BubblesandBugs.com - Travel and Scuba

still busy at Utila Dive Center

i can’t type with cindi watching….so i just kicked her out of the room.

just wanted to give some more updates:

- we found some free internet at our Dive Center…at least until they catch us

- it is still too slow to upload pictures

- we dove twice this morning…saw an spotted eagle ray, 2 turtles, a sea horse, and a huge southern sting ray

- we have the divemaster underwater stress test today at 3.  we have to exchange all of our equipment (every piece) with someone else…all of this while buddy breathing…and the instructors kicking up sand and pulling on our hoses, purging our alternates…etc.  should be fun

- they moved the stress test from 1pm to 3pm so everyone could watch the european soccer championship.  germany vs. spain…they are really into that here…some people cried at the last game - ha

- tonite we have a staff only night dive at the haliburton wreck.  she lies in about 100ft or 30 meters of water.

- cindi and I just signed up for the wreck and nitrox specialty.  only 50$ each!!

- we should have all of our divemaster requirements completed by next friday except for the snorkel test. 

- they “think” they are going to pour a bunch of straight rum down our snorkel while chanting crude american jokes …we will see

- we got skype…username is opdyckej - if you download on your computer, we can call you computer to computer free.

- all of our online security issues are ok…

- 3-4 more weeks in utila…we think we will go to roatan before we leave honduras…then looking forward to costa rica!!

later
jason

A Day in the Life of a DMT

Alarm goes off at 5:45 AM.  Yes, I know my buddies at CC CLT know this is WAY earlier than I’d wake up for anything, however, when your day is filled with diving - somehow I am wide awake.

Put on my swimsuit, grab some water and a granola bar and head to the dive center, which is about a 10 minute walk from our apartment. 

Look at the whiteboard to see which boat we are on (there are 4 at Utila Dive Center) and start working on the roll call and insurance list.  18 people on the boat @ 2 tanks a person (plus 2 spare) which means we need to start hauling 38 tanks from the tank room to the boat at the end of the dock.  Each tank feels like it weighs 100 pounds, but Jason estimates them to be about 30-40 pounds.  (I sure hope my arms and/or back starts looking a little more toned after all of this!) 

Then it’s back to the equipment room - if we are going out as fun divers we just grab our own BCD’s, regulators and weight belts (Jason and I each brought our own mask, fins, snorkel) - but if we are helping out with an Open Water, Advanced, or Rescue Class, we have to get all the students equipment together as well.

Once the students arrive and everyone is accounted for, we have a boat briefing, decide which dive site to go to, and head out.  We do 2 dives in the morning - go back to the dive center, unload the boats, clean equipment, grab something to eat and then it’s time to do it all over again (if we’re lucky). 

Since arriving on Utila, I have logged 36 dives.  Not bad for only 2.5 weeks of diving.  As a Certified Dive Master you have to have 60 logged dives, but I’m hoping to have well over 100 before we leave.  Jason said I have to do my 100th dive in the buff.  We’ll just have to see about that. 

A few evenings a week we have classes.  Physics, physiology, equipment, skills, Recreational Dive Planner (using the table and wheel) - and tests after each class.  So far Jason has passed every test, I have to retake the RDP (damned wheel!). 

By the time class and tests are done - it’s nearly 8 PM.  We head to dinner, which is another event.  Each night of the week on the island only a few restaurants are open, so it’s always a guessing game as to what place is open - and it’s a LOT of walking.  And sweating.  Bug bites.  Blisters. 

But then we make it home around 10, exhausted, we recap what we saw that day - whether it’s a giant turtle (one day we saw 3!), a school of squid, an eel, spotted eagle rays, angel fish, parrot fish, lobster, seahorses, tarpin, porcipine fish, etc.  And suddenly all the negatives disappear. 

We’ve met some fantastic friends - there are about 20 of us in the DMT program.  It’s been great getting to know them all and share travel stories, as well as getting travel advice for what lies ahead.  Places we’ve heard to not miss include Sri Lanka and Borneo, Malaysia.  We can’t wait for our travel plans in the next year, but for now are happy on this little island. 

But on our next leg - we are DEFINITELY bringing a laptop.  My sincere apologies for the lack of emails, posts, and pictures.  Once our DMT program is completed (hopefully by next week) - we will be better at making more internet time.  I have about 500 pictures I’m dying to share with you all. 

For now, it’s back to diving, knowledge reviews, mapping, equipment exchange, rescue assessment, classes……….

online security issues

Hello All -

I wanted to report that I am currently having some online security issues.  I believe that I may have been a victim of phishing (like an idiot)….they even had what appeared to be a valid SSL certificate.

The internet cafes here are pretty sketchy and i think my paypal may have been compromised.

Ihave taken all the neccessary precautions and have reset passwords on ALL of my accounts.  I don’t believe they will take me for anything, but I am remaining very cautious.  In that process,it seems that I may have locked out my gmail account.  Please email me at jasonopdycke[at]dot[com] …or you can email cindi. I will let you all know when my gmail is back online.

For all the travelers out there…be very wary and careful with typing your password.

We have in our possession an IronKey. This thing is very sweet and I highly recommend using one.  Basically you run an instance of Mozilla Firefox directly from the Ironkey flash drive.  This means all your history, cookies, favorites, settings follow you and your drive.  The ironkey also contains a password manager that allows you to pre-populate your usernames and passwords from a trusted computer and when visiting those sites from an untrusted comuputer, the ironkey password manager auto-fills the fields so you can avoid most keylogging.  I am sure there are ways around this…bu definately more secure than typing our password.  All data on the ironkey is encrypted with 256 bit encryption.

On a lighter note…cindi and I are doing fine….she was able to successfully clear her mask and swim maskless underwater.  She was worried about this and I a very proud to say she scored a 4 out of 5.  One step closer o divemasters!!

We also bought our first dive computers…exciting!!

take care all

jason

more from utila

thanks to laura and sabrina for the donations!!!!

we are almost done with the first week of the Divemaster program. We have done 7 dives….deepest around 110 ft. for all the divers…the visibility is amazing. at least 100 ft. finding the boat is easy here. the coral is beautiful everywhere…but the north side of the island has way more life.

Last night our dive center held a bbq….it was a fun time.

So everyone probably wants to know how expensive it is here….here are a few items.

18 Lempira to the Dollar

beer - 25 limp
gallon of water - 25 limp
dinner for 1 - 100 limp
internet - 40 limp/hr
street food for 2 - 60 limp
divemaster class - 750$ per person
apartment 400$ month plus electric.

Ok - upload speed is riduculous…so we only got a few more pics going. You can look at them here.

later jason

Safe and Sound in Utila

First things first - we want to say a very special THANK YOU to Mary Beth Melton for the donation!! You are the best girl - we REALLY appreciate your love and support!

We finally made it to Utila after a long flight to Atlanta, then San Pedro Sula - we immediately hopped on a bus (1st class, the A/C was a must until we adjust!) to La Ceiba and spent the night there. Yesterday morning we caught the 9:30 ferry to Utila and arrived! Our dive instructor was waiting for us at the pier - we easily found our apartment and started our divemaster course at Utila Dive Center.

The name for our website bubbles and bugs is perfect as I’ve already gotten about 400 sandfly and mosquito bites and we logged our first 2 dives this morning! It’s extremely humid, something I thought I’d gotten used to living in the south the past 3.5 years, but the south has NOTHING on Utila! I guess Jason will just have to deal with looking at me sweat constantly for the next year - how sexy!

I came to this island first in 2003, fell in love with it and dreamed of returning. It’s very small, tons of backpackers, and everyone comes here to dive. I am a little nervous about the Divemaster course - has anyone else out there taken it before? Tomorrow is our skills review - and I am paranoid about removing my mask, but I guess I will have to buck up and put on my best poker face.

We’ve made some friends already and Jason tried his first Salva Vida. His first beer report will come in the next week or so. The island has progressed a lot since I arrived, the internet used to be over $5/hour and now it’s just over $2/hour - however, prices on everything else have seemed to go up. If you are interested, I kept a blog on my first trip to Utila here http://islandindigo.blogspot.com/2003/04/ill-take-you-there-imagine-yourself-on.html.

We managed to upload a few pics on this slow computer - we’ll take more later. Enjoy!

More on our picture page here….http://bubblesandbugs.com/pictures/

Pack it Up! Pack it In!

Ok -

First off…Want to thank some people for their recent donations! So…thanks to Denise Atkins, Steve and Mary Wesa, and Ree Sherriffe. We really appreciate your support…The cash will come in handy!

We are leaving tomorrow morning at 5:45 am. Wanted to provide some input on the last minute errands and also a packing list.

Cindi’s Packing List - damn that’s a lot of sh*t

All in a Vaude pack…

Ahnu Red Mary Jane Tennis Shoes
Mary Jane Crocs
Chaco Sandals
Rainbow FlipFlops
9 pair underwear
2 bras
3 pair socks
2 bathing suits
1 Patagonia Skirt
3 pair Shorts (Northface and Columbia)
1 long sleeve shirt (Columbia)
3 tank tops
5 Tshirts
2 pair jogging shorts
1 pair yoga pants
make up and hair product…and yes even a travel blowdrier
First Aid Kit -lots of assorted bandaids, malaria meds, over the counter meds, bug repellant
Zune
2 books
1 journal
Lonely Planet Central America on a Shoestring
Lonely Planet Latin America Phrasebook
Thermarest Travel Pillow
Cocoon Silk Sleep Sack
REI Travel Towel
Black Diamond LED Headlamp
SwissArmy pocket knife
Mask, Fins, Snorkel
Rain Poncho
4 GB thumbdrive

Jason’s Packing List

All in an Arc’Teryx Bora 80…

10 Tshirts
4 pair shorts
3 swim trunks
2 UnderArmour Rash Gaurds (size fat)
9 pair underwear (Exofficio Hanes)
9 pair socks
Nike running shoes
Rainbow sandals
Chaco sandals
Patagonia Rain Jacket
Plastic Mess Kit - sporks, and bowls
Spyderco Knife
Mask, Fins, Snorkel
Cocoon Sleep Sack
Tempurpedic Travel Pillow
2 travel towels
Assorted Bathroom and Hygene Crap
Bag of Jolly Ranchers
nuts and snacks from Mom - love ya!
Assorted chargers and Adapters
Pacsafe Mesh security net
copies of travel docs like passports etc
Iron Key - this thing is awesome - I will write a post about it soon.
2.5 USB 40 GB harddrive
4 GB thumbdrive

Camera Gear

All packed in a Crumpler Shrinkler (or Whickey and Cox) bag…

Canon 40d
Canon 28-135 IS (kit lens)
Canon 70-200L IS 2.8
Canon Powershot SD950
Canon WP-DC19 Underwater housing for the SD950
2 4GB CF cards
16 GB SD card
2 GB SD card

Errands we ran

bought travel insurance through World Nomads and Divers Alert Network (DAN)
insured camera gear
changed all addresses to parents
scanned and uploaded travel docs (passports etc)
notified bank and credit card companies of our leaving the country
activated iron key
cancelled cell phones
cancelled gym memberships - we never went anyways
bought a bunch of crap (cindi’s words)

We probably forgot some stuff…but my mom is cooking Spagetti and Hawaiian Wedding cake.  

Next time you hear from us…we will be in Utila.

Later Jason

T-minus 5 days!!!

I finally arrived in Platte City, Missouri after a 21 hour drive.  Yes, that’s right.  What should have taken 15 hours took 21!!!  But I arrived right after 3 AM and Jason’s mom let me in and I went straight to bed and slept for 12 hours. 

Now we are down to crunch time. 

We have a list about a mile long of things to get done between now and Sunday - and Jason also wants to fit in a day at “Oceans of Fun” to work on our tans.  As you can see, we have our priorities straight. 

We are turning off our cell phones Saturday - so after that, it’s only email.  Our cell phones don’t work at Jason’s parents house and they only have dial up - so if you are trying to contact us, sorry for the delay! 

I wanted to give a “Holler!” to my friends in Charlotte.  They are all amazing and gave me a great send off.  Ashley was kind enough to let me stay with she and Jeff for 10 nights, I stayed with Tracie for 2 nights, Amy got me a car cell phone charger so I could chat with everyone as I drove across the country, Jenn arranged a lunch for 15 of my closest work friends and then showed up around 3 PM with 2 coolers of beer and tons of snacks!  Ashley, Jessi and I managed to go see ‘Sex and the City’  and then Amy joined us at Zapata’s for dinner.  Aden got me $25 for my Zune to keep me updated on the latest and greatest tunes, Amy got me some calling cards for Latin America, and Ashley got me a fabulous journal to organize my thoughts in (much unlike this rambling post).  Anyway, THANK YOU!  I am lucky to have such amazing friends in Charlotte and Fort Mill (love the GNO crew!  We’ll always have myspace!) - and I look forward to seeing you all again. 

Now it’s time for us to get back to work!!!