The Holidays are here

So it's almost Christmas here in Columbus. The village occupancy has gone up and we are at about 60% currently. At the present time I am teaching an Open Water course for 4 students aged 18-12. The waters were calm for a few days but as the wind picked up over night the waves did as well and we are back to diving from the marina. Today we saw a turtle on our second dive at Pyramid. Not bad for a dive limited to 40 feet.
Santa will be visiting in the next few days and we are preparing for his arrival. Amy and I decorated a real tree that was delivered to the island and is at the entrance to the two specialty restaurants. We will be having a special nativity "show" tomorrow night as well as a fashion show and some other special events.
We have had two post night dive BBQs at the Sea Center for the divers and others who join us. The first two have been a big hit and we expect the numbers to grow each week as we continue to plan and promote it.
We've had some sightings as well. We saw more pilot whales last week(but of course I didn't have my camera) and another day that I wasn't on the boat humpbacks were spotted.
The hammerheads are becoming more numerous as the winter season continues. A school of about 15 were spotted a few days ago as well as some spotted eagle rays.
I forgot my camera battery charger at home so until my parents come I will only have limited use of my camera. So I hope to have pictures, but they might be from other people's cameras.
Happy Holidays to all!!

Time Flies

It's been two months since I have posted. Yes, I'm still alive. I've been working very hard and having alot of fun along the way. Alot has happened since I last posted...
Half of the scuba team have gone home. We got two new instructors but they didn't like G.O. life and they left as well. We have gotten one new instructor and a new Chief of scuba.
Last Friday the assistant manager of scuba was fired while the chief is still on vacation and I was quickly selected to take over in the mean time. I managed to take care of things from Friday night until this morning when I left for my 2 week vacation. The Chief returns tomorrow afternoon so the team is without me for a day until he returns. It has been a long few days learning as I went. I also hadn't had a day off for 2 weeks. So I am definitely ready for my vacation and plan on spending it relaxing and refueling for the next 6 months of work.

Holy Whale!

Today on the dive boat between the two morning dives we were sitting on the bow as we're cruising along and off the port side of the boat we see something break the water. It was a very calm day with the water like glass so we were able to spot it quickly. There were two pilot whales swimming along! We slowed the boat in time to take a few pictures...

Then I was lucky enough to see possibly the same ones on the afternoon snorkeling trip. These were a bit further away from the boat so the pictures didn't come out well, but there were whales!!

My Visit to the Port St. Lucie Medcial Center

So while I was in Port St. Lucie, FL as part of a voluntary evacuation from the Bahamas I had a brief 2 day stay in the hospital. I hadn't had lunch or dinner and at about 5 pm on Sunday I went on the trapeze at the Club Med in Port St Lucie where we were staying and on the first swing I let go and fell onto the net. After about a half hour I went to the nurse to get my minor skin abrasions cleaned and while in the infirmary I blacked out and hit my head on 2 oxygen tanks and the ground and then blacked out again once horizontal on the table. So on the way to the hospital in the ambulance my heart rate dropped to 40 bpm and then 30 bpm. So I had a CT scan, 12-lead EKG, ultrasound of my heart and nothing was found to be wrong. So now I am back in the Bahamas and feeling fine. The scuba doctor has examined me and nothing appears to be wrong so I will go back to diving in a few days.
Thank you to everyone for their concern and best wishes.
For pictures from my time at Club Med Sandpiper and my visit to the hospital click on the link below...
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2054065&l=7301e&id=44801562

Update from Columbus Isle

Last night we had our storm update meeting at 6 and it was decided to cancel the evening "show" and to just do dinner and send everyone to their rooms. So by 11pm everyone was to be in their rooms and to not come out until further notice. So we had our bag breakfasts(that I helped to make- about 450 of them to be exact) delivered at 8 pm as well as flashlights and water. I spent the night with 3 other people in 2 adjoining rooms and we had a relaxing evening. There was alot of wind and some rain but no major damage to the village. I slept most of the day as there wasn't much else to do so it was an unofficial day off after my official day off. :-) I finally ventured out to see how things were around 7 and things were fine. Some palm leaves down and the like but nothing major. I took a shower and just at dinner at the main restaurant. We have another meeting momentarily to update us on the storm and what's next. It looks like 4:15 am tomorrow we will be collecting bags for the 200 or so people leaving on the flight to Paris.
So in summary all is well here and I'll post as I know more.

More on Hanna

Well, currently Hanna is a tropical storm and will pass us soon and fairly closely. As of now we are watching and will get another update in about an hour and a half. My guess is that we will be in lock down after our early dinner(6:30-9) until some time tomorrow. I will be staying in a room with a few other people to ride out the storm. We'll probably be watching movies and playing games.
I'm not sure about internet access or phone so it will probably be a day or two before I let you know how I did.
Check out some pictures of our preparations for the storm. All water sports were shut down Sunday afternoon and we have since taken apart the dock as well as taken all the tanks of the dive boats and secured them and all out other gear.
The pictures can be found at....
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2053586&l=e84c0&id=44801562

Tropical Storm Hanna

So we are watching Tropical Storm Hanna closely here at Columbus Isle as she twists through the Atlantic. The storm looks as though it won't gain enough strength to become a hurricane. It does how ever still look like it will impact our weather. There has been a noticeable increase in the wind and wave action here, but nothing that has kept us out of the water yet. We are having a meeting in about a half hour to discuss what may or may not happen depending on where the storm goes. So as of now we are still operating as normal.
Check out Wunderground.com's WunderMap of the storm and if you are curious as to where I am just type in "San Salvador, Bahamas" into the select a location address box.

The New Divers Just Keep Coming!

On Tuesday I finished certifying Christian as an Open Water Diver. His girlfriend is an Advanced Open Water Diver and encouraged him to get certified. So, he did the eLearning course and finished up with me here at Columbus Isle. Congrats Christian!

Another New Diver!!

So today I finished the certification for another PADI Open Water Scuba Diver!! Congrats to Jonathan!! We did the class in 2 1/2 days and he was awesome. We saw a black tip reef shark on his second dive and about a dozen sting rays.
Congrats again!

Fish I.D.

So last night I was asked to do the english portion of the scuba team's weekly presentation of our local fish. Gen usually does it by herself, but she saw my interest in fish ID and asked about 15 minutes before she was to do the presentation. I accepted and the presentation went well. About the usual length of time and people seemed to enjoy the added comments that I provided. Gen is about a foot shorter than I and so she stood on the stage(with heels on) and I stood next to her on the main floor(in flats) and we were the same height. We didn't get a picture, but I'm sure we'll do it again and have a picture or two taken. Check back.

Tropical Storm Fay

Well, we started to feel some effects of Tropical Storm Fay within the last few days. We have had a fair amount of rain in the past week as well as some winds and rougher seas. There are some waves crashing on the reef that I hadn't seen in my 2 1/2 months here which was the first real sign of what's to come. We had to change dive sites yesterday morning for the first dive because of the approx 6 foot waves that the capt. didn't want to tie the boat up in. The site was around the southern tip of the island and isn't protected, so we just came back around the end where there was significantly less wave action. From all the reports Fay is staying well to our west and won't have much impact. I see that the Florida Keys are preparing for Fay's arrival and in a way I'm glad I'm not working in the Keys this summer.

Attacked by a fish!!

So this morning on the dive boat I'm sitting on the stern with my feet hanging into the water... Paco, another instructor comes and sits down with his feet on the ladder. As he is eating his snack some of the crumbs from his bread falls into the water. Well, some fish came up and ate the crumbs... and well my feet must have looked yummy too because one of the fish bit my heel!! They were black durgon fish which look like this...
So I yelped and promptly pulled my feet out of the water while everyone on the boat laughs. Larissa, another instructor, tells me it must feel like a massage and thinks I'm over reacting. So I tell her to put her feet in the water which she proceeds to do. So the fish come up again and she yelps just like I did! Well, the fish got her on the side of her foot and she claims that it's more tender there than on the heel. So I tell her ok put just your heel in and lets see. Well, the fish came up again and got her heel and she yelped again! So the moral of the story is don't put your feet in the water when there is food around because black durgons don't have the greatest sense of what's food!!

New pictures...

So today is my day off for the week and it has been spent sleeping, eating, and swimming with brief periods of laying on the beach. Oh, laundry and a shower in there too. I've put up some more pictures on facebook which can be found at.... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051033&l=ab021&id=44801562

Also, a group of people that are all friends recently left and we collectively called them the Reef Police. Hats with the title were distributed to the scuba staff. The original couple that started it all have a website which they just updated with pictures from their trip. I made one of them. Check them out at http://www.reefpolice.com
Thanks to the Reef Police for the great times!! See you again soon!!

Flying Gurnard Sighting!

So, one of the divers that I was leading spotted a fish that he didn't know what it was and pointed it out to me. It was the first time I had ever seen it and found out that it is a flying gurnard. The pictures below are in the wings in position and wings out position which we saw. They have a set of sort of modified pelvic fins that they appear to "walk" on. They eat crustaceans and other small invertebrates.

My First Advanced Open Water Students...

So yesterday I finished teaching my first Advanced Open Water class for a father and son from San Francisco. We had a great night dive watching an octopus on Sunday night, Monday was our deep and fish id dives during which we went to 125 ft and saw both lion and scorpion fish. Tuesday was our drift dive which was beautiful and we saw 2 turtles and then our navigation dive which was easy and quick. Congrats to my first Advanced Open Water divers!!

Dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, sleep... repeat

Well, I'm in week 5 of my time here at Columbus and time seems to be flying by. I am diving almost everyday and 2-4 times at that. The diving is beautiful with sharks spotted on nearly every dive. I find it interesting to watch people's reaction to sharks. I've had the range from swimming towards them to hiding behind me or grabbing their children in fear. We also see a fair amount of lion fish which aren't native to the Atlantic and thus have no natural predators. The other dive operation, Riding Rock, on the island actively hunts and kills them to help reduce the population, but I still see them.
Last week on my day off a group of us G.O.s went out to eat lunch at Riding Rock and while I was there I spotted this sticker on the window with many other dive shop stickers.What a small world!! A little bit of Vermont in the Bahamas.

Week 3.5

Well it's been three and a half weeks since I've arrived here in the Bahamas and I've been having fun ever since. I've met so many neat people and made many great memories. I've learned most of the crazy signs but they keep adding in new ones every few days which throws me off. We got another new instructor, Jerome, from France who has previously worked at Turquoise.
I met a total of three other people with the same birthday and we all celebrated on the beach Sunday night. My co-workers had "Happy Birthday Megan" put up on the huge projection screen as well as about 8 renditions of "Happy Birthday" through out the day. I have one piece of chocolate cake left in the mini fridge in my room. :-)
Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes!!

22 on the 22nd

Well, today is my 22nd birthday and I've been celebrating since last night. I've been busy working and diving without much time to spend on the internet. Donna, a G.M. that arrived here in Columbus Isle on Friday shares birthdays with me. We were sang to last night at the disco and I was sang to about 4 more times so far today. The diving is great and the people are even better. For some pictures check out my facebook album at... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2049245&l=5c4d7&id=44801562
I'll be adding more in the next few days along with some more about the past 3 weeks.
Salut!

Bonjour from Columbus Isle

Salut!
I have made it safely to my new "home" here in the Bahamas. I arrived on Saturday afternoon and have been settling in to my new job. I have gone on 4 open water dives and saw my first hammerhead shark on my first dive here!! I've been busy and the scuba team is glad to have me because they have been understaffed and my being here helps some but they still need more to keep up with the demand. (So any instructors out there, apply at clubmedjobs.com!!)
I have set up skype and if you want to talk to me some time my user id is gonediving99. If you want my mailing address just send me an email and I'll let you know.
I took a few pictures and hope to include more soon.






for more pictures check out my facebook album at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2048355&l=31eff&id=44801562

And I'm off!

Well, I'm currently sitting in the Burlington airport waiting for my flight. So far my first flight is delayed 40 min. I'm not sure why but that's not a surprise. I'll be switching planes in Philly and then spending the night at a Hilton in Fort Lauderdale and then tomorrow head to San Salvador Island. Keep checking here for updates on my adventures and pictures. If you want to chat log on to Skype and maybe we can chat some time...
Later gators!!

I've graduated!!

Well, I did it! I have graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a BS in Individualized Studies: Dive Shop and Resort Management. It doesn't feel real yet but I'm sure it will soon. The party was a hit and it was great to see everyone one last time before I head to the Bahamas. I'll be moving out of my condo on Wednesday and staying with my brother and sister-in-law until the 30th. Ben and Martha will be running in the Vermont City Marathon next weekend and I'll be along to cheer them on. Best of luck to them both!!

Moving on...

Well, I have accepted a position with Club Med as a scuba instructor at their Columbus Isle location on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas. I will be leaving on May 30th for a 6 month contract. I will teach a range of classes from basic Open Water to specialties as well as discover scuba/resort courses in addition to leading already certified divers.
As a result of getting this job I am renting out my condo and will be getting rid of most of my furniture and other things including my car. The process of going through my stuff has made me realize how material we really are and that all the "stuff" doesn't really matter.
Warmer waters are in my future and I can't wait for the next chapter in my life.

What’s Making That Awful Racket? Surprisingly, It May Be Fish

My mom saw this article and forwarded it to me. I had no idea that fish make noises like this!! All those bubbles drown(pun intended) out the noise!!
Have a listen... What’s Making That Awful Racket? Surprisingly, It May Be Fish

Good times in Key Largo

Well, I'm on the Ocean Divers website on the IDC Graduates page. There are several pics of us in the chamber as well as on the boat and at our graduation party. Check them out at...

http://oceandiversidc.com/html/january_2008.html

The stack of cards grows...

I just checked the PADI Pros website and my Master Scuba Diver Trainer cert has gone through and I should be getting another card in the mail. I realized that I've accumulated a stack of certification cards in my 9 years(to the day!!) of diving. Wow, today is the 9 year mark! Wahoo!! Well, in the picture below is all the certification cards that I've got. The mouse is for size reference. More than half of the stack are current, meaning I've gotten in the past 6 months! Holy smokes!!

My First Open Water Diver!

This weekend while at Dutch Springs I did the last 4 dives with my first student. I have helped with many classes and certified more than 50 people in Coral Reef Conservation or Peak Performance Buoyancy, but this was my first Open Water Diver certification. As you have probably read I received my Instructor rating last month. The water was a bit colder than my Instructor course, but I made it. Congrats to my first student and to me for my first certification!!

Dutch Springs

This past weekend a few of us from Pleasure Divers made the ~6 hour drive to Bethlehem, PA to go diving at Dutch Springs. We went as part of their Instructor Weekends, select weekends in the winter when you can go but must be with an Instructor, to do the open water dives for one student and to work on some specialties and explore. The water temp was around 37-40 degrees depending on who's dive computer you looked at and the air was no warmer. I wore my new semi-dry suit and tried out the HotSuits heated kidney belts. There was only one other woman that was diving, and she was only there on Sunday and was wearing a drysuit. She thought we were completely crazy and I kind of had to agree!! :-) I think I'm really more of a warm water gal and I won't be doing another mid-February trip like this again. Enjoy some pics below...

Spreading the Bug

the Scuba bug that is.

Last Thursday I went to Johnson State College and conducted my first Discover Scuba program at their fitness facility, SHAPE. There were 4 participants all freshman or sophomores from Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. Taking their first breaths underwater was an exciting experience and once we got over that we got to the good part. Swimming around and having fun. The toypedo was probably the best toy, but the laminated pictures of the fish and the turtles made the snow outside seem just a little further away. The water temp was around 80 and by the end we were all cold. Wetsuits are a must for next time. But through the chattering teeth there were huge smiles. We are working to set up another session this month and hopefully a full Open Water Diver course some time soon.

Thanks to my dad. What a trusty assistant and thanks for getting the word out at JSC.

Keep diving!

Saving energy and looking hot?

That's right! All in a days work.
My beautiful sister-in-law is featured on page 20 of the Febuary issue of Dwell Magazine!
As part of a partnership with Efficiency Vermont and Energy Star my brother and sister-in-law (and family dog) were photographed at their house, where my brother and I grew up. Not surprisingly(sorry Ben!) they picked this shot of Martha and Shadow in the front entryway.
Ben and Martha are working on making their house more energy efficient all the time. Solar panels are planned for the near future.
Congrats to Martha and we invite you to join Martha in the fight against global warming!!

Certifiably Certified... or something like that!

Well, I made it. I am officially an Open Water Scuba Instructor!!
I'm back from Key Largo after 3 weeks in the warm sun!! Well, except for those days that we were locked up in the classroom with the AC on and I thought we were in a meat locker. :-)

Pending applications I will be an Emergency First Response Instructor, DAN Instructor, and Master Scuba Diver Trainer. I learned alot and practiced alot of skills. It was a very busy 3 weeks!
A big thanks to all who helped me get this far!!

Hyperbaric Chamber Dive

As part of my Instructor Development Course(IDC) with Ocean Divers we did a chamber dive with at Hyperbarics International which is in the same building as Ocean Divers. Hyperbarics Int'l is run by Dick Rutkowski, the oldest active PADI member(or something like that). He signed our logbooks after the dive. His PADI number is 536 mine is 194278. I think that says it all.

Below are scans of some pictures taken of us... Thanks to Misch.

Some of the dive helmets in Dick's collection

Mark V suit and some rebreathers

Keith and I in the chamber

Keith and I through the window equalizing our ears on the descent to 100ft.

Dick on the controls. At about 60ft at this point.

Keith and I feeling the effects of nitrogen narcosis. Oh and we sounded like Alvin and the Chipmunks!

Post Dive. Me with Dick.
Dick signing my logbook.

Total dive time: 20 min
Max depth: 100 ft
Breathing Gas: Air
Required footwear: clean socks

Flying south... atleast for a little bit of winter

Well, tomorrow afternoon I am flying to Florida to take some classes. With snow currently falling here in Plattsburgh, this is a perfect time to fly south. I'll be taking the Open Water Scuba Instructor course and relevant examination, Emergency First Responder Instructor course, DAN Dive Emergency Management Provider Instructor course, and Master Scuba Diver Trainer course. Writing all that our just know makes it seem like alot. I've been studying alot and hopefully will return with all of those certifications. I'll be studying at Ocean Divers in Key Largo, just up the road from where I worked a few summers ago. I've got a bit more packing to do, so cross your fingers and as time permits I'll post updates. I'll be back in about 3 weeks! Happy diving!

2008 is here!

Happy New Years!
We hope that you and your family had a safe and happy 2007 and best wishes for a great 2008.

We still have some great deals here at Pleasure Divers. Our holiday savings are in effect until the end of the week, so hurry in to save on dive gear and adventures.

We are starting a 20% off sale on all TUSA gear bags. Just in time for those winter getaway trips! With a forecast of high of 5 degrees today here in Plattsburgh I'd be jumping on theses savings! From wheeled duffle bags to snorkeling gear bags they are all on sale!

Stop in and see us!