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My first Scuba Diving Certification at Blue Season Bali

By on May 21, 2012 in adventure, Blue Season Bali, diving, explore Bali, traveling

I am on my way to becoming a rescue diver!

It has been a busy few days at Blue Season Bali!  I have officially started my training towards becoming a rescue diver and am now certified in EFR.  The course was way more fun than I anticipated!  We started the morning learning about primary response care.  I learned how to go through the cycle of care as a emergency responder.  As the day progressed “accidents” happened around the shop and we were in charge of handling the situation.  It was cool to get the chance to apply all the skills that I had learned.  Since the accidents were unexpected it felt a bit like a real situation forcing me to think of my feet.  After finishing the course I feel much more confident in my emergency response skills should I ever encounter a real emergency.

 

EFR Practice Scenario

Practicing saving lives!

Adventures around Bali

Today was my first day off.  My friends Erin and Charlie and I decided drive around the island on our scooters and do a little exploring.  I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this place!  We headed down south to Ulu Watu.  It took a little while to get used to the Bali roads the reward was worth it; we found some of the most stunning beaches I have ever seen!

First drive around Bali

Stuck in traffic during our first scooter adventure around Bali.

It was an incredible feeling driving on the scooter with the beautiful scenery in the background.  I felt so free.  The magic of this place is already showing itself and I can’t wait to spend more time exploring the Island of the Gods.  Once we got to the beach we spent the day swimming and relaxing.  Next time I will have to remember to bring my mask and snorkel.  After our day at the beach we stopped at a cute little island restaurant and had dinner.  It was the perfect day, the only thing that would have made it better would have been diving!

Beautiful Beaches

The first beach we found.

 

My dream dive: Menjangan

I am super excited about what is in store for me in the next few days.  Blue Season Bali is taking the interns and some instructors to the famous Menjangan Resort.  It is located on the northern part of the island in the West Bali National Park.  This place has world-class facilities to enjoy plus the diving is supposed to be some of best on the island! Menjangan is famous for having Bali’s most beautiful wall-diving. The walls descend to depths ranging from 20m – 60M+.  It is also the breeding grounds for Mandarin fish.  I am crossing my fingers that I get the chance to see some of theses beautiful little guys!  I’ll be gone for the next couple of days diving at Menjangan, but when I get back be ready for an update about how wonderful it was.  I am so excited I don’t think I will sleep tonight, this is even better than Christmas!!

 

The excitement of moving to Bali for the best Dive Job in the World

By on April 20, 2012 in Blue Season Bali, diving, explore Bali, traveling

As my date of departure for the Island of the Gods nears I am bubbling over with excitement!  Bali has started to consume my every thought.  There are so many things I am excited for.

The Diving

The first, and most obvious is the diving!  I have been dreaming of diving non-stop since the first time I sunk under the waves and now I am getting the chance to become a diving professional at an incredible dive shop!  Is there anything more exciting than that?!  Not likely.  I can’t wait to learn more specific skills (the one going through my mind at this moment is back finning) that will make me a much better diver.  When you find that thing that you are really passionate about you just can’t get enough!  Every little thing you learn inspires you.  I am excited to be challenging myself every day.  I can’t wait to experience all the wildlife that I will encounter.  Mola-molas, turtles, sharks, nudibranchs, manta rays, octopi, mandarin fish, the list could go on forever so I will have to stop here.  When I look back at this list it seems unreal that I will get the chance to experience all that life!  I am also excited about meeting everyone at Blue Season Bali!  I know that the staff there will become my family for my 7-month stay and I can’t wait to get to know each quirky personality.

Bali Island Life

One of the most exciting things about Bali is that the magic doesn’t only exist under the water.  The more I read about Bali the more enchanting it becomes.  It seems that magic is everywhere in this little paradise.  I can’t wait to see the beautiful rice fields and artsy cafés in Ubud, try to learn to surf in Kuta, visit Hindu temples, and experience Hindu festivals, and just kick back and relax with some locals.  I have heard that the Balinese are lovely!  They have a rich culture and everyone tells me they are more than happy to share it.  I can’t wait to be taken to people’s favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants, dive bars, and their favorite secret viewpoint.  It is the day-to-day experiences in a new place that are the most exciting.  The things that you stumble into that you never thought could happen.  That is what I am the most excited for.  To become a part of Bali.

Well, I head off to Bali it 2 weeks!  Check out my next post hear about my journey there.

 

Preparing to move to Bali

By on April 4, 2012 in Blue Season Bali, diving, explore Bali, packing, traveling

Packing it in a 70 liter bag:

The task of moving to a new place is always daunting.  I am finishing up my last month or so of work.  I am officially finished on May 4.  I have already started thinking about all the things I need to prepare to head to Bali.  First off I need to find someone to take over my room in the house I live in.  It’s going to be sad to say goodbye but I am looking forward to starting a new chapter in Bali.  I already have my ticket booked, but it flies from Phuket, so I still need to figure out the logistics of getting from one side of Thailand to the other.  I will most likely head down south and visit some friends for a week before going to the Island of the Gods.  Of course I need to figure out my visa before I can get one the plane!  That means booking tickets, gathering documents, and generally making sure that I have everything in order.

One of the biggest challenges will be trying to fit my life into my 70L backpack.  I know, 70L sounds like a lot, but it is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in a year!  So this means sorting, lots of sorting.  I am not very good at getting rid of things so this may require so help from my oh-so-dedicated friends.  Good thing I won’t need most of my “land” necessitates under the water.  Although the task of whittling your life down into the things that will fit into one backpack is daunting it is also cleansing.  We have so many things in like that we don’t need.  Our lives become filled with material clutter that seams important but in reality is unnecessary.  I was talking to my friend last night about the amazing freedom of moving to a new place.  It all starts with putting your whole life into that one backpack.  Being able to let go of all the junk that has piled up in your current life and move into the unknown with only the things you can carry on your back.  So here I come Bali, ready to start again, just me and my backpack.

I am so excited to be moving to Bali and there are so many reasons why.  Check out my next post to see just a few.

*  Well, I gave the backpack a good try.  Turns out with all my scuba gear I couldn’t fit it all into one bag.  One backpack and a suitcase, same thing right?

 

 

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