So this morning at 5:30am I awoke and got ready to head to the dive shop. I arrived about 6:45 and by 7:15 we were on the road. We arrived shortly after 9:00am and because we left a little late I was a little rushed to get my gear ready. I was slapping stuff together when the dive shop coordinator came up to me and asked me if I wanted to go to a different site, a wreck called Inchcape 1, to which I asked if there was anything to see and after being assured I said of course. So the first boat left and I continued to get my gear ready to go on a smaller boat to the wreck which was just a short distance away. After the short boat ride, literally 1-2 minutes long, we were moored off to a buoy in about 100 feet of water. As we were gearing up we were looking over the side and noticing the numerous jelly fish that were floating by and I was informed the ones that look like a line of pearls are the ones to worry about because they are the ones that sting. So after checking the see if the water I was about to roll into was mostly clear of the bad jelly fish I rolled in and surfaced to pick up my underwater camera and we were on the way down.

After descending for a while, we’re in 100 feet of water and it takes a while to get that deep, the wreck starts to appear. This wreck wasn’t anything that special, and was actually kind of smallish. It was sunk to become an artificial reef a while back and it was doing its job very well. There were just schools of fish all around it and life encrusted to the boat all over the place. So we started a slow clockwise tour around the boat and I was snapping pictures left and right, some of which came out okay. After a short 19-20 minutes it was time to start heading back up  So we started ascending from 100 feet very slowly and then at about 15 feet we just hung out for about 3-5 minutes while our bodies adjusted from being so deep. At 15 feet is where things started to get a little more exciting. Remember those string of pearl jelly fish I was mentioning? Well they were just flowing on by like we were going the wrong way down a one way street in a busy city center. Thankfully for me the only portion of exposed skin for me was just around my face. I had a full hood on as well as a full length wetsuit, gloves and full booties so I faired very well. The other two people who I was diving with weren’t as covered as I was were suffering a little more. I was just floating there taking pictures while hanging out and of course I finally got stung on my right cheek and below my lips as one floated by unnoticed by me. This actually happened to be my fist jelly sting and I have to admit I didn’t care for it that much. Now mom don’t worry it was not life threatening in any sort of way it just stung and I quickly used my glove to clear it from my face.

After our time at our safety stop we slowly ascended the rest of the way and got out of the water. Annabell who was covered the least was suffering from the most jelly stings so she got the use of the Vinegar first. Vinegar is what kills the stinging cells and helps with the poison that is there. So after she complained a lot about how the vinegar stung just as much as the jelly sting I took the vinegar and put it into my hand and wiped it onto my face. It stung a little of course but less than if the jelly was still there. We settled into taking off our gear as we headed back to shore.

We had beaten the first boat back to the hotel because we didn’t have to go as far and couldn’t stay down as long, because of depth, so I was relaxing changing lenses on my underwater housing when the other boat arrived. After they had rinsed off all of their gear they started to relax and we started chatting. I starting talking to one guy and he, as per usual, asked where I was from. I recognized his accent as being from the US so instead of my usual answer of South Canada I said Chicago. This guy said “no way, where at?” I said “Lisle” he said even louder “NO WAY, where at?” to which I replied Mom and Dad’s address to which he said “I live two blocks from your parents house”. Needless to say we were quite shocked and chatted for a while about what the two of us were doing in such a random remote place. Turns out he works for the military and was over here on holiday and he came for the morning dive with a friend of his. So we chatted for a while and then it was time for me to go on the second dive and he asked for my card and phone number and maybe later he would call and we would get together for dinner or something.

So about 5:30pm or so he called and said he would meet me in the Hotel Lobby about 7:00pm for dinner. We had a nice little meal at one of the restaurants here at the hotel and talked about just anything and everything from home to work or what was the likelihood of us both being here. It was a very nice dinner and talk because we both spoke the same way, fast and muddled for myself at least, and I was able to understand everything he said without any difficulty either. I wish I had met him earlier in the city. In any case after dinner we went and walked around for a bit after getting my camera and we stood in front of the dive shack together for an obligatory picture.

It just goes to show you that no matter how large this world really it, it is still REALLY REALLY small.

Hope you all had a nice weekend, I know I did. New pictures going up soon.

Earlier in the city we had gotten a complaint that a drain that was under the floor was giving off sewage smelling gas. So we took a piece of plywood and caulked it down to contain the smell. When I got to the artistic tent the floor was taken up over the sealed drain and there was not about 5 inches of standing water over the top of the drain. Please note that the floor is only about 7-8 inches above the floor overall.

So we pulled the plywood up with the hopes that the the drain would start running and of course because of the quantity of water overall in the system nothing really happened at all. Shortly after that I got a call to go into the Big Top where there was now water flowing over the curb of the big top and onto and over our backstage floor. So we started scrambling. Pumps were fetched and pluged in drains were opened up where possible and nothing was moving. So we ended up cancelling our 4:00pm show because we were littlearlly flooded out and we started trying to get the lighting instruments that normally sit on the floor out of the 4 inches of water they were sitting in. Right now I can hear the hair driers being used in the tents to continue the drying process of the plugs and instruments.

So we were starting to win the war outside of the tent and were about to move full force with the pumps inside the Big Top, we had litterally lowered the pump under the stage when all of a sudden the drains started flowing. I mean they were flowing fast and what was about 4 inches of water in the big top was gone in about 2 minutes. We were all standing there shocked and wondering why all of a sudden this happened. To this point now tonight we still don’t know what opened up and got rid of all the water. We don’t know if someone somewhere threw a switch and opened something up or turned on a pump or if a trashbag cover the drain finally gave way but all of a sudden we were fighting the water and the next second it was virtually gone.

Right now we have a big pumper truck on site should we run into another heavy rain storm like that but let’s hope it doesn’t happen.

So when in Dubai if someone tells you it never rains call them a LIAR. When I get some pictures back I will be sure to put them up on my web site for all to see the flooding.

Hope everyone is doing well. Me and my wet feet are about to go home tonight.

ttys

I think that some of you know but I would bet that a lot of you don’t so I thought I would write about it for a short bit.

Just recently I started teaching my first PADI Open Water Scuba class since getting instructor certified this past spring in Las Vegas/California. This class I am teaching a total of 6 people 3 of which are in group “A” and 3 of which are in group “B” to keep the water sessions small and to accomodate scheduling conflicts.

So far I have had three class room sessions, in our hotel actually, all of which went remarkably well and the friends/students I have all did really well. They even did very good with the dive charts which I was really happy about.

I have done three days of pool sessions so far, two with group “A” which covered all 5 sessions and one day with group “B” which covered 2 sessions. For those that don’t know a pool session is where I get in the water with the students and actually practically teach them the skills of diving, there are 5 total pool session that each student has to do. I have been combining some sessions together in order to get the class done in the amount of time we have before we leave this city and so we can make trips to better diving on our days off.

Today I took the group “A” and one from group “B” to the ocean for their first two Open Water dives. IT WENT FANTASTIC. I can’t be more enthusiastic for my students. The first true Open Water dive in this course is mearly a tour of the environment where I don’t do any skills with people and only show them around. Our first dive today went great. We had the students pretty appropriately weighted and everyone got to the bottom smoothly and without issue. After that we just went for a tour and it was a lot of fun. All of the students had GOOD boyuancy control (this is something that is VERY RARE) and we actually had a nice dive. There were some things to see, nothing great, but more than you see in a pool. Everyone came up after the dive with smiles.

After a short surface interval to change tanks and talk about the skills the students would have to do on the second dive we re-entered the water for our second dive. Again we got to the bottom and settled in on a nice spot of sand. Arguably one of the hardest skills in this class is the flooding and eventual removal of the mask. Today we did a partial flood and a full flood of each person’s mask and everyone did FANTASTIC. The person from group “B” who was joining us who had problems with these skills in the pool actually ROCKED them perfectly. They even managed to inhale a little bit of water during the skill and still stayed calm, coughed through it, cleared the mask and went on to do the next full flooding of the mask without hesitation, I was very proud. All of the other skills that were performed went extremely smooth. After we finished the skills portion of this dive we did another short tour where we were hoping to see the clown fish someone spotted on the first dive but he had moved on or was hiding

When we got to the surface we did a couple of optional skills and got out of the water at right around noon. This was great because everyone was able to get back to the dive shop, get the gear cleaned up, and off to the hotel in order to make it to work on time.

It was a good day. Upcoming I have another pool session with group “B” people on Sunday, I have another open Water Dive on Monday with the group “A” people from a boat after which they will be finished, then two beach dives with the group “B” people on Thursday and on the following Monday another boat dive but with the group “B” people and they will be finished.

I have to throw out a HUGE THANKS SO MUCH to my DiveMaster Yannick Chapados who has been helping me out throughout all of the pool and open water sessions. Without him I wouldn’t have been doing near as well. The other good thing about Yannick is that he has a small underwater camera that he brought to some of the later pool sessions and will be bringing to the boat dives. So hopefully starting tomorrow I will be putting those pictures up on my web site for people to see.

Hope everyone is doing well.
ttys

A while I ago I logged onto the Lance Armstrong Foundation website to find out some information for a friend who was battling Cancer. Today I got an email from the Foundation again about Lance’s Army

It’s time people to get on board and stop this and influence our government in a good direction.

ttys
Paul

I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe new 2007. Profitable wouldn’t hurt as well but I figure why push my luck in the first sentence.

Hope you are all well and that you get home safely on Amature night 2006-2007.

Happy New Year.
Paul

Right not it is about 7:30am here in Dubai and it is Christmas morning. If I was back in the US I should be finishing up the evening’s activities and getting ready for bed. Instead I am missing my second Christmas away from my family. Don’t get me wrong I am happy about where I am and what I am doing but I have to admit on this day and last night I’d rather be no other place than with my family. Guess I’ll just have to make due with my adopted family of Quidam.

Since I’m actually off today, haven’t been since I pretty much arrived, maybe I’ll actually make it to one of the malls today to do some Christmas shopping. What does this mean, presents will be arriving late, Sorry.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and are with the ones they want to be.
Missing everyone a whole hell of a lot.

Paul

For now this is just a quick post to let people know that I have arrived safe and sound here in Dubai where I am joining up with my show. More later I promise, I know I’ve said it before but really there are a lot of things to write about lately.

Still don’t have a SIM card for my phone yet so try that idea.

ttys
Paul