Yesterday sucked. I woke up cold- somehow. Then, while using a new toothpaste, discovered colgate made a toothpaste using a huge amount of salt. GROSS.
Once we got on the boat, we waited at the dock for close to an hour because we waited for the taxi to drive back to the shop to pick up a couple of tech divers and their equipment. Turns out one of the tanks they needed wasnt filled, so we waited for them to fill it.
On the boat, the diving was basically the same thing I was doing in the pool- except in open water. After the first dive of 55 minutes, I was freezing. I need a new wetsuit. I came back to the boat shivering and stripping of my wet clothes fast enough to cause any sane person to stab themselves in the eye with anything pointy.
After about a 2.5 hour surface interval in dry clothes and a hot lunch, I wasnt all that warm. I asked the course director I was working with if I could sit out because I was still cold, he said no because the IDC interns needed me as their “student.” Needless to say, that was a bad dive.
After the dive, we had to do a rescue situation, which sucked cause I was still cold and in the water. I did feel bad for the tech divers rescue situation. Tech diving is very equipment intensive, double tanks on your back, and pony bottles slung along your sides. It sucked for them majorly because there are way more straps than on a regular BCD and theres just a shitton of equipment to remove while doing rescue breaths and towing the “victim” to the boat.
After, again, drying off and sitting in the sun for a little while to warm up, we had the dive debreifing. During the breifing, one of the other interns who was DMing the boat asked who’s weight belt was left on the deck. I knew it was mine, because I still hadnt gotten it back from doing the rescue scenario. One of the other interns said it was his before I could say anything, so that was that while the debreifing was going on.
Once the debreifing was over, I asked the intern to see the weight belt, and explained it was mine.
A. It fit me perfectly.
B. 15 minutes earlier the equipment handler got on the boat and put it exactly where it was found.
C. Earlier that morning he had said someone stole his weight belt off the boat. (I wasnt even on the boat, mind you.)
D. I didnt have mine in my kit bag.
So when I asked him how he had one when this morning, not 5 minutes before we got on the boat, he didnt have one.
So I said fine, when we get back to the shop if Da (the woman who works there) if you bought one, and if she said you did you can have it, if not you’re lying and its mine.
Then he said he didnt care anymore, that I can have it, and that it wasnt worth arguing over.
It just really pissed me off that he, knowing full well it was my belt, argued that it was his. Granted, in most other situations I would have not cared- but I need a weight belt for the intructor exam and I know the shop would have made me buy a new one, and I dont feel like spending another 40 bucks there.
Speaking of spending more money, the people who run this program are really starting to show their real colors. Its painfully obvious to everyone that they’re all about the money.
As a future MSDT, I’ll have been tought 5 speciality by the course director. One of the spec’s I want is drysuit instructor, but before that I’ll need to take a drysuit course and then do 10 dives in a drysuit (fair enough) but its going to cost me about 400 bucks.
Last night I went to see The Mist with a few interns. Terrible movie. I wouldnt suggest it to anyone. Afterwards we went out for one of the interns last night here. One drink turned into another. One go-go bar turned into another go-go bar.
It was a fun night, but I didnt wake up in time for the boat this morning. I’m pissed because I’m obviously not diving today, but because I put my name on the list for the boat and didnt show.
I still havent found a gym here, and I’m getting very restless- and soft, alright, softer. I’ll probably go out today and join one.
