Hi, I’m Ian. I arrived on Nusa Lembongan to start my divemaster training almost three weeks ago. I’d love to share my experience here in my first two weeks here. My first week was definitely a process of forgiving myself and finding ways to do things better. It wasn’t easy being in an all new environment, having new routines and working with new set of people.
As a divemaster, there are lots of duties such as loading the boat, setting up equipment and washing them after dives. At the beginning, I didn’t know how everything worked and I found myself constantly in the way of somebody. I also had skills training and independent studies, and I always felt inadequate since I thought I would’ve done things better but I couldn’t. It was frustrating. However, I remembered I was shown the dive master introductory video. In one of the sections, it says a good dive master’s (and instructor) characteristic is “forgiving”. I can definitely see it in Emily, my instructor here in Lembongan.
She is always patient and helpful. She understood my difficulties and we tried to find better ways to work around them. My other instructor, Dion, is always helpful and gentle. He also always carries a huge smile on his face. He gave many valuable tips and suggestions which really helped me improve. The staff and dive guides here were very friendly and helpful. This really helped me to forgive myself and enjoy the process of learning and improving. On my second week, things got a lot better. I felt more confident and comfortable in my role as a divemaster trainee. I’ve assisted Discover Scuba Diving, Open Water, and Advanced Open Water courses. I became so much better in my positioning and techniques in diving. I felt more in-control with my buoyancy. Towards the end of my second week, I even led a dive for the first time (I was unnecessarily anxious but it turned out okay!). I’d have to say I genuinely enjoy my every single dive here. I love the dive sites on the north of Nusa Penida.
The visibility had been amazing and the water is warm (warmer than the west). We even had the privilege to see Mola Molas quite often there. My favourite dive site is Toyapakeh. It has a very nice slope and as we go shallower, the variety and quantity of both hard and soft coral seemed endless and there is so much life everywhere. My other memorable dive in Nusa Lembongan was a sunrise dive at Mangrove. We jumped into the water and saw the sun rose behind the boat. The dive was so peaceful. We quietly drifted across endless mass of coral, while it was so busy with all the colours and the lives of all marine creatures as the first light of the morning arrived this underwater world. The whole dive was amazing and the 4:30am start was totally worth it. I am going to Gili Air to continue my dive master training next week, but I really enjoyed my time in Nusa Lembongan. I think I’ll definitely come back again.
