Dive-Monster Rhoody

After 2 days of eating and drinking it was time to get also wet from the Outside. Tom was not in the water since a year and Mike did not see that much during his Open Water Course dives due to 1 meter visibility. We decided to meet at 1:00 pm at Mikes diveshop and drive to Dauin for a “refresher”. It was also a great opportunity to conduct a Discover SCUBA program for BigC and Lyka who never tried that before. No need to say that Mike took care of they Boys while I had the hard job to explain the girls why a wet-suit is really not needed and they will look great just in a two-piece.

All my professional arguments did not convince them and after some general talk about what will happen we entered the water. I was surprised how easy it went and after 5 minutes with some easy skills we were diving into the Dauin Sanctuary and were looking for Nemos. After the dive we all decided to go together to Apo Island the next day and take it easy this evening.

Easier said than done… after a nice dinner (again at Casablanca) Kim and Tom went back to the Hotel and I decided to have a quick look at Coyotes Bar where my favourite local band “Ground Zero” had a gig. I should have known in advanced that the “take it easy” plan would never work out. As soon as I paid my bill around 10:30pm “bearfoot-John” came in and we needed to discuss some “important” things, like beer-temperature, shoe-policy in why not and crappy Pizza at Mama Marias. I refused looking at my watch again, knowing anyway that it’s too late when finally heading back home.

My alarm woke me up a few hours later on Sunday morning at 6:00 and I got ready to pack all our dive-gear. The water was a bit rough when we reached Mikes property in Dauin and the two girls decided to stay at home and go shopping. Our company was completed by Will and Maureen, Kevin a Korean DM-candidate, a japanese guy and July a girl from the US.

Apo Island was like always a great day-trip with clear water great corals and some turtles and sea-snakes. We split into 2 groups and did 2 wonderful dives at Chapel Point and Katipanan. Inbetween we headded to the Island and had a bite to eat on the boat. All in all a great day. The ride back was a bit rough and I think it’s ok if they guys log the ride as another dive…

Sunday evening was the last dinner before the boys fly home to AC and guess where… correct at the “Fat Austrian“ . The food there is just delicious, nevertheless I will not understand why Kuya Kim managed to have 4 times Cordon Bleu in 4 days and never tried anything else…

Mike and Joan joined us for dinner while the other Mike (my Typhoon diver) went with the girls to Hayahay as they couldn’t find anything tasty on the Casablanca menu.

I was pretty much worn out and definitely needed some sleep. Kim adviced me that the first 17 beers might be a bit hard to go down but the next 10 will do it easy…  No not that night !!! I went home around 10:00 pm and was sleeping deep around 10:01 dreaming of turtles, snakes,SMB and mermaids.

Thanks guys for coming down to Dumaguete, I really appreciate the time and don’t cry a tear about the lost braincells during our nights out.

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I just decided to make another category here on dive-monster.

Many things going through my head where I wanna talk about but they don’t fit in any of the existing ones. There are quite personal thoughts and I guess a blog is the diary of the 21st century. Like in some of my other reports before I will insult, laugh and cry and put my salty fingers into fresh wounds
…  so if you are sensible, just stop reading exactly here !!!

My life changed a lot the last few years but the biggest change was about one year ago when one of my course-directors and bosses at the dive-shop I was working  was not man enough to tell me that I am fired. Kim a one of the rare real friends took little Rhoody by his hand and told him: Man, why don’t you do the same I do….

Hey, great Idea – I thought by myself- and started beer drinking and mongering around in many regions of the Philippines. After a while Kim told me…. Rhoody not that, why you don’t start a webpage, I help you to get on your feet and show you how to earn your cost of living with that. 

OK-ok, sounds like work but give it a try… as I am not under financial pressure; I started a bit slow but after a 2 days or so I had my first Dollar earned. Yeah only a dollar, but it showed me that it is possible. Kim told me some secrets and helped me with ALL stupid questions I had and still have.

Now my first year of a new existence is done and there were many up’s and downs. One great thing of my life is that I am still diving a lot but I am not a slave at a Dive-Mc Donalds in Dauin. I am now diving up and down the beach, have bookings on Siquijor and help Mike at his Adventure-Diveshop. Next to all of that I am not sitting in a wanna-be-the-best dive-center and waste my life.

I can go out meet great people and know that exactly at this point I earn the money I spend on a good meal somewhere in Dumaguete.

I pissed more people off than I did in my 6 years before in the Philippines but I also met more great guys and friends. At this point I need to thank a couple of people without them I would never be at that stage I am now.

First of all Kim and Tom who showed me that things are possible (in many ways),

 my little little one and her mother (couldn’t do anything without the love, energy and the support you 2 give to me).

Mike and Bruce (who are responsible that I still dive for free AND have some cold beer)

My good friend, The “Fat Austrian” (who ensures with his monster-portions that I don’t get too skinny)

All the lovely people here in the country who make me feel welcome, who make me smile, who make me happy… I am proud to be in your wonderful place as a guest…

Enough tears…. My reputation is to be a bad guy… do I wanna be one ????  yeah, 100% …. good guys are boring and go to heaven… bad guys  go everywhere…

Just saw on some boards that guys asking for some advice…. and insults…. stay tuned, I am on the way

Rhoody

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