I DID IT!!!!

Most of you will think that this is a “mountain-out-of-a-mole-hill” thing…..

I FINISHED MY DIVEMASTER TRAINING. I AM A DIVEMASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the “intro” level of SCUBA instructional levels. I can’t teach SCUBA classes, but I’ve learned how to manage other divers underwater, deal with stressful situations, and assist in the teaching of SCUBA. Basically I’m a SCUBA teaching assistant.

BUT – this also means that I can LEAD people on dives! I don’t have to pay to dive any more. 🙂 I actually LED my first dive, unsupervised, this afternoon. Thanks to my dive buddies, my incredibly supportive gozi (husband – Jack) and my wonderful, diving colleague, TV.

I chose to spend my entire vacation doing this training to see diving from “the other side”. Kinda like academics, I now have a working understanding of how to SHOW divers what they want, rather than JUST being a diver who is led.

For most people, they don’t want this level of responsibility in diving – and I have to admit, letting someone else worry about the logistics and minutia is easier and more fun – but I really enjoyed this, and it makes me feel more confident about my own diving skills.

I feel like a freshly minted graduate of [insert whatever program/degree you have ever completed]. I have that goofy grin and am being silly and feeling euphoric. Like all hard work, I also feel personally vindicated that I could accomplish this challenge.

I think I will sleep well tonight.