A week seems like a day here. I just realized it’s been a week ago since the last blog so here we go with blog #3!
It has been a pretty busy week for me in terms of diving. In short: can’t complain! Liquid is pretty full at the moment, customers come and go. Most of them are returning customers, the ‘new’ ones promised to return and a handful stay for a few days. They have one thing in common though; they all leave with a big smile, which in turn leaves a smile on my face as well.
On average, I’ve done about two dives a day the last week. Could be worse, says the sober Dutch guy in me. Calculating a bit, that will be.. a lot in the next few months, nice! My diving experience grows with every dive. My buoyancy is becoming more and more streamlined; the air I’m consuming per dive is less and less. This in turn leads to more comfort while diving and last but surely not least, confidence in your own skills. Being confident in the water gives you more time to assist other divers, if necessary. In short: less task loading, more enjoyment for everyone.
Several nationalities have crossed my path the month that I’m here now and I’m sure a lot more will follow. I’m probably forgetting a few but here we go, in random order we’ve had guests from England, The Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, China, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, USA, Russia, Scotland, Australia, France. Apart from where everyone hails from, everyone is different. Skill levels, expectations and needs, every guest need a different approach.
Something I’m learning during my divemaster internship is how to make a quick estimation of someone as a diver. This helps with the seemingly small things. For example, you’re not going to ask a veteran diver how much air he has every few minutes. A newly certified diver with a dive log of 5 dives on the other hand probably wants or needs a bit more attention. Of course I’m always talking to the person in question about their diving and of course everything that comes up in a conversation. Guesswork alone just doesn’t cut it and its fun talking to everyone here.
I meet people, get to know the long term guests a little better, make friends while I’m here and as always have a nice cold beer in The Lodge in the evening.
Just realizing I’m using ‘we’ when I’m talking about Liquid. It seems it really feels like a big family here eh!
