Becoming a Divemaster in Summer 2020 Covid times

 

 

 

 

Wed, 17.6.

I arrived in Italy yesterday, we start the Divemaster course today.

"DMT" is for Divemaster Training Dives.

DMT1 Morning dive Frati 1, 32 m, end 100 bar

After that we have a Theory session, instructor manual chapter 1

Lunch break

15:30 theory session:

Instructor manual chapter 2-4

With me is Max Langley, a somewhat awkward guy, he is doing the Pro Crossover from another agency, probably Padi. The crossover has more or less the same content as the Assistant instructor, that is why I am studying together with him, probably. So, I start my Divemaster education with the theory of the assistant instructor, and that's a massive amount of studying. As soon as I am back at the bungalow I fire up the computer and work my way through it

Later have a glass of white wine on the terrace and a plate of spaghetti Scoglio at the beach Bar Cap Landen 

 

Thu. 18.6.
The cats at the Camping site seem to like my motorbike....

9:30 Theory instructor Manual chapter 5: briefing of a skill session

Assignment for the Lunch break: Prepare a briefing for a skill

I do that with a Toste and Coca Cola at Cap Landen:

Afternoon: I present a briefing for the skill Regulator Clearing by Purge. Not excellent, but ok, missed some points, but it's my first real, though mockup, briefing.

Max has to brief Mask clearing, but he gets lost a bit in explaining dangers and problems that might occur while diving. Completely offtopic, he is very nervous obviously.

Assignment for tomorrow: Chapter 6 and 10 of the Instructor Manual. Boy, that's a lot to read. I feel a bit overwhelmed, remember, it's only 48 hours ago I arrived from a 1000-miles-motorbike trip with two days of heavy rain... And it is not Divemaster, but Instructor content. What is going on here?

But I have full WiFi at my bungalow, a beach bar 1 minute walk away and decent weather. My bike is parked in front of the house and I have a super nice commute to work every day. Curvy roads along the coast with nice sea views. Will have to make a video of that.

On the road to become Divemaster in Summer 2020 Covid times

On 31. May 2020, I quit my office job for good, after 30 years in the industry and 22 years in the same company. I am 62 years old and hold a Master Diver Certification.

As this summer there is no traveling possible to South East Asia, due to Covid-19, I plan to do my Divemaster Course with Borgo Marina Diving in Imperia, Italy. They suggest I should also do the Assistant Instructor Course, just two more weeks. I agree.

I will travel on motorbike and spend two months there alone, fully focused on dive education, then Kate will follow with the car for another month. We will stay at the Camping Angolo di Sogno in Diano Marina again, just 20 minutes from the Dive Center. Booked a small bungalow for the first two months and the bigger Bungalow Mily for the month with Kate.

I will travel with my full diving equipment, computer, cameras, some underwear, t-shirts, pants long and short, etc. I sent a 2-kg-package with the rest to the Camping site 7 days ago.

Germany and Austria open their borders on 15. June, Italy has already opened on 3. June.

On Sunday, 14. June I start my 3-day-trip to Liguria on the bike, planning to

Thailand and Myanmar, 2020 COVID-19 times

TO BE CONTINUED

I booked this last year in August or September. Got a nice discount for booking two trips on two boats by the same owner, Steve.

So here is the plan: Fly into Thailand on 15. March, stay four days in Kata Beach, go diving Myanmar for ten days, stay two days in Khao Lak, go diving Similan Islands for six days, fly out on 7. April late evening.
Everything is payed and arranged, but then things started to change quickly.

The Corona virus COVID-19 outbreak in China around 15. January picked up speed exponentially.
Travel restrictions apply, it becomes a matter of days or even hours, if you can travel or not.
Travelers from many countries are put in 14-day quarantine, Italy has the second highest number of infections following China, they are not even allowed to enter Thailand anymore.
Thailand introduced a mandatory Health screenings for most european travelers at immigration airports effective 12. March.
My flight is rescheduled two times an re-routed once,

Becoming a Rescue Diver, Italy, September 2019

Coming soon

more dive videos here: https://vimeo.com/user55401320"

See you under water

Mabul, Sabah, Borneo for the third time

Nice to come back to places I’ve been before, know faces and my way around.
The Scuba Junkie Divers Lodge in Semporna doesn’t exist anymore, so I had to find another accommodation for three days.
One of my last year’s dive buddies, Richard Ricardo Avantiquattro, doesn’t work for Scuba Junkie on Mabul anymore, so I took some three days staying in Semporna, on the mainland of Borneo, to dive with him again.
He works in a big company now, Chinese owned, 99 percent Chinese clients, about 200 every day...
At least we have some three dives together, Pom Pom Bottles, Mataking Kecil, and Tumba Tumba Pistol Paradise. We have a 71 year old Chinese diver with us, side mount, sculling with his hands all the time. His daughter took this picture of me:

Next day he has too many Chinese DSD’s, so he joins me with Mala, a very nice Malay guy, and we’re going to. drumroll, tadaaa, Mabul and Kapalai.
The second diver in our group hits deco on the second dive, so Mala and me have a chilled third one at cleaning station Kapalai.

I return to my “hotel”, the Mermaid Inn in Semporna, this is a hostel, close to the Jetty, next time I’ll take the hotel next door. Everything is full of Chinese customers anyway, they are feasting on frog fish, painted spiny lobster bred in a plastic bottle, parrotfish Filets and the like.

I booked the best room at the Mermaid Inn, adjacent to the central common room and with almost direct access to the balcony.
I meet Richard and his local friends for a couple beers downstairs, then retire for the 8am morning boat to Mabul. Morning boat means you start diving on arrival, I know the drill.

5. April, 08:00 Boat to Pulau Mabul, arrive, big Hellos on the Jetty, put on the dive gear, in the water at D-Wall at 09:37

more dive videos here: https://vimeo.com/user55401320"

See you under water

Early start into the year: Special Manta Trip on the Junk, January 12 - 20, 2019

This trip was on top of the others, normally I go to SEA in March/April for 3 weeks. This year it is two trips.
The Junk published a special trip back in July last year, and the dive crew and owner of the Junk persuaded me to not miss this one. So I booked this extra trip, hoping to see Mantas in the Similans again.
We didn't see any, but we had a great time anyway. Alexandra and Christian from Bavaria, who I met last year on the Junk, took part as well, finishing a 4 weeks holiday with that trip.
Pickup at the airport Phuket was easy, I was following the route of the van in MotionX GPS, wondering where we went. Obviously it was not Patong as scheduled, but Chalong on the other side of the island.
At the pier Jerome and Tiger were waiting to transfer the bags and passengers, Eak took the first load to the Junk, so I had time to smoke a cigarette with Jerome and Tiger.
On board the Junk warm welcomes from the entire crew, Marco as Tour leader. Then the usual drill, cabin number, tank number, fire drill, boat briefing etc.
With us is Jamie from Manta Trust Thailand, she will be giving some lectures on Manta Rays during the trip.
I got cabin number 5 and tank number 12, just as last year ;-)
My roommates are Ben Jubert from Britain, Warren O'Neill from Canada, Bill D'Amico from the USA. Warren will also be my dive buddy for this trip.

I have a new dive computer, since my original Zoop freaked out last year in Borneo, going on and off by itself. I take it with me as a backup on the inflator hose, some times it will just turn on and beep. "Hey Volker, your computer has gone diving without you again!" But under water it records fine. Upgraded to a Suunto Vyper Novo, that records somehow more data than the entry level Zoop. Maybe I get myself an air transmitter for it later on.

Diving starts on Sunday, 13. Jan at Koh Haa Lagoon, then down to Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, and back to Koh Haa Lagoon for the Nightdive. Koh Haa is a beautiful dive site with soft corals in some spots, a chimney and a cavern with an air pocket., the Cathedral.

Next day we do three dives at Koh Haa, with the Cathedral, then off to Phi Phi, Nightdive at Palong Wall.
I get used to my new dive Computer, the Suunto Vyper Novo.

On the 15th we do three dives at King Cruiser, Shark Point and Koh Dok Mai, slowly approaching Chalong, where we refuel and get groceries. Tiger is so kind to bring me some Menthol cigarettes.

We travel to the Similans during the night, and on the 16th we can do our morning dive at the Tuna Wreck, near Hideaway Bay and Monuments. Up north through the Similans with two dives at Elephant Head and Snapper Alley, we reach Koh Bon in time for the nightdive at the Bay at 20:05h
We stay there for the night.

On 17th we try Koh Bon West Ridge with two dives, no Mantas, so we continue up north to Koh Tachai, for a dive in the afternoon.
Weather gets bad, rain sets in, the wind becomes chilly, everybody skips the nightdive ;-)

In the early morning of the 18th the boat starts to go to Richelieu Rock, where we have two beautiful dives, then on to Torinla, the southernmost island of Surin. Torinla Pinnacle is home to some very beautiful Pikachu Nudibranchs and rays.

19th is the last diving day with Torinla Pinnacle again, two more times Richelieu Rock and cruising back to Tab Lamu, where we disembark on Sunday, the 20th, around 11 am.

Made some new friends, met interesting people.

My plan was to spend the afternoon in Nai Yang on the beach, my flight goes at 21:30. Christian, Alexandra and their friend Mira join me and leave an hour before me.
I say Hello to Miaow of Beach Hotel TT Nai Yang, she offers me to put my bag in her reception, kind. But as we are four now, I don't do it.
The others leave a good hour before me, so I go for an Aloe Vera Massage and then back to the airport. Dreadful flight back home in a middle seat


25 Dives on this trip,
Average dive time 54 minutes,
Average depth 14.55 meters, average max. depth 23.83
overall RMV rate 13.77 L/min.
OK for me, I'm almost 61 and smoke....



more dive videos here: https://vimeo.com/user55401320"

See you under water

The usual September program

As all the last years, my diving schedule looks like this:
In late winter, that is March, April, I cannot take the grey cold in Berlin anymore and have to leave for something warmer and lighter, in Souteast Asia or any other tropics.
In September I go to Italy and Spain with my wife, in a car, because she doesn't like flying at all. Sure I have my dive gear with me, even with a 5.5 mm Semidry wetsuit for the mediterranean sea.

For the last 3 years we stayed in an area  called Liguria Ponente, the Riviera dei fiori, Flower Riviera, in a small town called Diano Marina. Hanging out on the beach, unwinding, reading, enjoying good food. I discovered a SSI Dive Center close by, in Imperia Porto Maurizio, run by Alessandro Ballaré and Chiara Soriente. Borgo Marina Diving, you can find them here on the side bar or under "recommended companies". I go diving with them every time I am in that area. I know most of the dive sites already, notably Saraghi, where there are more Barracudas every year, Frati with a giant anchor and Bell, the Secca di San Stefano (Saint Stefan shoal) and some wrecks.
Around the corner from their harbour is the site Ratthege, 6 meters deep with sandy bottom, where they do most of their skills training during courses. Given the modest depth I sometimes join them and separate under water, doing my own equipment checks, playing around with navigation, breathing patterns etc among the Posidonia meadows close by. It's nice training to be on your own and explore.
This year we went to Saraghi a couple of times, Frati again, and the last dive was right in front of my camping site in Diano Marina. The site is called Ferro da Stiro, the ironing iron. It's just a yacht sunk here some 20 years ago, and the concrete wastewater tubes coming from land. But interesting.
Last year my last dive was another wreck, a WW II bomb fighter plane, Biat BR-20, max. depth 46 meters, my deepest dive til now.
Every two years, in the even year numbers, there is an event called the Vele d'Epoca, Vintage Sails, with sailboats more than a hundred years old. We spent one afternoon out at sea on Chiara's sail boat, enjoying the vintage boats from a close perspective.
Here is the video for our Italy september:

Bella Liguria con Borgo Marina Diving from Vo Sta on Vimeo.

One of the weekends in September, I drive from Italy to northern Spain for a meeting of vintage aircooled Volkswagens in Tossa de Mar, around 90 km north of Barcelona. Have bee doing that for the fifth time in a row now. And of course I take my dive gear with me...
I tried a dive shop in Tossa, Andreas Diving, but I didn't like the shore diving too much, it is hard to get out of the water on the sandy beach with my prosthetic leg.A good hour's drive north, towards the border with France, there is another wellknown dive site, The Iles Medes, or Medas Islands, facing a town called L'Estartit. I had been diving there two years ago, and I wanted to try it again.
So I started one day early, arrived in L'Estartit on thursday evening, did all the paperwork at the dive shop, they were the first in two years to ask for my medical statement by my doctor, and checked in at the hotel for one night.
I got two dives at Iles Medes, with a group of 16 French, and during the second one I saw my first Mola Mola, very untypical for this season. Very happy I continued my trip to Tossa de Mar and the crazy VW bunch.
Here is the video for these two dives at Iles Medes:

Diving Iles Medes 21-09-18_720p from Vo Sta on Vimeo.

Now it's only three and a half months until I get back to Thailand, for the Special Manta Cruise on my favorite liveaboard with my favorite crew and dive professionals...

more dive videos here: https://vimeo.com/user55401320"

See you under water