Silke, one of the folk I dived with towards the end of my Divemaster course in Bali, has very kindly sent me a few photos. They’re pretty good, and as my camera died towards the end of the course I’m going to make full use of them. Incidentally, the camera is repaired and “awaiting despatch” [...]

continue reading.....

I was back at Nusa Penida / Nusa Lembongan today, racking up dives 58, 59 and 60. My companions were the same group from yesterday minus the token snorkeler who opted to stay home. For the first and last dives, I was buddied with Peter who’s still progressing on from his Open Water. Both dives [...]

continue reading.....

Another new site today. I was picked up early by Peter and driven to join Kadek and a small group for a couple of divers up at Tulamben. After they’d had breakfast, we journeyed back in the rough direction of Kuta to Amed. It’s a similar site to Tulamben, with a rocky beach and two [...]

continue reading.....

Change of plan – I’m getting used to these. As I helped sort out the gear for the Singaporean group I was due to dive with, another bus arrived crammed to the gills with Americans on a Discover SCUBA course. Eight completely amateur divers and two staff wasn’t the perfect ratio so I was switched [...]

continue reading.....

Early start. After I got in from the cybercafe (late as I had to sort out the stolen debit card mess), I had an SMS telling me to be at the shop at 6:30am. Argh. As ever, I woke before my alarm and got dressed. No chance of breakfast this morning – the staff were [...]

continue reading.....

After a breakfast of cornflakes and orange juice, which made a nice change from banana/jam jaffle and tea, I strolled along the beach to Coconut bay where Kadek and Robert (who’d slept on the boat) picked me up. We nipped round the corner to get the Singaporean group… who were still on Singaporean time! After [...]

continue reading.....

Once again, prompt at 7:40 Singaporean holidaymaker time (that’s 8:00 Balinese), I was collected by the minibus and we headed for the beach near Nusa Dua where the boat is docked. It wasn’t the best day weatherwise for the boat trip or the dives we were making, and Kadek dished out seasickness tablets to those [...]

continue reading.....

Change of plans as I got home last night to a message from ProDive. Instead of helping with an Open Water class, I’d be getting up early and joining a group going to Tulamben for the day. I’m rather glad I didn’t go straight out on the beers after dinner! Prompt on 8:00, the bus [...]

continue reading.....

Two more dives today, back at Nusa Ceningan. It was a very early start with a 7:15 pickup as we had a few people to collect. Not helped by one of my neighbours waking me at 4am as she staggered in and put her stereo on. The German couple would be making the last dives [...]

continue reading.....

Well, the study paid off. I didn’t ace them the way I’d done in previous exams, but this was the first set I’d sat “closed book”. And there were a lot of questions, many of which weren’t multiple answer. Divemaster is certainly a big jump up from the previous stages. For passing the exams (well, [...]

continue reading.....