DMT: Mapping

Today was my first official act as a DMT. The other DMT, Dave (who has been doing it for about 5 weeks now, and almost finished) and I were dropped at a sight alone, and told to map the dive site. This means we have to take a dive site and map it onto a piece of paper, or draw what the dive site looks like, both physically and geographically. For this, we can take measurements however we see fit. We decided to first check out the site from above via snorkeling, but once we arrived at the site, the visibility wasn’t great, so we snorkeled to the end of the point, deflated out BCD’s (vests in which we can add air to become buoyant at the surface) and dropped down to the ocean floor.

We spent some time checking out the area, and I did some depth measurements and also sketched some of what we saw. However, after checking out the whole area, we decided we didn’t like the site very well, so we are going to do another location instead. It’s nearby, a little deeper, and our shop doesn’t have too much information on it, so it will benefit the shop as well.
This past week, I have also mapped out my plan for DMT, over the next 6 weeks (2 of which will be vacation when the elderly folks come out). I hope to have finished everything by the end of June. The first week of DMT consists of reading 4 chapters from my Dive Master Manuel, completing one chapter in my workbook, reading two chapters of the diving encyclopedia, taking 4 tests, doing a skill circuit (set of 20 skills), watching videos, observing the other DMT do his training skills, observing the other DM’s and instructors on fun dives, courses and general knowledge around the shop. It’s a hectic week, but the more I learn, the more I can do.
I have also settled into the island life a little more. We’re still waiting for wifi at the shop (we are all getting desperate) but they say it should be coming tomorrow (that’s what they say everyday)… I am getting to know the instructors, dive masters, boat captains and shop owners a little better, and learning where the best pizza is, the cheapest beer, the cheapest food, the best deal for food, to find free water (even if it tastes funny), and good places for a night out. Everyone in the shop (and the island) is really great and friendly. For one of the Rescue Diver objectives, I had to go to all the dive shops on this side of the island, ask them about their emergency response plan, number of boats and oxygen capabilities in the event of an emergency, so I got to see the other shops, and meet the people. Everyone is really chilled out, laid back, and extremely outgoing, so its pretty fun.

What comes next will be the second Mapping quest (or first, as we chose a new site). We have a general dive plan, objectives set out, and the proper equipment ready. We took out the boat, now looking for Black Coral Pinnacle, a deeper sight located off the northwest tip of the big island. We dropped in and went down to about 35 meters, but the current was unbelievably strong, and I also started feeling a little weird (which happens with deeper dives). Fighting the current and feeling weird, I just stayed behind in the back, trying to conserve my energy, but soon we all realized it was a losing battle, and we head back up to the surface to regroup. We were only down for about 20 minutes, and at the surface realized the current took us WAY off course, and spent the next 20 minutes trying to get our boat’s attention. With that failing, we kept swimming towards the island, so we wouldn’t get pulled out into the open sea, but soon another boat came by, saw us, and went to inform our boat captain, who came to pick us up soon after. It was a complete fail of a dive, and we have now decided to scrap the idea of mapping a relatively new site, and will be mapping the local site at the end of our beach, because it’s the easiest and closest to get to.

The afternoon was spent watching videos of skill circuit. This is a set of 20 skills both on land, on the surface of the water, and underwater, that you have to master before you can become a dive master. They range from buddy checks, ascents, descents, and practicing buoyancy, air depletion and other skills. They are what most people will practice when they do a refresher course, or need a scuba tune up. I only practiced a couple skills (mask clearing, hovering, back roll into the water) and got some scores to see where I stand. Out of the 20 skills, you need to score a certain total amount, with scores ranging from 1-5. I’m hoping to score at least 75 or 80. You only need 65 to pass. The instructor brought her camera, so we were able to record a couple skills and see what we looked like, and will do some more practice tomorrow.

As of now it’s all about reading, taking tests, reading, reading some more, taking other tests, and
getting into the water once or twice a day for skills. It’s really tiring, and sometimes I’m at the shop for over 13 hours, and then spend the evenings studying or having a late dinner and relaxing. It’s great fun still, and tomorrow I plan to go to Temple of the Sea, one of the two top dive sites in the area. I’m very excited about it, and will post once I get the chance!