited our fait.
100% pass, awesome and the certificate ceremony followed shortly. Of course the 80’s party then followed that and if I could remember what happened there I would have written about it.
It was an awesome two weeks and it passed very quickly. We completed our MSDT training in the three days that followed. The fact is that this is only the begging of the road to becoming an instructor. Its not about the pieces of paper, or the scores on the exams. Its about gaining experience teaching something we love, there’s a lot to be learnt yet and a hell of lot of fun to be had in the process.
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