Saved on Sifnos - a travel story out of the Aegean Sea that includes little harbours, sleeping villages, several tavernas, a ferry onward, a Greek cultures festival and a room with a view, travelogue, trip, travel, Greece, Cyclades, Sifnos, Kythnos, ferry, island-hopping

 
 
 

 





Storm a brewin'


December 19, 2000
The Old Man and The Sea

Later that afternoon...

"Well, it looks like you're stuck with the old man", he said. I was standing in the equipment room (David had gone out on a second dive) when Phil walked in. Phil is the head of the scuba program here at AKR and leads the instructor's classes. He's 54 and about my height with a heavily lined face.

He told me he had no instructors available today, so I was stuck with him, but that he'd have me diving better than anyone on the boat and that I'd get a credit toward an advanced open water certificate by doing this dive with him. Essentially, it was a Peak Performance Buoyancy Control class. I tried to explain to him what happened and I was so overwhelmed that I burst into tears, something I had fortunately avoided doing on the boat.

Today is my mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom, I'm glad I didn't die today. How much would that suck for her? I thought about calling her, but I won't because I know I'll break down and tell her what happened and she'll freak out.

At 2 PM I met up with Phil at the scuba school and watched a half hour video on buoyancy control. It was fairly straightforward except that it was narrated by Richard Blade, which is only odd if you're from Southern California, since he's a former DJ for the local radio station KROQ. By the time the video was done, a storm had come in and buckets of rain were dropping from the sky. We did the class anyway; once you're in the water, you're wet.

I won't go into the details of the class, but I did learn a few things. First, I had probably been over weighted on my first dive. Second, my new mask doesn't fit properly (too big for my face) and my new fins and booties make my legs too buoyant, making decent difficult. Then, I re-learned how to breathe properly and kick properly. I did have a couple of moments of panic but I managed to control it.

And along the way, in the channel where we did the class, I got to see the remains of a sunken plane and larger spiny lobsters than I ever saw in all my time as a chef. By the end, Phil was pleased with my performance and I felt better.

Part 9: Coxen Hole Wanderings


this travelogue is part of the subside travelzine
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