Learning How to Dive Pictures

he pictures are posted in reverse order for some reason. Don't worry though, I will give you commentary. Michael took these as his one activity for the day.

I'm to the far right getting ready to go underwater for the first time.

Again me just testing out the equipment.

I'm next to the lady with no mask on and just diagonal from the person with the organce top to the snorkel. This was my first time to put my head under the water to breathe from the regulator.

Fixing the snorkel.

In the water with just the weight belt on. Slowly getting used to all of the stuff I had to wear when diving.

Relaxing during the 10 minute float that is a requirement to do when learning how to dive.

Advanced Open Water Part 2

Well I tried to fit the entire two days into one blog, but that just didn’t happen. So, here goes the next day of that course which happened to be our last day diving. Michael and I finally dove together in the same group. We did some pretty strenuous diving that stressed me out just a little bit. I was really pushed to my comfort zone level in the sea, but I am really proud of myself for doing it. Now I know that I can do these dives. That will definitely help me in the future with air consumption.

Dive number one was at a place called Shark and Yolanda Reefs. This area is actually two reef pinnacles on the southernmost point of Sinai. In addition, it is a pretty difficult dive because of the kinds of currents that flow through the area. The currents come in from the east, the west, top and bottom of the reef, and occasionally stream around the pinnacles to create two currents pushing in one direction. Yet because of that, the area is one of the top ten diving sights in the whole world with nothing but the blue directly next to the reef. Needless to say, I was very uneasy about being so close to the blue without much of a reference point. Michael’s presence is really what kept me semi-calm during the dive. The dive was a drift dive that required everyone to be ready at the same time and to descend almost immediately upon impact to the water. We dropped down by Shark reef into a school of Snappers, Unicorn Fish, and Bat Fish and descended to 29 meters. What is particularly dangerous about this drop-off is that the pinnacle continues down for about 700 meters, thus making it very easy to keep going down, down, down. While we were descending and throughout that entire dive, I was glued to my instructor since I was so nervous. However, one of my friends was with us, and he just kept descending without realizing it. My instructor could not get his attention, so Michael made a heroic save by going down to get him at 34 meters. Michael slowly brought our friend up who was quite shocked that he had managed to drop that quickly. Then the current whipped us around the reef into an area with a sandy bottom. While going around the reef, we swim directly through a large school of Unicorn fish, saw some abnormally large Bat Fish, and had six Barracudas stroll by us. The sandy area gave way to some rather pretty corals and a Blue Spotted Stingray. No sooner had we entered the area did the current pick us up again to move us around the Yolanda Reef. On the other side of Yolanda were the remnants of a shipwreck. In 1984, a cargo ship, heading to a hotel, crashed into the reef leaving a massive amount of toilets, bathtubs, and Jacuzzis behind. We swam around that portion of the dive for a while until it was time to be picked up.

Two hours later we went of dive number two which to a famous shipwreck. The Dun Raven was a British ship carrying cotton and spices from India that crashed and caught fire on the reef in 1876. It was later discovered in 1977 and is the site of our second dive. Again, the dive was a drift dive but not as scary as the first one of the day. When we descended, we swam a bit and came upon the bow of the ship. Underwater, the ship was flipped so that the deck was touching the sandy bottom. We swam along the top of the ship and through the hole of the propellers to get to the other side in order to go into the wreck. Since the ship had been there for so long, the corals on and around it were simply phenomenal. There were so many different colors and fish hanging around the ship. Once at the stern, we entered the ship, and I discovered that I do not like going into wrecks. Inside was basically a hollowed out shell because there was a fire on the ship when it sank. There were some fish in the ship, but other than that it was rather uneventful for me. In spite of this, Michael had to save our friend yet again. Our friend got himself stuck in the ship and could not figure out how to get out. Michael calmed him down, helped him get his bearings straight, and led him out of the ship. We then swam back down the ship into the corals that lay waiting for us at the end of our dive. Oh, we saw some Stonefish which are very poisonous so do not touch!

With dives one and two out of the way, we relaxed for another two hours before our last and final dive of the trip. We went to Ras Ghozalani for a semi-drift dive. It was a very easy dive which was such a relief after the first two dives. I saw tons of Clown Fish and some little baby Nemos swimming in the safety of their anemone. Clown Fish are funny creatures because divers can actually get them to play. The fish see their reflections in the mask of the divers so this tiny little fish charges at the diver’s mask thinking it is scaring away another Clown Fish. In addition, Clown Fish mate for life guarding their anemone with their partners. Oh, I saw a Sea Turtle on the dive as well!! It came out of the blue and onto the reef. Other than that, the dive was rather calm but absolutely freezing! Seven minutes into the dive we hit a thermocline dropping the temperature of the water to 75 degree Fahrenheit. That may not sound cold, but for 44 minutes it gets quite chilly.

Overall the trip was an amazing experience and gave me a whole new appreciation for the underwater world.

Advanced Open Water Part 1

Michael and my adventures in diving are not yet over!! Immediately after the Open Water Course ended on Wednesday, I signed myself up for the Advanced Open Water Course. This course took only two days which was perfect as I had two days left in Sharm. Taking this course enabled me to do deep diving (30 meters), perfect my buoyancy, navigate underwater, effectively drift dive, and calculate multilevel diving. There were many other options to complete this course, but these were the most practical for my time left in Sharm. In addition, Michael and I were able to be on the same dive boat and go to the same places.

Day one of AOW, Thursday, was an awesome day! My first dive that day was my first time to go to 30 meters. Once down there, my instructor had me do some timed easy tests which I would repeat at the surface so I could see how much reaction time slows down. She gave us a math problem that I just could not solve and was quite happy with my lack of producing a solution. At 30 meters, something called nitrogen narcosis begins to take affect on divers. The affects vary from person-to-person, but I was unbelievably happy and overjoyed to see a fairly large Napoleon fish swimming by us. In fact, I semi forgot that I was actually down there for a purpose. Within ten minutes of being down at 30 meters, we shallowed our dive to allow for more breathing time under the water. We swam around and looked at the pretty fish. Michael swam about above me with a group also admiring the pretty fish.

During my second dive, I working on something called Peak Performance Buoyancy that helped me to establish better neutral buoyancy in the water to conserve air and enjoy the scenery that much more. Not too much else exciting happened while on that dive, however yet again, I saw a Blue-spotted Stingray! The reason why I get so excited to see these animals is because they are Michael’s favorite creature in the sea. In fact, for those of you who do not know, he has a tattoo on his right shoulder of the ray. Needless to say, those animals always make me think of him while underwater.

Now onto the third dive of the day. This dive was amazing! The purpose was to learn how to navigate underwater with a compass. It was not as easy as it sounds, but I did just fine. This dive was so special because I saw a Manta Ray gliding out in the blue!!! I came down the mooring line in front of the boat with my group, looked out, and there it was. Never in my life have I seen something so majestic in the water. Effortlessly it was swimming past. My instructor shot off like a bullet as the mantas sometimes like to play with divers because the bubbles tickle their underbellies. Alas, it did not stay around, but still I saw it. There were other cool fish too, but the Manta Ray was the highlight of the day. There are divers who have been diving for year with over 200 dives under their belts, and they have never seen a Manta Ray. I know that I have been extremely lucky on this trip with the creatures that I’ve seen, but it was still a phenomenal sight to see!!!

Open Water Course Part 2

Alrighty, here comes the next two days of the course. Day three, Tuesday, has been similar to day two. We did tons of diving skills in the pool and then hit the sea for further practice. Some of day three’s skills I did not like. We had to master an emergency ascent on one breath of air for thirty seconds. Now this was not difficult in the sea, but I found it extremely tough in the pool. Four attempts later I finally got it. We also learned how to skin dive or duck dive. Also, something that I do not really like, but I can see its purpose. Furthermore, we mastered taking off our equipment under the water and on the surface just incase something would need to be altered. That was not tricky as it may sound. Next, we went back to the sea to use the compass in order to navigate on the surface and under the water. We did a few more skills, swam around, and came back to shore. However, we got to see several exciting animals such as a Torpedo Ray and a Trigger fish which was beginning to dig the hole for nesting. Back at the dive school, I took the written portion of the course and I got a 96% on the exam! I am half way there to becoming a certified open water diver!!

Day four!!! Yay!!! Wednesday finally arrived which meant I would be completing my dives to become a certified diver!!! We went to the Fiddle Gardens in Sharm to complete dives three and four. During both dives, we practiced our pool skills in the sea so that our instructor knew we could do them in both bodies of water. On dive three, we saw a the basic fish of the Red Sea. However, on dive four, I saw all kinds of marine life specifically an Arabian Grouper, Lion Fish, Picasso Fish, and several Clown Fish. On that dive, we were supposed to practice hovering, but along came a Blue-spotted Stingray and then a few moments later a Giant Moray went free-swimming along the sand!! We were sooo lucky to get to see the eel out and about as they usually hang out in their holes. Later that day, I went on my first non-course dive and saw a free-swimming octopus coming out of its hole to go swimming around the area. Michael was finally active on day four of my course. He went on the boat with me but was not my buddy for diving. Instead, he was in a different group but in the same area. His dives consisted of the basic Red Sea fish that day. Yet to him, the most important part of the day was that his nose/sinuses did perfectly. There were no problems from the surgery, so that was a huge relief for him.

More on diving to follow from my days in the Advanced Open Water Course!!!

Open Water Course Part 1

Michael and I have headed to Sharm El Sheikh for a week in order for me to learn how to dive. Two of the upcoming blogs, including this one, will mainly be about me as I have the more active day. Finally, Michael gets to relax after finishing work. He spends his days alternating between lounging by the pool reading Harry Potter and taking naps back in the room. When it is time for me to have my lunch break, he too takes a rest from his strenuous day to eat with me. Then when evening comes, we go out to eat relaxing together.

Now, my days are very different. I have voluntarily decided to go to school while on vacation. Yet, it’s quite alright with me as this school is fun with practical application of what I am learning in the classroom. In other words, it is the perfect example of how classrooms to should run with material pertaining to real life experiences. Anyway, getting a bit off topic so back to my first day in the course. Sunday consisted of watching three videos, completing three knowledge reviews, and taking three quizzes. All of this work was classroom work in order for me to begin my scuba training. After lunch, we hit the pool for the first time with the equipment. First, we learned how to assemble everything which was rather difficult as the stuff is rather bulky. Then we stormed into the pool where we learned the basics of taking out the regulator (the thing you breath from) and how to properly breath/clear it when surrounded by water. Similarly, we learned how to fill/clear our masks in the event that it gets knocked off during a dive. When my instructor first asked me to take out my regulator, I almost shook my head saying no, but I realized that it could actually be done. In addition, I was in a meter half a meter under the water, thus I could stand up if I needed too. However, everything went just fine. A little bit later, we put on our fins and moved into deeper water for the first time. It was one of the weirdest feelings I have ever felt. It was like being a fish but with massive amounts of stuff for breathing. The day ended with a quick dive in the Red Sea where there was a small reef filled with fish.

The next morning day two rolled around. On Monday, we spent the morning learning all kinds of diving skills in the pool. We learned how to become neutrally buoyant, no mask breathing which was really weird. I still had my regulator in but with no mask; therefore, I had to resist any temptation to breathe in through my nose. The bubbles kept tickling the edge so at times I had to pinch it. Now, I had to stay there for a minute, and it was the longest minute ever! Thus, I sang Happy Birthday to myself while chanting breathe, breathe, breathe. In addition, we did a great deal of work with the equipment and what to do if things malfunction. Such as if the low-pressure hose breaks then I had to orally inflate the BCD as well as if the regulator starts to free-flow, I could still breathe from it while ascending. That was a weird sensation as well because the regulator is half-way in with bubbles rushing past and water surrounding all of this. Yet, I could still breathe very easily which I have to say was reassuring. We spent the second half of the morning/early afternoon in the sea working on our pool skills and taking a dive in the sea. We saw four lion fish, a corn fish, and a very large/friendly parrot fish which followed us around at times. The dive was amazing, and yet again, very rewarding. In the afternoon, we finished videos four and five in addition to learning how to use the Submersible Pressure Gauge (SPG) to keep track of how much nitrogen the body absorbs during each dive. By the end of day two, I was completely wiped out but still very excited.

Stay tuned for the next two days of the course!

Sokhna Weekend

This past weekend was an absolute blast! Michael, Manga, and I went out to Ein Sokhna with nine of our friends. We stayed at our friend's beach house which at the moment has no air conditioners as the place has just been renovated. However, once the house was aired out during the first night, it was very pleasant. Everyone did their own thing that mainly consisted of lounging around, eating, and the motivated ones forged their way to the beach. Manga naturally assumed that everyone had gathered to see her; thus, there was a great deal of petting and ball throwing for her. Unfortunately, there was no swimming since the beach does not allow dogs, but she still had a good time.

The first evening there were only six of us. We were all exhausted from the week so the evening was rather low key. Once the OFF had been sprayed to ward off any feasting insects, we settled into the garden for chatting and Pimms drinking. If any drink defines summer, it's that one. I think we managed to go through almost two bottles of the stuff. At about 1 in the morning we decided that resting, since we had been so active, and watching a movie was in order. Yet within ten minutes of the movie starting, all of us were asleep in the living room. Now, the house is huge with four bedrooms, three and a half baths, an almost finished kitchen, and an awesome garden. So, one would think that we could all spread out to disperse the heat some. Of course not! Michael and I fell asleep on this really long couch of which I kept scooting down to get more air. Another took up a king-size aerobed, two more, one with a blanket on, were crowded on a smaller couch, and the last was face flat into a lounge chair with a horrible movie blaring in the background. Needless to say, it was a very interesting sight when I woke up around 4. Oh and Manga was sound asleep directly under me on the floor. Around 5am, everyone manged to find more comfortable places to sleep.

Friday rolled around, and we were joined by five other people. Again, we spent most of the day relaxing and eventually, after some major pushing from of our friends, made it to the beach. Dinner was an adventure to KFC which by-the-way is way better here than in the states. Why, I have no idea, but it is. Then we played Big Taboo and some watched Star Academy. My team, naturally, won the game, but I have once again banned myself from those games. I'm way too competitive and take it way too seriously. So, I came out of retirement for this weekend but quickly realized that there was a reason for not playing. Those watching Star Academy were not happy with the results, yet nevertheless, the evening was fun. After the excitement of games, we did something different and relaxed by watching tv. That evening everyone found a different place to sleep although in the beginning it looked as though Thursday night's sleeping arrangement looked as though it would be repeated. Before I went to sleep, I learned something very valuable. Front doors can never be left open, but porch door can because people do not walk around the sides of houses to get inside. Even if there is a small path, it is invisible to the human eye, but not to dogs.

As I'm sure you can guess, Saturday progressed just like Friday. Except, I finished marking my exams! Manga was a bit tired on Saturday because she spent the entire night patrolling the house making sure that everyone was safe in their beds. So, now she is lounging about our house back in Cairo since she did her duty as a guard dog.

The weekend was fantastic, and we are very lucky to have such wonderful friends!

Lastest Info

The past week has been rather calm. Last week was just work, gym, eat, sleep, walk Manga, and see friends. Every Tuesday, we go out with a group of friends, hence calling ourselves the Tuesday Nighter's very original I know, to various places around Cairo. Last week was to Roy's Kitchen in the Marriot hotel in Zamalek. Personally, I love that hotel because it used to be a palace pink, and well everyone knows how much I love palaces. Secretly, I should live there with Michael and the royal dog Manga. Oh, I totally forgot to mention that it's PINK!!! So clearly it must be a good place. Anyway, totally off topic, we went to have dinner which we managed to do some damage to the buffet and then to the gardens for a shisha and something to drink. Those nights are just fantastic as it gets all of us together from various areas of the city. In addition, it really breaks up the week which is always good. One of my favorite parts about the group is the email thread that goes along with it. I have NEVER in my life seen such debating about where to go and eat. However, it is very entertaining and the emails typically go way off topic until someone re-focuses the group. Nevertheless, Tuesday Nights will definitely be missed when we jet back to the USA.

Over the weekend, my little sister, Erin, graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in other words there are no more Metcalfs in high school! Unfortunately, I wasn't there, but I have heard that it was really nice. A whole lot of my family went which is always good. A bit more info about her. A few weekends ago, she and her crew team competed in the New England Championships. Her boat won and so did the second and third boats!!!! This is the second year in a row that Exeter swept New Englands which is the first in the history of the championships!! So needless to say, my sister and her crew boat are all rockstars!! This coming weekend they are going to Nationals in Ohio! So, keep them in your thoughts of good luck.

While my sister was graduating, I was hanging out at the beach with a few of my friends and of course Manga. She went swimming in the Red Sea and just loved it. Naturally, the ball came too but not before being washed in the washing machine and then given a baking soda and vinegar bath to make sure it did not have poison on it. All is well with her. She ran around, scared people by waggin her tail and running into the water. The "beach police" of course scolded us and told her that she could be on the sand just not in the water. Apparently, they aren't aware that creatures more dangerous than Manga live in the sea. Still, there isn't much listening when that happens especially if they try to talk to me. I tend to ignore sending them to seek the potential help from those with me which needless to say fails. Somehow, everyone who is on the beach leave it still in tact even with my oh-so-vicious dog splashing in the water. The weekend was great and relaxing.

This past week has been another repeat of the activities mentioned above. Except for the movers are actually coming to take stuff out of our house! They are coming tomorrow, so I had to go around and label everything since I will be at work when they are here. A little nervous about that, but everything has been labels so there shouldn't be any confusion when Michael is explaining what needs to be packed. Yet, you never know what will actually happen. Our stuff will take 40 days to steam to my parent's house in TN which means it should actually be arriving when we do or just after.

I still can't believe that all of this is happening! I had my last official day of teaching today because we are going into finals. There could still be cover possibility, but that's a just a maybe. It really has been a good year, and I will miss my students. Oh, totally forgot, on Sunday the 9th graders threw a party for me and three other teachers who are leaving the school this year. They made us posters which all the kids signed and got a wonderful cake. It was a really great lunch period and so nice to know that you do actually make a difference in your students even the ones who get kicked out of class. My students here will always have a special place as it is my first school to ever really teach in.

Well, this weekend we are going back to the beach which means more stories to follow!