Somersaulting into the pool.
A half Back-flip.
Hi I'm back. Safe and sound but scratched (-on the legs, that is- by corals). =) Diving may be a good form of escapade indeed, but there are just certain responsibilities that I can't escape from. Even in 'Dream Island' (Pulau Tinggi), there's no time for me to be dreaming. As a Divemaster Trainee, not only I have to learn to handle logistics, deal with demanding requests, give debriefs and guide divers -in and out of water-, the hardest part -in my opinion- is having to appear confident and assuring even though, being inexperienced, I'm uncertain and scared as hell on the inside (take my haunting Hantu expedition into account).
Take for example, on my 1st trip to Tinggi (13th-16th April), after a 5 month diving drought, I was told to lead a group of leisure divers in a new dive site that I've never been to, without a compass or dive computer, without any guide from my senior divemaster.. inexperience aside, throw in a fussy doctor and an 'impossible-to-navigate-soccer-field-seabed', I'm on my way to disaster faster than I can say 'no' to my divemaster when she told me to lead the leisure divers in front of everyone. Best of all, I had to act nonchalant and look all-confident about being delegated the nobel task for my debut dive as part of the divemaster attachment. I seriously ought win the Oscar for my excellent acting - Move aside, Reese Witherspoon!
Needless to say, I received complaints for my lack of professionalism during the execution of the dive as it fell way short of the standards of the expectant doctor and 'oh-so-perfect' foresights of the senior divemaster. Utterly discouraged, I certainly didn't enjoy my subsequent dives throughout the whole of that day. In fact, during the whole trip, I was keener to put as much distance between Mr. Doctor and myself as I possibly could. There were so much to learn in my 1st attachment, I felt ill-prepared and resented the feeling of being 'pushed into the fire pit' (as the chinese saying goes). Though I must admit, it is a rather effective way of bringing out my survival instincts and putting my tolerance for stress to the test. I did manage to lead a dive sucessfully on the 2nd day's 2nd dive. Afterall, the visibility wasn't exactly all that clear and I had eleven divers under my care, none of whom got lost (of course, thanks to senior DM Ryan chasing the sheep right behind the group). To top it off, I saw a stingray despite the near 'Hantu-like' waters. =)
As if to compensate me for my exasperation from the first day, I led Mr. Goh and his family (incl. 2 young boys, mind you) to a pretty nice dive site near the shore. It's especially rewarding when I heard praises of the site when we surfaced. Luckily the jetty was in sight and not very far away. I still wasn't very sure of my navigation (without a compass).
I must confessed though, rewarding they may be, my happiest achievement for my debut Tinggi trip wasn't from diving in the open waters, reason being - the high level of anxiety I carry into the waters for fear of getting the people I was leading lost along with me. Also, I didn't manage to see the exotic marine life the others claimed to see. My happiest achievement is my successful acrobat stunt somersaulting forwards and backwards into the pool! (See pic above). It's something I've always wanted to master. The adrenaline rush of sailing through the air is almost equal to the feeling of intercepting an impossibly high pass in a game of netball, just like flying~. Previously, I could only throw myself into the air from the Dayang jetty and hit the water lamely. Now I'm almost an olympic gymnast! 10 points! Hawhawhaw!
But of course, with my skills honed 'guerilla-style' from the first Tinggi trip, the diving experience during this second Tinggi trip is definitely more enjoyable. I saw more exotic marine life (huge marble ray, hermit crab, trumpet fish and what not), explored previously unchartered dive sites with fascinating terrain (Ivan's cave), almost could have done cave diving - which I vow to do the next time I visit the site again (must master the correct finning method in order not to stir up the sediments in a tight cave though) -, and best of all, I was praised this time for being a responsible divemaster (be it from a freelance instructor) - well, no complaints about me this time, at least. =P
As I go blabbering on about diving, let me assure you-the-one-who-are-concerned-about-me (either that or you, the individual who is just plain bored with nothing else better to do), I am studying hard and have been keeping up with my work. Also, diving doesn't require as much time, effort and commitment as netball. I do need an outlet for my extra hyperactiveness. But dear netballers, fear not, my passion for the game will never fade. If anything, I'll come back with more fervor. Afterall, abscence only makes the heart grow fonder. ;P (*mona lisa secret smile, my friends - remember to watch the Da Vinci Code!)
Till then.
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