The Short-lived Life of a DMT

I wake up sprawled out, tired, wondering what day it is. As I untangle myself from the sarong and pillow that was my bed last night the sounds of roosters crowing and birds chirping tell me it must be time to get up. It will be another hot day. The fan passes by me with each cycle, cooling the beads of sweat that already begin to form. Good thing we'll be in the water soon! I grab my sunscreen and water bottle and head down the street to the dive shop with a big smile on my face.

Every day has been different, a new challenge added each time to test how prepared we are to make the transition from being DMTs (Dive Master Trainees) to actual Dive Masters. In the past month and a half we've learned how to assist in Open Water courses, map dive sites, teach refresher courses to tune up divers' skills, manage emergency situations, and we're familiar with the in-and-outs of liveaboard trips and guiding guests around the dive sites. This has all been done with hours and hours in the pool, at local dive sites, on the liveaboard boat and in the classroom. As the weeks have passed we've ticked off our accomplishments from the theory exams, swimming endurance tests, rescue evaluations, practicing skills, workshops, shadowing instructors and dive masters and even the stress test.

This last one has been my favorite, I even got to do it twice! For the stress test we're evaluated on our ability to remain calm and quickly solve problems as they arise while communicating with our buddy. My buddy and I had to exchange all our gear (mask, fins, and scuba unit) underwater while sharing the same air source. Take two breaths, pass the regulator, unstrap a fin, take two breaths, but don't forget to give it back to my buddy who's holding their breath, and then continue swapping gear. It was completed when we had successfully exchanged all our gear while sharing one regulator and not going to the surface for air. The challenge is even more fun when the instructor is pulling at the masks, flooding them, free flowing bubbles surrounding us, our jackets being inflated and us trying not to panic or shoot to the surface. The hardest part was exchanging masks, both of us unable to see and one of us waiting not so patiently for their turn for a breath of air. Luckily we both remained calm and neither of us became drowning victims, so it was a success! One more thing to check off and get us one step closer to completing the course.

This has been such a rewarding experience. All the training has been top notch. The instructors are passionate not only about diving, but teaching us by being our mentors. As a group, the other trainees and myself have grown as divers and friends. We've shared learning from each other and encouraging each other, all with quite a few laughs. Though our motivations for coming here are different, we've created a shared bond during our training and with our passion for diving. Now that our training is finished it is hard to imagine we won't be dive buddies everyday or be the group of DMTs together. We'll have to move on so the next intrepid group of divers can begin their own adventure. For me that means hopping on a bus for my next stop...Chiang Mai!

A Pocket Full of Change

What can you buy with 300 Thai baht? (About 10 USD)

~A trip to the clinic to get a "physical" to make sure you're in tip-top shape to do some diving. It's more like the doctor just asks you if you feel alright, you say yes, and he'll sign the paper.

OR
~Lunch for four: Pad Thai with chicken for everyone.

OR
~A trip to the "pancake" stand every evening for 2 weeks. Order up a pancake with egg and sugar inside or maybe banana and nutella for desert. These things are delicious crepe-like snacks and enough to fill you up! And if they don't then just down the street you can get a couple skewers with meat and veggies with the rest of the change in your pocket.

OR
~Drop off your laundry to be cleaned, ironed, and neatly folded smelling good and ready to be picked up at your convenience. As well as having some to spare for more Pad Thai and a couple Chang beers or maybe some seaweed flavored potato chips.

OR
~Rent a motorbike for the day and head to the nearby towns, then off to the waterfalls to cool down, and the weekly market to grab a snack and people watch.

OR (my personal favorite)
~Stop by the noodle-soup stand for dinner each night for a week. Grab a bowl of beef noodle soup (or chicken or pork) and a seat near the street. Help yourself to the extra veggies and spices at each table while enjoying the cool night air. Careful though, those chilies have a kick! I've only just graduated to using a scoop of the chili flakes AND a dab of the chili sauce. Yum!

OR
~Put that change in your pocket and head to the beach! (But don't forget the sunscreen!)