Utila – Week 2, Day 6: A New Routine
UTILA
Week 2
Day 6: A New Routine
November 25, 2022
With my skill circuits and knowledge reviews out of the way, I could finally start doing actual divemaster trainee stuff. With just 25 dives to my name, I’d be assisting with courses and helping other students learn how to scuba. I felt a bit hypocritical doing that, still struggling with my own skills. But, as the instructors affirmed, we’d only be there to lend a hand with the basics – nothing more.
I’d be joining Miguel, an instructor from Honduras, and Gloria as an assistant on his PADI Advanced course. I can’t say I wasn’t nervous about this, but with Anthony being the most relaxed, chill guy on the face of the planet, and Gloria being a total sweetheart who told me she’d be there for me too, I was quickly reassured that everything would be fine – despite my very own buoyancy issues. I’d just have to hang out behind the students as they performed the skills and keep an eye on them – simple.
And that it was. We had a group of two Dutch guys who seemed to be doing everything effortlessly, making both Gloria and me redundant through most of the skills sessions. That said, Miguel did ask us to help out with a couple of things, such as holding the plastic square during the buoyancy sessions and watching over the students as they did the navigation section – meaning I wasn’t completely useless.
Falling into Place
It was a good first day as an assistant. Uneventful, true, but a good way to start. Feeling more at ease with my new position at the dive shop, I could finally start embracing life at Underwater Vision more fully.
It was also at this point that I found out, that my real calling at the dive shop might not be scuba – but spinal alignment. It started off with me offering Amelia a massage. Then, somehow, it spread like wildfire. Everyone wanted a massage from me – and hey, I don’t blame them, I’m excellent at it. In another life, I could definitely be a masseuse. I think it’s the fact that I hate having idle hands, and that when I’m getting a massage, I concentrate on what they’re doing instead of actually enjoying the massage. But anyway, like I said, massaging each other just became a thing at Underwater Vision.
Apart from that, it was a pretty slow day and nothing much was going on – except for a marching band parading through Utila’s main road for some unknown reason. We went to Seabreakers to try out some pasta which, according to Louis, was divine. As a group of twenty-one marching together into this one empty restaurant, you can imagine the chef’s reaction when we ordered as many dishes of homemade pasta right there and then.
The chef – an old guy wearing an open shirt revealing his bountiful breasts – was kept busy kneading away for almost an hour to finish his mega-sized order. And the worst part? I’m pretty sure it was the worst pasta I’ve ever tasted. Okay, second worst – right behind the spaghetti we had in Acatenango. I still have nightmares about that crap…
Stay wild,
Marius
Post-Scriptum
What’s with Dutch people pronouncing tequila as “te-kill-ya”? Do they use the word as an onomatopoeia because that’s exactly what it does? Probably.