Week 4

Days 24–26: Fever, Fever, Fever

Honestly… nothing too exciting these days except the fact that I got sick AGAIN. High fever, completely bedridden. It started on Tuesday when I dragged myself out of bed at 4am for birdwatching, this is the place to see Birds of Paradise, and I couldn’t miss it. We did a short but steep hike, and although the birds were incredible (we even saw a courtship dance!), I felt like collapsing by the time we got back.

To make matters worse, we had a knot workshop underwater right after. Imagine sitting still in freezing water trying to tie ropes while your body is screaming at you. By the last 15 minutes I was shaking uncontrollably, and when I surfaced I was burning up. That was it, another two days stuck in bed.

Days 27–30: First Leads

By Friday I finally started feeling human again, which was lucky because it was time for my first dive lead. A real milestone in my divemaster training! Technically, one lead is enough to pass, but at Indo Ocean Project we’re required to do at least five. Honestly, I think that’s way better because one lead barely scratches the surface of what it’s like to guide.

My site was Chicken, not the easiest place to start. My instructor had to give me some directions during the dive, and I felt I was overthinking every move. On top of that, we have to carry 2kg of extra weight as the DM, which makes buoyancy management a nightmare. I swear I was kicking corals left and right, which stressed me out even more. I came up feeling disappointed and way too hard on myself… but at the same time, I couldn’t ignore how amazing the dive was. Pickhandle barracudas, trevallies everywhere, and even a blue-ringed octopus (!!).

The very next day was another challenge, my first night dive lead. Honestly, I was terrified. Second lead ever and suddenly at night? That changes everything: signals, orientation, even the way you interact with your divers. Luckily it was on the house reef, which I know pretty well, so I managed to keep it together. And this time, instead of being overly critical, I surfaced actually proud of myself.