Dive-Monster Rhoody

Just when really stuffed with work and frustration I got a call from Kiwi Dive Resort in Larena Siquijor. They have guests arriving this evening and need an Instructor to introduce them to the underwater world. Hey, nothing can be better than jumping in the water and show some people the beauties of the sea.

The Discover Scuba programm is a PADI program for people who never tried diving before or just have no time for a Open Water course or want to make a course but are not that sure about it.  It can be done in about 3 hours and includes a bit theory, snd some very simple skills. It is held in confined water, what can be a swimmingpool or in that case a shallow protected bay with water shallow enough to stand up.

The DSD can also include a Open Water dive after the few skills are done. During this dive the instructor is basically responsible to control everything. The participant will just breath and watch fishes.

90% of my discover Scuba programms are ending up to become an Open Water course. This has nothing to do that I am so good. It is simply the wonderful aquatic life here in the Philippines.

This Programm costs about 50 US$. This can be credited towards the Open Water Course.

I will let you know if my 4 participants of the Discover Scuba Diving Programm going into the full course

… off to Siquijor

Rhoody

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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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I am usually not going to bed that early, so it was not really a surprise to wake up with the sun around 5:00 pm. In Dumaguete I would boil water for my coffee and start the computer to go through my daily routine. Here in Siquijor I went for a walk and enjoyed the fresh breeze from the sea. I heard birds singing I have never heard before and I spend an hour or so just sucking in the energy of the young day…

At 7:00am Kiwi Dive Resort slowly woke up, and I ordered my first cup of coffee and a ham cheese onion omelet. I started the computer and prepared for Jean, my French Rescue-Diver-Student. The knowledge reviews were done fast. That guy did not only copy the book, he brought in other ideas from his experience Tracking through Nepal and other remote places of the world. At 10:00 am we finished the first three chapters and were ready to set up our gear for the first confined water sessions.

The first exercises are a review of skills each diver should have anyway, including cramp removal, alternate air-source use and tired diver tow. I had Dive-Master-Candidates who were worse. The next skills are about assessment, evaluating the situation and approaching diver on the surface. The Victim could be tired or even panicking. Being the panic diver is one of my favorite role in a rescue course. I love the face –expression of my students when 100 KG plus Equipment grasping them holding them and climbing on top of them. Followed by some underwater practice we had enough time to practice already how to surface an unresponsive diver from the bottom and had a small excursion before we returned to the resort for a lunch.

After lunch the sky became cloudy and the waves higher, so we spend the afternoon in the open air classroom and finished all Knowledge Reviews. Jean decided to go through his Final exam, and he passed it with flying colors. He was actually my first Rescue student who had 100% in the final exam. By 5:00 pm we finished the working part of the day and Jean went for another 15 km run. I was lazy like always and checked my mails ordered my dinner and went for a shower.

When I came back from the room to the restaurant I have been told that there is a strike going on at the Dumaguete Pier and many tourists are stucked on Siquijor. I did not really mind and my Chicken Curry was yummy. Two SMB and back to my room. I forgot to mention that my room is on the top and you need to climb up 56 “steps of  death” … No wonder that there is not so much drinking going on at KIWI dive resort. These steps are sober a nightmare… (to be continued)

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Siquijor is known as the Island of “Witches”. The Island lays in the Bohol Sea in the Central Visayas. Siquijor can be reached either from Dumaguete (Negros Oriental) or Bohol (Tagbilaran) via Ferry. If you want to visit Siquijor from Cebu City, you can take a Ferry to Tagbilaran on Bohol and from there either to Larena or Siquijor proper. 

It is a very laid back Island and everything slows down a bit. The population of Siquijor is outstanding friendly. A walk at the beach even at night time is very safe.

The reason why I went to Siquijor was simply a call from Bruce, the Owner of Kiwi Dive Resort north of Larena. He had a guest who was interested in doing the PADI Rescue diver course. After agreeing to the conditions I packed my dive-gear, bought a ferry-ticket with Weesam Express (180 Peso) to Siquijor and left Dumaguete at 11:15 for a 45 minute trip to my destination. The water was flat like a mirror, so we arrived at the Pier in Larena in time at 12:00. It is my second stay at this resort, but the first time I work for Bruce.

A driver from Kiwi Dive Resort was already waiting for me. One the way to the resort we stopped for some shopping in Larena and what can I say, it was HOT. Have a look at the picture and the shadow of the umbrella… I am sure you could boil an egg on the street. I was scared that my slippers are melting away and I will burn my over-sensitive sole of my feet.
Looking up the street I recognized a crowd of at least 40 people in front of a shop. Being here long enough, I know there can’t be many reasons. There might have been somebody collapsed in the shop and everybody needs to see if the person will survive or the shop has a TV. In that case it was “only” a TV. The screen was smaller than the 17 inch monitor of my notebook and the first viewer on the street was in a distance of minimum 6 meters. The volume was off and the picture was black/white and blur. I guess they all standing there just to figure out why the TV is switched on at all???

Another 10 minute drive and we reached the Kiwi-Dive Resort. Raul showed me my small cottage on the top of the cliff. I had a look at it and found everything I need. Two beds, two towels, an electric fan, a toilet and a shower. Time to refresh and meet the staff.

Eden manages the resort in a professional friendly way. Raul and Eden are the only staff left I remember from my visit last year. This time Bruce the owner was there also and we introduced our self. A few minutes later he introduced me to Jean, the rescue student. A 52 year old Frenchman who looks like 40 runs 15 km every other day and works as a diplomat in Bangladesh. His English is perfect and I definitely never met a French guy that world-open and friendly. To be quite honest, I also tried to avoid them in my life before. He read already the whole rescue-manual and filled in the three out of five knowledge reviews. So all looks really cool for an easy course.

We spend the afternoon watching the PADI Rescue-Diver-Video and to know each other better. After Sunset it was time to order lunch. As mentioned before everything is slow in Siquijor. The staff of Kiwi asked me to order way ahead of time (minimum 1 hour) and tell them what time I wanna eat. So I ordered a Pumpkin Soup and Fish ‘n chips. The meals on the menu are simple but very good. There are always pepper salt and chili-powder on the table to spice the things up a little bit.

Two SMB later we all went to bed around 9:00 pm. There is not much more to do. Time to sleep after another quick refreshing shower even the “Sexy Shower-Helper” I was asking for was not there… When I lay on my bed I found out that I basically sleep on the plywood. The 5 cm foam just gave up under my weight… But I was tired and it definitely was time to sleep. So no problem… (to be continued)

You find also more about Siquijor Island on my other Diving Page about the Philippines

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