BubblesandBugs.com - Travel and Scuba

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……….