As many of you may know, I have been taking a SCUBA diving certification course over the last few weeks. Turns out that people actually travel TO Djibouti to SCUBA dive! I figured since I am here anyway and not really doing much when I am not working, that I would check it out.
Conveniently, a local dive shop conducts classes right here on camp. The governing body of SCUBA diving certification is the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. They mandate the same training for divers everywhere in the world. Entry level certification is called Basic Open Water Diver. Training consists of 8 hours of class room instruction, a written multiple choice test, closed water (pool) practical application and (4) open water practical application dives.
Sunday, 2 Oct, was my first dive outing. Lauched from base with a group of (4) other student divers and we made our way down to the pier. We were surprised to find that we would be going out on a 80', twin mast sail boat with inboard/outboard motors. You are probably thinking: "Wow, an 80' sailboat!". Well, it was nice by Djibouti standards but not as nice as the one Donald Trump owns.
There were about 20 other divers so it was a fairly large group. We sailed around 9 am with a couple of 12'-15' skiffs in tow. We slowly motored out into the Gulf of Aden towards Moucha Island which is about 6 miles away.
Once we got to our anchor point we got into one of the skiffs and launched for our dive site, some 800 meters or so away. Once there, we "kitted up" and plunged in (actually, we sat on the side of the skiff and rolled in backwards).
Once everyone was in, the plan was to descend to the bottom to about 13 meters (45') and begin our practical application. They tell you don't go diving if you are sick. I almost had an upper respitory infection beat with a little bit of congestion in my nose and sinuses. I can tell you, it was very difficult equalizing the pressure in my ears on the way down. You have to equalize every few feet and the technique you use is to pinch your nose and blow air out your ears (like on an airplane). If you can't equalize and continue to descend, it is very, very painful (think ice pick through your ear drum). I took twice as long to get to the bottom as everyone else but finally made it. The fact that I didn't have enough weight on my weight belt didn't help either. I never thought I would have so much trouble sinking to the bottom of the ocean.
Once down, we went through our drills and then finished with exploring the reef. Diving in the reef was like being inside the world's largest exotic fish tank. Many of the things you might see at an aquarium could be seen here, out in the wild so to speak. I saw clown fish, angel fish, moray eels, scorpion fish, rays, and all kinds of other colorful sea life. It was really, really something.
We came in, had lunch, and went out for our second dive to demonstrate other required skills and to see more of the natural beauty found below.
We wrapped up the day with a slow ride back to the pier. I was half way to being a certified basic diver.
This past Sunday, I headed out again to finish up my certification. I was all set...gear, book to read while underway, snacks, camera, etc.
I was a little surprised when we walked to the pier to find that the boat the instructors were loading gear on was a small 15' skiff. I asked the question: "Are we taking this skiff out to the big boat?" Nope that was our boat for the day. I was a little surprised given the size of the last boat. Well, I'll stow my gear and make the best of it.
We sure got to where we were going on the smaller, faster boat! I was sitting in the rear of the skiff and got to feel the full effects of the 2'-3' sea state. As we bounced over the swells, I was in receipt of a delightful spray of sea water. Actually, it was like someone throwing a glass full of salt water in my face every 3-5 seconds. By the time we got to our dive point, I was soaked. Towards the end of the ride out, the 2 guys sitting next to me and I were re-enacting the beach landing scene from opening of "Saving Private Ryan".
The diving was great! Our first dive was a wreck dive of the SS Archon Raphael which sunk in 1968.
http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?102427
The second dive was the same reef we dove the week before.
Having completed dives #3 & #4 of my certification, I am now a qualified PADI Basic Open Water diver!
I will have to work hard to come up with a new adventure for next week. Right now, the calendar is pretty empty.
Cheers,
Michael
No comments:
Post a Comment