Arnotify

I’m getting used to the climate. In fact, it doesn’t bother me at all anymore. I’ve decided that air conditionners are works of the Devil. In a hot weather like in Cozumel, using air conditionners is asking for a cold, with the large temperature gradient between air conditionned rooms and the outside. I’ve unplugged the one in my room, just relying on the cool breeze of the evening and I feel great.

 

Today we did a two-tank boat dive with Greg, Brett and Bryan. The first one was a deep dive, at Palancar Gardens, the second one was a drift dive at Las Palmas. On the second dive, I gave the dive briefing. I had anxiously prepared my notes on a slate and I tried to remember everything I had to say while using the communication techniques Gabriel had taught me: look each diver in the eyes, don’t give interdictions, repeat every important information at least twice.

 

Later on, we did the Navigation specialty course from shore: using a compass underwater, natural and landmark navigation, tracing a square using only a compass. As I was helping one of the students by measuring the distances on the sea floor, I put my fingers straigth on top of a well camouflaged ray. Thankfully, it did not sting me, but just scurried away. Another close encounter…

 

Greg, Brett and Bryan are equipped with all the latest scuba diving gadgets. They have dive computers with a wireless connection to their air tank to measure the amount of air remaining. They have integrated inflators/alternate air supply. They have foldable snorkels. They have nice log books, tons of dry bags and wet bags, and mask defogger (most divers just spit in their mask to prevent fog from forming underwater, you can tell the real gadget freak by the fact that he uses instead mask defogger, aka spit-in-a-bottle). On the other hand, their fins and masks don’t quite fit, they always have some problems getting their wireless connections to work, and it takes them longer than average to unpack, prepare and put their gears away. I think it’s mostly Greg who wants “the best” as he puts it (he keeps asking us for “the best” dive site, “the best” restaurant, etc…). It’s just that he confuses “the best” with “the most expensive” or “the most exotic”. On the other hand, Brian, one of his sons, mumbles about wanting “the less gear possible”. There is yet hope for future generations…