I arrived in Indonesia on 22^nd Feb, with no idea what I was getting myself in for. 6 weeks, 50 dives, numerous turtles, 5 specialties, 2 earthquakes and 1 snorkel test later… I am a PADI Divemaster!

In the intervening period, I have learned a huge amount about diving and more than I ever thought possible about tank valves. I have also learned that trying to act as dive guide to a group of instructors and guides is like herding cats; that demonstrating neutral buoyancy at the surface is impossible with a large dog trying to climb on top of you; that sinking a boat is not as easy as you might think; and that I can’t decide if my favorite reef fish is a box fish or a trumpet fish, as both are equally silly-looking.

This week I’ve assisted with introducing an 8-year old to the world of scuba diving, which involved lots of fun and games in the pool: treasure hunts and races and then towing a surface marker buoy while he swum around in the shallow water at the top of the reef with instructor Ina hanging on to him to make sure he didn’t escape. We were rewarded with a sighting of a sea snake as well as a whole host of the beautiful fish that make their home on the reef in Bunaken. Swimming through huge schools of pyramid butterfly fish and red toothed trigger fish is something I’ll never forget about my time here.

Just a couple more days and I’m all done with my Eco Divemaster Internship. Then it’s back to my Two Fish ‘home’ in Lembeh, to try and meet one final target before I leave Indonesia – my 100^th dive!