Open Water Training Begins - Part 14

Saturday 11th April

Kris hadn't surfaced by 10.30am, not that I was surprised. Happy to have a day to myself again I wandered off to the beach. I was relaxing in my now perfected side browning technique, when a European guy came up to check I was OK. Well I was lying in the recovery position so I could see his point. We sat and chatted for ages. His name was John and he had just retired after a life of working in places like Algeria. He was a helicopter something or other, I didn't quite understand but he flew and maintained them for a private company or had done until his retirement earlier that year. Now he was just wandering.....

We talked and swam, then talked some more. Eventually the sun was too much for both of us. We agreed to meet again on the beach at some random point in the following week, should we find ourselves there at the same time and said our good byes.

To be truthful I cant actually remember what we did the rest of the day as I didn't write notes past 'met Kris for late lunch, had takeaway for supper - watched films!'

But it was Kris's day off and it passed the way he wanted. Quietly - to help with his hangover.


Sunday 12th April

It is so surreal having your own son as a teacher. First test – swim 200 meters and tread water for 10 minutes and I taught him to swim! OK the first test actually happened in the classroom. Having watched two DVD's on Chapter 1 and 2 we were given a quiz to see if we were paying attention. There are three of us doing the PADI Open Water over the next three days, Angel and Tobias with Joe and myself with Kris. Quizzes completed it was off to the pool for some skills.

The swim was easy as Kris knew it would be, Joe wondered about his two clients as they breast stroked, side stroked, sculling for a bit, their way down the pool. With 4 lengths of the 50 meter pool to do they were going to be a while. I was just finishing my 10 minutes of treading water when they began theirs.

Joe and I had been discussing how long scuber divers, who are never suppose to hold their breath, can hold their breath for. (One has to do something while treading water for 10 minutes!) Kris, he said, was the best out of them all, but it was close. I suggested they introduced a length swim, underwater, of the pool as an induction to any new instructors joining their ranks - once they had learnt to do it themselves that is. Kris said I could go first. I got ¾ of the way up. Kris got 10 foot further, blaming the cigarette he had just smoked for his lack of distance! With the proficiency tests all finished, we began our lessons.

How to set up your regulator. Do check the 'O' ring. Mine looked a bit frayed but without my glasses I couldn't tell if it was the O ring or the metal that looked wrong so I said nothing. It blew one minute later as I picked up the completed rig to take it to pool side! I wouldn't have minded but I had just finished attaching the BCD jacket and Regulator and had to do it all again! Regulator off. New O ring, change the bottle and all back on again. Practice makes perfect they say so I smiled and carried on.

The pool work was brilliant and I had no problems, apart from lifting my kit to carry it to pool side. Those things are heavy full! I did get a fit of giggles when we were doing the levitation exercise which just made me bob up and down under the water more wildly. The idea is to grab your fins so you sit in a sort of lotus position, then with your lung capacity, you control your buoyancy. Unfortunately when I grabbed my fins I fell over, not that you can fall over under water, but the sensation of falling and trying to correct it, which is just as pointless, got me giggling. The giggling made me breath deeper and not exactly with control, which in turn made me float and sink faster. Kris wrote in the film covering the tile on the pool wall 'LOOK HERE' meaning for me to stay level with it. As I passed it repeatedly in both directions, my laughter increased until Kris abandoned the whole exercise and we did something else until I calmed down.

The mask removal exercise made water go up my nose which gave me a coughing fit followed by the biggest underwater burp going. This got Kris laughing and the teaching disintegrated further. We had however finished all the skills within an hour, including the optional bubble ring blowing lesson! I was at home under the water and Kris was happy with my abilities. He went over to Joe to help him with his students while I stayed close and perfected some of my skills – fin pivots, levitation and no mask breathing (without the laughter) being the ones requiring the most work.

All the pool work was finished by 3.30pm, the mini bus was called and we returned to the dive shop to find out Simon had arrived back a day early. He was fine about me starting the course early and was rapidly trying to catch up on what had gone on in his absence. Kit was washed and stored, we were given our home work for the evening and I headed to the beach with my books to wash away the smell of chlorinated water.

Half way through my studies that afternoon on the beach, I realised I didn't have a RDP chart. I was nearer to the dive shop than Kris so I went to ask Simon if I could buy one from him. He said to save my money as Kris was bound to have one somewhere I could use. I went off to find Kris. He didn't have a clue where his chart was but Joe offered me his and Amanda offered me her instruction booklet. Armed with my new supplies I went to sit on my balcony only to discover that Joe's RDP Chart was in Meters and Amanda's instruction book was illustrated in Feet!! I tried converting from one to the other to check my answers but after half an hour abandoned the whole thing and returned to find Kris. He checked my workings and confirmed my answers.

Kris, Joe and Matt were on their way out for the evening leaving Amanda ensconced in front of the TV with a pile of DVDs. Her first choice was a film called JUMPER, one I had heard about but never seen. Kris said I was allowed to stay up and watch it IF I had finished all my home work!! I promised to stay up late instead! This was just getting too weird!!

Lazy Day in Nha Trang - Part 13

Friday 9th April

Amanda had said to call for her this morning so we could do a bit of shopping together. I awoke quite early but as it was her day off, I decided she possibly wouldn't appreciate a 7am call. To allow her a lie in, I picked up my book to read in the morning sun that was shining into my room and onto the blue tiled balcony.



At 10am I walked around to the house, only to find silence and locked doors. I called, knocked a few times and deciding if she could sleep through all that she must need the rest, I left! I returned to the apartment, threw a few things into my bag and headed to the beach.

The sea and breeze were wonderful. A bit of sun, a bit of sea, a touch more sun before another soak in the warm rolling swells. The sun is directly overhead by 11am and stays there until well after 2.30pm. A walking tan is not an option in this country, as the only bit that catches the sun is the top of your head, shoulders and feet! Getting my sides brown involved lying in the recovery position with the side for browning pointing up towards the sun. The things I will do for a tan!

Having burnt so easily already, I kept a careful eye on my skin. By 1pm it was time to walk away and find some shade. I still hadn't had a chance to talk to Kris about bringing the dates of my Open Water course forward. Tomorrow was his day off, if I could start on the Sunday I would be finished by the Tuesday. I also needed to book a flight for Friday from Saigon to Bangkok. This would mean leaving Nha Trang on the Thursday night bus. Time was passing much too quickly.

Back on my balcony, I picked up the Open Water Manual I had brought with me and began to read. The afternoon passed in a calm haze of Orange Fanta, Peanut Crackle and dive information. With chapter 1, 2,and 3 safely stored in my memory, I showered. Kris had text to say they were all just watching TV at the house and to come around when ever I wanted. Clean and refreshed I wandered around.

They had set up a large fan in the lounge, bottles filled the table, a film was just starting, cushions were moved as I settled with them for the first part of the evening. It was a great film with Eddie Murphy as an alcoholic drop-out super-powered android! I think you have to see the film to appreciate that statement and understand!!

As it finished Kris announced he had a problem! He had been invited to a Pub Crawl and wasn't sure what to do with me. I laughed as I had been there when the pub crawl had been discussed the night before and knew all about it. I said it was fine. I would come for the first one but would then leave them all to it. It was his day off tomorrow so he deserved a good night out! He hugged me and got ready.

The Pub Crawl idea was the brain child of a local boy. He wanted to make money he explained but unless you worked in a bar or were a Diving Instructor there wasn't much you could do in Nha Trang. His theory was that a lot of tourists and travellers passed through the city with only a short time to discover the place. For a set price he was offering an organised Pub Wander. He had been to the various bars selling his idea, 7 had signed up to his idea so far. He would bring his 'Party' to their bar in exchange for free shots. Each bar offered something different, a bit like the Happy Hours in Sihnoukville. Tonight was his first night!

Kris, Amanda and myself headed off to the Shamrock. As we walked (no one was expecting to be able to ride a bike home later!) I asked Kris if I could start my Open Water after his day off. He couldn't see a problem as he would be my instructor and had nothing booked so far. He would sort it out for me the next day and also help me arrange my flight to Bangkok. Happy I entered the bar.

The Shamrock is like stepping back into time. Old rugby shirts hang on the wall. Cricket bats hang in glass fronted cases. The dart board is hidden on the side wall behind two door with coloured frosted glass upper panels that look like they came from an Irish country pantry. The bar is long and narrow, as are all the shops around that area. Playing a game of darts involved opening the doors and then standing with your back against the opposite wall to throw darts over the table we were sitting at , hopefully avoiding people entering or leaving the bar.

Our Pub Wander Organiser challenged Kris to a game, to pass the time while we awaited anyone else who was coming. Kris has never played darts, as we were all to discover after the first one ricocheted off the wall onto our table, followed by the next one doing the exact same thing. He did get the third into the wall but about a foot away from the board!

Drinks were picked up. Feet drawn nearer and a keen eye was kept on where the darts were heading as Kris perfected his game. One more person arrived but that was all. Slightly disheartened Our Host handed out the wrist bands and the first round of shots appeared on the table. It was only the first one everyone reassured him. Once word got around things would pick up. Determined to have a good night regardless, everyone raised their glasses and knocked back their shot! I left them as they headed towards the second bar of the evening.

I hadn't eaten an evening meal but wasn't really hungry either. The heat takes away a lot of your appetite and you find you eat because you should, not because you are hungry. I picked up some more vegetable biscuits as I passed the supermarket, just in case and went to the cyber cafe to catch up with the mail. Hot mail was working fine but Facebook kept freezing. I abandoned my mission and headed home only to walk past Kris, Amanda, Matt and a few others outside Rainbow Divers! I stopped for a drink – well it was only 9pm and one has to be supportive of local schemes as well as sociable!

By 9.30 though I was ready to head home. Kris was most concerned about me walking back alone and wanted to come with me. Matt offered to walk me home too. It was still early I pointed out, I would be fine and they could virtually see the hotel from here. Eventually I was allowed home – alone - but with my phone in my hand in case of emergencies. Who is the grown up here?!

I sat out on the balcony revising my notes and eating my biscuits. I am so so happy I came out here. Seeing Kris's life, meeting his friends, putting names to the faces I see on Facebook. Life couldn't get much better than it was just then.