Weheeeeeell, after we had some really fantastic days together getting on the piss again, it was finally time to get serious and start doing what I came here for. And since New Years also rang in the High Season in this joint, it suddenly got insanely crowded. And I´m not just saying this, I really mean it. Whereas Chris and I cosyly strolled past other people on New Years, I now had to fight my way through.
The upside of this is of course, that a lot of people want a lot of holiday experiences, such as diving and surfing.
For those who didn’t speak Spanish, I was the one to give surf classes and translate during diving classes or discovery courses (Translating here means to rephrase Victor’s explanations [= Dive Instructor] or give further information on a topic to make it easier for anyone to understand). And although there’s a shitload of latinos here, the one or the other European or Northern American came through and demanded classes in surfing or wanted to go diving.
This new kind of occupation (I mean actually working ^^) demanded a little change in habits, of course, and since we only went diving in the morning there was no room for party during the previous night. This was actually not too bad, becuz my bank account already started to suffer a little bit, despite the cheap prices here.
A little anecdote right here: Before my first dive with the team, I didn’t really sleep much and still had some buzz in my blood, which on the little boat of ours, made me seasick like I’ve never been before. The ride out to the dive spot was horrible, the first dive was even worse, and the break after was an absolute nightmare. I suffered so much and during the second dive session and I almost threw up in my regulator… So, first hand advice: rest enough and don’t drink (too much) before diving… ;-)
The upside of this is of course, that a lot of people want a lot of holiday experiences, such as diving and surfing.
For those who didn’t speak Spanish, I was the one to give surf classes and translate during diving classes or discovery courses (Translating here means to rephrase Victor’s explanations [= Dive Instructor] or give further information on a topic to make it easier for anyone to understand). And although there’s a shitload of latinos here, the one or the other European or Northern American came through and demanded classes in surfing or wanted to go diving.
This new kind of occupation (I mean actually working ^^) demanded a little change in habits, of course, and since we only went diving in the morning there was no room for party during the previous night. This was actually not too bad, becuz my bank account already started to suffer a little bit, despite the cheap prices here.
A little anecdote right here: Before my first dive with the team, I didn’t really sleep much and still had some buzz in my blood, which on the little boat of ours, made me seasick like I’ve never been before. The ride out to the dive spot was horrible, the first dive was even worse, and the break after was an absolute nightmare. I suffered so much and during the second dive session and I almost threw up in my regulator… So, first hand advice: rest enough and don’t drink (too much) before diving… ;-)
Concerning the surfing it was more or less the same: people came, wanted to go surfing, we met up, I explained theory and we hit the water for about 2hrs. All of my students more or less did a really good job, enjoyed their surf and got up on the board, with just enough good waves, that it made them hungry for more… I’d say: mission accomplished, another one is hooked by this beautiful sport.
Apart from that, I had two very memorable students, and both for different reasons:
The first one was a 37-year-old American called Dena who not only booked a diving course, but also 5 surf classes in advance. She spoke a little bit of Spanish, which is why my collegue Michelle (19-year-old local surf instructor) took her surfing first. Later though, Dena switched to me, cuz one day Michelle wasn’t available and someone else had to give the lesson. The memorable thing about Dena was that during 5 sessions she managed to display an absolute “dis-talent” for board-sports. In every session she got up on the board about 2 times each (with 2hrs per session) and otherwise slipped and slided around on the board and either landed on her ass or elsewhere in the water.
This not only made it hard for Michelle and me to keep our cool with her (you always need to be re-assuring and stay positive… -.-‘ ) but her own frustration also made her even more sloppy and careless with the board. So it came that Dena managed to almost kill herself by holding the big-ass board in front of her, while an even bigger-ass wave rolled in on her. The same thing happened again, but this time the waves blew the board out of her hands and into my direction. After it only missed my head by a few inches, I politely asked Dena if she had any grudge against me and made it clear, that her behavior (not paying attention and thus putting other people in danger) is one of the most common reasons for injuries among surf students. So many times, I see locals giving surf classes to like 8 people at the same time, who then go in the water and almost beat themselves to death with their boards flying around everywhere.
Anywho, so much concerning my first memorable experience. But as Dena was the bad student to remember, the second person will be kept in good memory: It was the 24-year-old soon-to-be-wife of a 27-year-old Canadian. HE wanted to take classes although he already took one class about 5 years ago and considered himself a semi-pro, and he just dragged his fiancé along. SHE didn´t like boards at all, but somehow had a hidden talent in picking up sports. Because after a few tries in the whitewater she got up on the board, like she never did anything else in her life and thus left me positively surprised and her fiancé absolutely speechless. After about half an hour she switched her big-ass beginners board to a smaller one (less bulky and easier to maneuver in the growing waves) and also killed it on this little bad boy. The result of two hours in the water were a very pissed off and intimidated soon-to-be husband, an absolutely thrilled and exhilarated soon-to-be wife and a sparkling surf instructor whom the Misses gave a 10er extra for his – and I quote - “excellent instructing skills”. :D
Anywho, so much concerning my first memorable experience. But as Dena was the bad student to remember, the second person will be kept in good memory: It was the 24-year-old soon-to-be-wife of a 27-year-old Canadian. HE wanted to take classes although he already took one class about 5 years ago and considered himself a semi-pro, and he just dragged his fiancé along. SHE didn´t like boards at all, but somehow had a hidden talent in picking up sports. Because after a few tries in the whitewater she got up on the board, like she never did anything else in her life and thus left me positively surprised and her fiancé absolutely speechless. After about half an hour she switched her big-ass beginners board to a smaller one (less bulky and easier to maneuver in the growing waves) and also killed it on this little bad boy. The result of two hours in the water were a very pissed off and intimidated soon-to-be husband, an absolutely thrilled and exhilarated soon-to-be wife and a sparkling surf instructor whom the Misses gave a 10er extra for his – and I quote - “excellent instructing skills”. :D
Well, so much concerning the days where I actually did have clients. During the other days I would fix and repair some surfboards that were lying around in my bosses basement and who’d been viciously raped by time and the countrys insane humitidy.
In between, I also celebrated a few days of being sick from a light flu. I understand that it does not sound that bad to be sick in tropical climate, but the previously mentioned humitidy here makes it impossible to just lie in bed and get well, but makes it unbearable to stay inside during midday. The only option I had was to sit at the beach with a scarf (in the shade of course) and hope for a breeze that will cool me down a bit. Eventually I got better and even got out during the evening once in a while to grab some food.
In between, I also celebrated a few days of being sick from a light flu. I understand that it does not sound that bad to be sick in tropical climate, but the previously mentioned humitidy here makes it impossible to just lie in bed and get well, but makes it unbearable to stay inside during midday. The only option I had was to sit at the beach with a scarf (in the shade of course) and hope for a breeze that will cool me down a bit. Eventually I got better and even got out during the evening once in a while to grab some food.
Summing up, I don’t think that there’s much more to tell, it’s like kind of a routine has settled, which worries me a bit, as I started to travel to escape and prevent myself from a routine life… We’ll see how the next days pan out, maybe some life-changing stuff will present itself… Cheerio Everybody.
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen