The Journey Begins in ONE WEEK!

In one week I will drop off a boat, slowly descend to the ocean floor, and begin a new chapter in my life abroad. I am finished with school bells, work clothes and grading papers. Instead, its time for dive briefs, buddy checks and regulators. I'm turning in my life as an English teacher to become something I've always loved doing. A scuba diving professional. I plan to take a 6-week course on the stunning island of Perhentian Kecil where I will learn all there is to know about working in the diving world.

Upon completion of the course, I will be able to lead diving tours and also help assist students learning to dive. I've been wanting to do more diving ever since I started diving on Semester at Sea, in 2005. We did a discover scuba course, where you learn in a pool and then dive the afternoon in the ocean. I was so taken by the sheer majesty of the underwater world, that when I came home to university, I enrolled in an Open Water PADI scuba course, learning the basics of diving off the California coast.

Last year, on a tour of Malaysia, I recieved my Advanced Open Water SSI certification on the Perhentian Islands. I knew I'd be back for more once I went to Sipidan, and island off Malaysian Borneo with some of the best diving in the world. That location literally blew my mind, as I had never imagined such amazing and breathtaking scenery, animals and life just below the surface of the water. So as I close the book on teaching (for now) I will start a new adventure, one that I am stoked about. This blog will serve as my way to log my experiences living on a small tropical island learning to become a dive professional.

FYI, Perhentian Kecil is the smaller of two islands off the north eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia. It's so small, that there are no cars, no motorbikes, not even bicycles. (the small town may have some, but not the main beaches) There are two main beaches on the island, Long Beach and Coral Bay. They are connected by a 10 minute walk along a small footpath. Other than that, it's just bungalows, restaurants and dive shops. It's a wonderfully serene place, big with backpackers looking for island life, without the island parties. Wake up, read a book, nap, swim, eat, sleep. The simple life...