Yes, this is what I will look like...
honestly!!!October is over and the start of the new season is tapping on the door. What a great way to start the new season. I am at DEMA show in Orlando, catching up with friends and colleagues which is always good fun and productive, and what a fantastic first day. There are always plenty of raffles, draws etc and I, like many of you I am sure, have the inevitable "i never win anything attitude". But not today!!! I actually won something, and before you laugh at me thinking I won’t be able to use it, watch me. I won a drysuit. A Whites Fusion Essence to be exact and it’s awesome! I will be saving it for my return trip to Kansas in April as I know then it will be cold and especially when teaching a PADI IDC its important to be comfortable when evaluating so you can make sure you catch the whole presentation. So, as I mentioned I will be back in Kansas in April, where we will be having a fun packed 2 weeks, with an instructor program, some specialty instructor training and keeping fingers crossed, we will also be running and adaptive teaching program. If you are in the Kansas area and want to take part in any of these programs you just have to let me know. Now, back to the fantabulous dry suit....having originally trained in England, completing my rescue training in beautiful Horsea Island in Plymouth (those of you that have had the pleasure of diving there before, would notice a little sarcasm there!) I had some great drysuit training, in a suit unfortunately that was a little big. My instructors solution at this point was to put electrical tape around my neck seal which, being the trusting student that I was, seemed completely plausible at the time. I have reflected on this moment many times during my career and related the story to my students at different times, and now, it seems completely ludicrous. I mean come on...electrical tape! I will clearly not name and shame the instructor and dive center as I had an amazing course, great skill training, i just turned into a popsicle, especially during my rescue scenarios, when the tape was getting loose. Instead my role changed to bubble watcher, munching a hamburger and slurping on coffee whilst the rest of the rescue team where performing search patterns underwater. Now I can happily dive in cold water again, who knows, maybe I will eventually dive the wrecks in England, but more importantly first I think this is finally my chance to dive California with my buddies!!! Bring on the kelp forests. For Costa Rica, it will still be very useful and fun though, with thermoclines hitting the coast in February, diving can be cold, and with more and more demand for technical and Public Safety Diving then I think I am ready!
So today, day 2 of DEMA maybe I’ll set my sights in a new Gopro. What can I say, everybody has their day occasionally!!