Gili Air

Two weeks in Gili Air went in a blink of an eye. In the 14 days I assisted many courses, guided dive groups, passed my skill circuit with a good score (I’m quite pleased with that!), did my equipment exchange with fellow DMT Yuri, finished my mapping project and did my 800m snorkel swim. It had been a very busy two weeks.

The most difficult part of the dive master course

I’ve heard people talking about how difficult some of these tasks are, but in fact I think I did a lot of things at ease. I felt more comfortable and confident in the water. I also think little bits of challenges are good, as they make one grow. If you ask me what is the most difficult part of taking the dive master course, I’d definitely say it’s making the decision to do it. Being away for several weeks isn’t easy, but I assure you the experience is rewarding.

People are inspiring

One of the most amazing things about the course is that I have met many people and made many friends. Some of them have travelled to many extraordinary places, while some had incredible stories and adventures.

There was one night in Gili that we were all having dinner at a restaurant and our friend Dee Dan was sharing his incredible adventures of exploring the sea and seeing islands that aren’t even shown on the map. He’s also been to remote places where people kept loving the way they have been for hundreds of years and how they had no idea what the current world is up to. Dee Dan also talked about the island that would completely disappear in a day. And how they dived below it and find out why that occurs. His stories are simply unbelievably amazing.

I still remember about three months ago I told my friends I quit my job and would take the dive master course for several weeks, everyone thought I was very brave and adventurous. Now when I meet great travelers and adventurers, my few weeks of training seem like the tiniest thing I could’ve done, and I am thrilled for many more adventures I’d go on in the future.

Go with the flow and everything will work out fine

On 26th October, I wrote a short post on social media and I’d end this blog with that. Here it goes:

My instructor Kay was chatting with Yuri and me today. She was telling me her story about her year in Australia and how she bought a camper van and drove all around the country. In the amazing trip she also discovered diving and eventually she’s a great instructor today.

I want to live an extraordinary life too. I asked how she planned the whole thing. She said, “I didn’t make any plans. Sometimes you just couldn’t make plans like this, you just go with the flow, and everything will just work out for you.

Yours,
Ian