New friends + new skills 9/6

   My trip to Roatan has been phenomenal. My goal for the trip had been to become a more confident diver, but it became so much more than that: the people have been the best part, both the locals & my fellow travelers. I felt at home immediately with the group of around 60 travelers; most hailed from KC, and a few from farther out: Liesl, Julia and Eric from Juneau, Alaska; Chad from Minnesota, Dave from Miami, and the brothers from Iowa.

   So many people from the group made a huge impression on me, and I hope to dive with them again soon, and to eventually connect with the people I didn't have a chance to spend much time with. I particularly hit it off with Dan, Jonathan, Ellen, Jackie, and the Alaska contingency--Liesl was my roommate in the fantasy over-water cabana. As one of the newest people in the group (many in this crowd have trained and/or traveled together previously), I was honored to be so welcomed and included.

   In part because I was traveling alone and we happened to be on the same boat, and in part because he was just so much fun to hang out with, I dove 26 of my 28 dives with Dan, a PADI instructor. We were all fast friends, and the bonus for me was that He was able to help me with my skills, and complete training exercises as part of our regular dives. I felt very safe with Dan looking out for me and hope to pass that on to another new diver someday.

   In all I earned several certifications (they will be official once I read the manuals and complete the written knowledge reviews): advanced open water, deep diving, underwater navigation, night diving, and (ship) wreck diving. While these are great to have in case I ever choose to dive professionally (I'm being steered toward Divemaster training by Sam, Dan, & Jonathan), the great thing is that all the practice make me a safer diver--and equip me to help others discover a sport that is quickly becoming one of my top favorites. I learned a lot from our Roatan Divemaster, Kirk, as well.

   This trip was the perfect blend of fun and education. I learned that I only need to dive with 5 lbs, not 16 (and I might be able to get to 4), I learned to use a compass, I learned to identify a bunch of fish, and I improved my buoyancy.

   I've come a long way from learning to swim less than four years ago and never dreamed all this was possible. Feeling very blessed to have had such a great trip on so many levels.