Our custom wetsuits finally arrived this morning, only half a day late. We’re not diving today, we weren’t yesterday, so no damage from the delay. And I’ve declared myself a stress-free zone in here anyway.

So, here’s what we got:

That’s mine…

…and this is Eeva’s. Note the slate pocket on the right thigh.

And all this for 700 US dollars. Assuming these last five years, that’s 20 cents per head per day. Just in case you wanted to know.

Tags: diving gear, it's good to be me, money, photos, stress

We completed the paperwork for our divemaster certifications today. It seems we’ll have to do a rescue scenario tomorrow, but other than that we’re clear. I got fives (out of five) on all my assists, most of my skill demonstrations and all professionalism evaluations, which is quite well in par with Eeva. We were told that competent people normally get fours on those subjective evaluations, meaning that our hard work is paying off. How nice.

And our deep throat inside the shop mentioned the IDC course director praising our exam results to other instructors on the course. Seems like he’s pleased with our results on the DM course.

This seems like an excellent starting point for the IDC, which starts tomorrow with some pre-course workshops. Let’s try to keep up the good work.

Oh, we also got the new bike:

Don’t you be messing with me, boy!

Tags: divemaster internship, instructor internship, it's good to be me, PADI IDC

As I wrote earlier, we’re now enrolled in the IDC starting in a couple of days. The IDC aims to the PADI Instructor Examination (IE), for which there are som prerequisites. First of all, you have to complete the IDC, have been a certified diver for at least six months and have 100 logged dives.

The original plan for us was to do our IDC in April, which would have given us more than enough time to do the required hundred. We both had some 30+ when we arrived and we’re somewhere around 80 right now. Given that the IDC starts in two days and I’m still overexhausted from last week, I’m going to have a hard time reaching the three-figure mark before IE.

Luckily, BSB is a 5-star Career Development Centre, which allows its instructor candidates to fulfill the requirements out of order. This means I can take the IE with only 60 dives, sail through it and do the remaining dives afterwards.

What a relief. Now all I have to do is stop telling myself that I should somehow match the performance levels of my beloved wife. I guess it’s an equality and pride thing for me to bring in as much competence as she does. Yes, yes, I know it’s stupid, but still something I need to work on.

In other news, we finally have to change our bike. The current one seems to have a bad alternator and a bit of cold start trouble, giving me leg cramps from all the kick starts. Let’s hope we get a better one as a replacement.

Tags: Blue Season Bali, diving, instructor internship, motorbikes, PADI IDC, PADI IE, stress, transportation

Yesterday was one of the most productive days I’ve had here so far. We got our instructor manuals and candidate workbooks, completed the initial exam of the IDC (Instructor Development Course) and got a little bit of studying done as well. I did an 800 metre snorkeling test, a 100 metre tired diver tow and the stress test all in one session, which guaranteed a good night’s sleep. Not that I still wasn’t feeling a bit sore from the strain.

There was also an exam to see where we come from, but I didn’t find the results very conclusive. I aced physics, failed equipment and passed all the others, but many of my mistakes had more to do with the English language than actual knowledge. I sure hope the instructor examination (IE) doesn’t have that many trick questions.

Anyway, the IDC should start next week. More on that later.

One of the reasons for yesterday’s productivity was weather. By the time I had finished the swims, it was raining so hard I could spot pikes swimming on shoulder height. At the same time there was a power cut, so all we could do was to study. The rain caused a bit of a problem by reaching our terrace-like outdoor office (regadless of the roof and straw mat walls), so I had to tuck myself in the corner and face the wall in order to keep my paperwork dry. I have to take a photo of the manuals at some point to illustrate what I was dealing with yesterday.

Finally around seven the rain gave up and we could go home. I grabbed us some McD’s, we ate it in candlelight and crashed to bed. It’s been a while since I’ve slept this well.

Tags: divemaster internship, exams, instructor internship, it's good to be me, PADI IDC, studies

Our schedule got updated a bit (like there really was an old one) and we’re doing our instructor course already in March. After that we’ll have our OWSI certifications and we can start teaching while we’re still here. We’ll get some proper teaching experience and some real students before trying to find jobs, plus we don’t have to just hang around for several months without proper objectives to achieve. Nice.

And my youngest brother is here with his GF and they’re starting their OWD course tomorrow. Something tells me we’ll be assisting on that, which would also be nice.

And I almost forgot the best news of the day: we have a bottle of Ardbeg on us, kindly brought in by Andy. Bestest!

Tags: divemaster internship, diving, instructor internship, planning, practical stuff

Our first anniversary was thoroughly celebrated on the 13th. We also did some celebrating on the account of my birthday, which was three days before the anniversary, so it made sense to combine the two.

First, we had some excellent diving in Tulamben, simply brilliant. Sun was shining, we had good bottom times and saw lots upon lots of stuff (barracudas, the usual little fish, moray eels, a white tip shark!! and lots more). Then it was back to Sanur, and party.

In case someone was misinformed, we’re on an island that’s surrounded by beaches. The closest one is five minutes from our place, and is framed with restaurants, bars, scuba/snorkel places and the like. There are also wave-breakers with gazebos on top, like made for having drinks with friends in the evening. Which is exactly what we did. We bought a bag of ice, some beers, some gin and rum (with tonics and cokes), some snacks and a few candles. We also bought some plastic cups and some lime fruit to go with the gin & tonics and rum & cokes. Forgot the Leatherman ™ at the Bedroom, but made do – Divemasters need to be able to improvise with even the non-existent tools we had…

There were a few of us, sharing drinks and laughs and stories and taking silly pictures (several of them are censored and will never appear online, sorry). Lots upon lots of merriment was had by all. Nobody wanted to take off to the discoinferno of Kuta. We stayed out until about twoish in the morning, and slept in the next morning.

On Sunday we had a day off, and that was all good and deserved. We managed to get out of bed for lunch and dinner, but otherwise it was a pretty much horizontal day. And come Monday, we went snorkelling with some guests and had a good training day.

We might be making the outings on the beach a tradition of sorts, methinks.

Tags: friends and family, it's good to be me, party

I think it’s again time for a photo update. I got some really good ones today, plus there’s a host of stuff to publish from last week or so. Here goes:

Melon butterflyfishes are plentiful all around

Starfishes can also be found every here and there

Small shrimps live in anemones, seeking shelter from predators

Triggerfishes eat coral and sometimes attack your fins

How do you say “oriental sweetlips” in plural?

More manta rays starting from this photo

Nudibranches come in all colours…

…like this…

…and this…

…and like this. Besides these, there’s about a million more.

All this and much more can be found from Indonesia alone. Just imagine how much stuff there is to see arond the world.

Tags: divemaster internship, diving, photos, why I wanted a change

It’s half past seven in the evening and the power is out. A faint glow from the street lights illuminates parts of the inner courtyard and cars are roaming the street on the other side of the building, but mostly it’s dark and silent. I’m sitting on our part of the balcony, listening to tunes from back in the day and relaxing after an eventful day. A couple of other interns are having a balcony beer on their side.

I could be there socialising with them, but I have something else in mind tonight. While it’s brilliant to have nice people around me, I also need time for myself. This is one of those moments.

The more I think of it, the more I like what I am, what I’ve been and what I’ve accomplished so far. There are not many things I would change from my past, even though several of them may have had been better left undone. All of it has lead me to this place and moment where I find myself on the light side of the Force. Peaceful. Calm. Content.

Life is simple and sometimes rather busy, but I’m way happier than back in my Corporation days. I may not have the wealth, the power or the glory, and for what may be the first time in my life, I don’t care. There may be a time when I do care again, but right now I’m happy with what I have. I’ve found my peace, my safe haven. My happy place.

All that work and stress is finally paying off, and I’m enjoying every moment of it. Life is good.

Tags: it's good to be me

Oh, the joy of endorphines after a good swim. We did our 400 metre test today, along with the 15-minute float (last 2 minutes with hands on the surface) and a mapping exercise on a dive site in Nusa Penida. We still have to do an 800 metre snorkeling swim and a 100 metre tired diver tow. The total score from these four skills must be 12 or above, and after the first two I’ve already got nine. The float was an easy five since you only lose points for not being able to float the whole time or by taking your hands underwater during the last two minutes. Even I with my ridiculously low buoyancy could ace it with ease, let alone the ones with natural flotation aids.

Tomorrow we’re doing more guiding practise in Tulamben, and Sunday is again a day off. We’ll be having a beach party on Saturday to celebrate Eeva’s birthday and our first anniversary. Feel free to join us

Tags: Blue Season Bali, celebration, divemaster internship, diving, friends and family, it's good to be me, parties, swimming, training