Sunday morning started with high hopes of a quick confined session. My team (the red team) went second, so by the time we entered the water the blue team were already instructors. We were ready with gear on as soon as they surfaced and splashed right in for our skills. After performing awesome demos of the skills for the examiner we went one by one through our confined water presentations. One by one everyone completed their presentation and got the final handshake of achievement. I was the last to go and with each passing classmate I got more excited and nervous. Finally I completed my regulator recovery presentation and got the final handshake, and the rest is history!
Our final completion was met with loud exclamations and cheering! Then we all did some awesome leaps for joy into the pool before partially drying for the awards ceremony. There were so many emotions going on: excitement, relief, anticipation for the future, and a strong desire to celebrate! We each got our awards, took a group picture, and had a champagne toast. Lucky for us our IE ended on Super Bowl Sunday, so we already had reservations at a local spot for instructor merriment while watching football. The non-americans were so enthralled (not) in the entertaining (not) football game. Even though the game was not enjoyable, we all had a great night enjoying each other’s company and celebrating our accomplishment. We definitely created some great bonds over the past two weeks and clicked as a group. As everyone begins to part ways after our specialty training comes to an end this week, it will be really sad to say goodbye. My hope is that everyone finds the perfect fit for their interest, and I know we will have lots of friends all over the world to travel and dive with. We are all excited for the next chapter in our diving careers!
Please follow along with me through my next chapter as I begin my career as Scuba Lin! I will try to post blog updates often. I will also tweet from @ScubaLin as much as possible with fun diving facts, safety information, conservation efforts, and more! Hasta luego