I'm a Scuba Diver Now!

March 21, 2013

Thank you Dr. Montes (June)

I spent a few days at the Visayan University outside of Baybay earning my Open Water diving certification with Dr. Humberto Montes. I stayed on campus again at the Alumni House which was conveniently close to the marine lab where I did the book work and listened to the lectures before we hit the pool and then the sea.. It’s only 100 pesos a night, just right on a PCV budget = $2.50.

The Alumni House

My first time here we had a surprise evacuation drill and were intructed to get to our consolidation point ASAP. We were timed. I think I made it in less than an hour. Laura lives there but the other five had much further to travel. It was great! seven of us in this gigantic room with 14 bunks. This time it was just me except one night I made two new girlfriends Pew and Ann who spent the night. Ann was there as a sales rep for a company that provides scientific equipment to the university and Pew is a diver and works at an oyster farm in Palawan. She dives 80 feet three times a week to clean algae off the oysters. If it’s not done they can’t feed. Dr. Montes was her diving trainer too.

Ann and Pew

My breakfast waiting for me; skyflakes, an orange and Starbucks Via coffee

I love this crazy mushroom frog fountain in front. It reminds me of my home at Frog Creek Organic Farm in Port Angeles

The campus is on beach front where I was able to watch the sunset and some little girls sang for me.

 This was great but the sad news was my favorite new puppy GelBoy got poisoned and died while I was gone and Swift went into premature labor and gave birth to three stillborn puppies. Then the other new puppy, Toffee died from dysentery. The mortality rate for dogs here is so high and sad.

Toffee

GelBoy

I hope they're frolicking in dogie heaven, happy, free, healthy, never hungry or thirsty or bothered by fleas and ticks or other parasites.