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Published: March 2nd 2008
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Wednesday 27th A really early start, but I'm kind of awake anyway. Onto the bus, Leftie is the driver (met him on the South Island). Smooth journey to Whangerai, where I am collected by Peter from Bunkdown Lodge. This is their home, combined as a backpackers - feels like a good place to chill out. Spend the morning sorting my bags a bit more, finding more things to throw/post off, before heading into Whangerai for the afternoon for a bit more shopping and some time on the internet - but it won't let me do much so not too long! Back to relax with others at the hostel, and early to bed as have a 630am wake-up call.
Thursday 28th Sure enough we're woken 630am. Ready in plenty of time for the Dive Tutekaka shuttle at 710am. By 8ish we've arrived at our destination, and I get to meet Debbie who is my instructor today, and Jamie who did dives 1 & 2 yesterday, so will be doing 3 & 4 with me. I'll be re-doing most of the skills (except navigation), as we need to be sure that I'm 'in control' under the water. Feeling (as expected) nervous, but
Debbie talks us through a lot of things before we arrive at the dive site. This is going to be a bit different as this is a sub-tropical dive site (I've only done tropical so far), so I'll have a thicker wetsuit, etc. - means my buoyancy will be more difficult to control. All takes a while to put on, but before long we're in the water! Takes a long time to complete the free descent - I keep reflex-kicking which sends you back to the surface. Complete the CESA first-go (woo-hoo), then complete 4 full-mask floods, including one at 18 metres. Debbie makes me sit there for 10 seconds with a mask-full of water, as this will be the same effect as full-mask removal. Skills completed we go diving - see a big ray, all going good but I suddenly find myself rising to the surface and I can't stop myself! Get sent back to the boat where I'm told that 'popping up' is not that unusual an occurance in sub-tropical waters when used to tropical, and Debbie will explain how to prevent that when she surfaces with Jamie (about 15 minutes later). Frotunately I came up slowly enough/from
shallow enough not to get the bends!
We're halfway through lunch and a debrief when a rare shark is spotted (last seen 5 years ago). I can't see it but most of the instructors have dived in for a look. It soon disappears and we head for RekoReko cave where e.g. Crowded House have played because it has great acoustics. A brief for our next dive, and down we go. Only skills for this as another free-descent, the hover, fin-pivot and mask-removal! Do them all - woo-hoo. We go diving again, skills all done. We're at our 3-minute stop when I feel myself rising again! Manage to slow it down but not stop it. Ah well. Now certified. We head for the Pinnacles, where we get a chance to snorkel (and I can use my camera - not allowed on the skills dives!) - manage to get quite a good shot of a ray. Back on board, but 20 minutes later dolphins are spotted. No juniors with them so we're able to jump in with them for 5 minutes - how cool was that! We get back, tired but happy, and I decide I will fun-dive tomorrow (I could
have started advanced certification but better to remember that diving is fun, not all skills-tests). Back on the coach, use last energy to shower/eat/sleep!
Friday 29th Another early morning call, back on the bus and by 810 back on the dive-boat. Weird to think are no more skills-tests, but still have lots to think about/practice on these dives. Chat to Jamie until he's taken for his advanced briefing, and I'm put in Ben's guided group. Debbie has given him some feedback as to what I still need help with! Dive briefing over and under we go - I manage to free-descend, not elegantly, but I get down! Not quite mastered my BCD (inflatable jacket), and the sensation of popping up is still fresh, so I am running a bit heavy, bumping into the algae at the bottom, but having fun, especially with my camera (using sparingly as can interfere with buoyancy if lose concentration of breathing) - as usual my air consumption is poor, so I and one other are the first up. Think I've 'done good' though, and can enjoy lunch/RekoReko cave before the next dive. Second dive is only 2 of us - see huge schoals of
Blue MaoMao swim past. Ben had reckoned he could get me to 45 minutes, but I only made it to 35... I wasted a lot of air inflating/deflating my BCD - all something I'll learn with practice, and apparently my buoyancy is 'very good'! On return we went back through a 'hole in the rock' (so now no pressure to see the famous one at Cape Brett), sea now too choppy for snorkelling, and we see no dolphins so we're back early. I upload my photos as I received a free lunch/fish identification book in return for giving them my dolphin photos to use in marketing. Woo-hoo, published travel photographer... Well, not really! Back on the bus, back for an odd 'use-up' dinner, chats and then to my room where I'm the only one, so can sort even more, read a bit - until my eyes cross and I don't remember a thing until 10 hours later!
Next: to Bay of Islands/Cape Reingha, back to Auckland on Tuesday, flying to South America on Wednesday.
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Milos
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Great pics...
Hi, Bex, this is Milos from your diving trip.. I am back in US ("tears") but your great pictures brought lot of fun memories.Have a great rest of trip and just keep diving.. Warm regards Milos