Yesterday I completed all my written exams: Physics, Physiology and First Aid, Equipment, Decompression Theory and the RDP, Dive Skills and the Environment, Supervising Activities for Certified Divers, Supervising Student Divers in Training and PADI Divemaster Conducted Programs. I passed on all of them with 80% or more. One of my answer on navigation was embarrasingly wrong, where I affirmed that three angles of 60° were all you needed to navigate in a triangle pattern... On the other hand I was also able to calculate the amount of air to put in a lift bag to get a 200Kg motor out of the sea floor, or the depth you have to dive at to breath compressed air equivalent to 100% oxygen. All useful skills that will come in handy sometimes.

I also finished the last two water exercises: timed tired diver tow and underwater equipment exchange. For this one, you and your partner go underwater, then strip out of your equipment and exchange it with each other, then put it back again. No practical application whatsoever, but it´s an interesting problem solving exercise. It´s harder than it seems.

I´ve also completed the last bit of the training, which was the drawing of a dive site map, including emergency procedures appropriate to the local site. I´ll show it to Gabriel tomorrow and we´ll see if he approves. I also still need to hear from him how I did on the rest of the practical training.

Yesterday afternoon I went to visit Chankanaab park, which means "small ocean" in yucatec maya . The name comes from a cenote (fresh water pool communicating with the ocean through underground tunnels) which is just next to the ocean. It´s a nice place to visit and take some sun in and snorkel. It also has a nice archaelogocial section describing the various pre-colombian meso-american cultures and a reconstituted typical mayan habitation. I was able to follow along with the guide´s explanation: my spanish comprehension is getting better.

Today, I spent the day diving for fun: El Paseo del Cedral, Tormentos and Paraiso Norte. The first two had some really interesting current. And by interesting I mean that it felt like you were flying at supersonic speed about the coral reef. Lots of interesting animals too: lobsters, giant crabs, angelfish, some baracudas, a nurse shark, giant groupers, a pod of four dolphins, a pipefish.

Also, a familly of four new divers who just got certified. As it turned out, the little girl ran out of air early and started panicking when she hit her reserve. I was able to put my training to good use, reassure her, reach our guide and let him know she needed to go up. Once we were back at the surface, the mother thanked me and asked me if I was a Divemaster. Well... wouldn´t you know it... I hope I made Gabriel proud...