Episode VI - The Beginning

Song of the day: Fuerteventura - Russian Red (Fuerteventura)

Last night I couldn't get around to write the pertinent post, so this one will serve for both days. Yesterday was meant to be a theory study day, and so I watched the whole First Aid DVD - only a couple of hours, but a bit boring, especially having already read the book. Anyway, we got a DVD player from the hotel reception and came to an outdoor lounge/balcony, where I have decided to settle and establish a base for my incursions into the Interwebz for its warm temperature, fast connection and power availability. 

Right after watching we were headed to the dive centre, to start the practical lessons, when Dave (my instructor, remember?) got an emergency call - he had to go to Tawau, some shipping company had a problem with a boat and needed a professional scuba diver, so he left at around 1pm - and as he told me today, didn't get back until 2am. I feel sorry for him, we spent the whole day on a boat today when he had barely slept!

So I had a day off, and took it easy. Spent the rest of the day studying a little, playing the guitar and reading.

... I felt like an actually healthy person with healthy habits. I even had a salad for dinner.

Mabul Café, a nice balcony restaurant where they serve
MASSIVE jugs of mango juice - right, Coral Monitors?

This morning I woke up to La Grange (ZZ Top) ready for some diving. People keep arriving everyday, today we had two Brits doing their Open Water course. [...] I should be having beers with them right now, instead of writing this blog. It was them who asked me to hang out!

It was their first time diving, so we did some skill development in confined waters - actually, at chest depth waters on the beach. The two following dives, although also including skills development, included some sight-seeing, but I still participated as an instructor assistant, to gain some experience. Not very entertaining I must admit, although I appreciate its value. 

On the third dive (last of the day) the seabed was at a too shallow depth, and we nearly got ran over by a speedboat - we all heard it coming and descended as fast as we could, and even though I was looking up I didn't manage to see the boat - I only noticed the track it left right above us! After that, Dave asked me to stay on the surface, in order to alert any other boats until we could find the drop-off and dive safely. No big deal.

This coral is called Acropora, and I must admit it's my
absolute favourite.

There and back again, I'm back at the lounge. But running out of things to talk about, which ain't cool. 

I confess the feeling of loneliness is slowly decreasing, not because I've supplied it, but because I'm getting accustomed to it. Books and The Sea are working wonders upon me. 

Oh, by the way, you know you can leave me a comment or something, don't you? ;)