The Big Dump...

...there’s no other way to describe it! :)

Mark did all the organising and I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived... at what was a lovely 5* hotel, called Miramar in Fujairah. The Dive Centre was adjoined to the hotel, so we didn’t have far to go each day, where we meandered between the sea and the pool between dives.

Friday morning we headed to the dive centre, getting our gear and getting set up for our first dive for our Advanced Course... which we were told would be a wreck dive. Once kitted up, we made our way across the already blisteringly hot sand (even although it was still early) to the very welcoming, yet warm sea. Judging the surf (now bearing in mind we are wearing/carrying all our gear... tanks, weight belts, masks, fins, you name it), we made it out safely past the waves breaking on shore, followed by a swim to the boat. Once on the boat...already exhausted...we headed off to the first dive site Inchape II. A little nervous, as always, about diving in general not to mention the fact that it was our first wreck dive and we were using Nitrox for the first time, I’m pleased to say all went well, aside from some buoyancy issues I had, but then I had yet to actually master that skill. Once we had finished the dive and all had returned to the boat, we headed to a new spot...where some snorkelled whilst killing the obligatory time before being able to complete our next dive (as we weren’t heading back to shore). Feeling a bit sea sick from the bobbing boat, I opted to just float in the water until we were all ready to go again for the second dive of the day. For us it was the Peak Performance Dive (at Martini Rock) and I am pleased to say that I got there in the end...neutrally buoyant! Accomplishment!

Once we were all back on board the boat again we headed back to shore, where all the other divers were getting off and finishing up for the day. Mark and I however still had a 3^rd dive to do...the Navigation dive for our advance course, so we were only heading back to shore for a brief period of time, but because we were changing to a smaller boat, it meant we had to take all our gear with us too. In the water all was fine, swimming our way back to shore... getting up and out of the surf was another story though. When my feet were able to touch the ground and I had judged what I thought was the timing of the shoreline waves I made a run for it...but clearly my judgement was a little off (or perhaps being weighed down with all the gear, slowed me down more than I had anticipated) and soon enough a wave came out of nowhere knocking me off my feet gear and all, for what had to be the biggest dump in history. I can only imagine the sight it must have been! Being knocked off my feet was all very well; even funny at the time...it was the getting back up part again before the next wave that became a little bit of a problem. I was absolutely knackered trying to fight being swept back with the undercurrent...and no matter how hard I tried, I just could not seem to muster up enough energy to get myself, gear and all, back to my feet...and so another wave came! What a site!! Thankfully the captain and a happy helper came to my aid...but talk about embarrassing! I then had to make my way across the sand which was even more blisteringly hot now a couple of hours later than when we set out before! Eina!

Not much time to rest before the next dive, which would be the Navigation dive of the course... we were heading back out all a little too soon. The next dive however was to be a fairly short one and thankfully the entering and exiting the sea (all geared up again) went a little more smoothly than before!!

Dives for the day complete we headed back to the hotel and jumped straight into the very welcoming chilled pool...where we pretty much spent the rest of the day! Dinner that evening we decided to try out the fine dining Asian restaurant, which was absolutely divine! The service was fantastic and the selection of food from the taster menu was delicious and far better than the buffet we had had the night before. After the day’s adventures, lights out came rather early that evening.

The next day we had 2 more dives to complete for our advanced course and we started the day off with another Wreck dive, this time however it would count as our Deep Dive for the Advanced Course as the wreck was at 30 metres. We were the second divers on the wreck of the day, which meant we pretty much had it all to ourselves to explore which was great. The resident Moray Eels, Fred and Wilma, as they have been so named, made for some great photos, as they are probably the biggest moray’s we have ever seen! Nature was far more established on this wreck than the first wreck we had dived, mainly because it has been there longer and the number of schools of fish was amazing!

Back at the surface we headed for shore and to once again judge the surf for exit...another victory for me, as I made it out with a little more dignity this time. That was until I hit that ridiculously hot sand and had there not been so many people around, I probably would have run screaming all the way across it...seriously it was that hot (and it was not just the inner diva within me trying to get out). I managed to contain myself (only just), vowing that booties would be the next must have diving accessory.

Then just when I thought I was going to completely melt, it was time to head back out for a final dive of the day and the weekend...with us well on the way to becoming fully fledged Advanced Divers and Enriched Air certified. This time there were a lot more divers joining us on the boat for the dive at ‘3 Rocks’...and once at the bottom one of the first things I spotted was a turtle, which always makes the dive. Shaking my rattle wildly so as to catch Mark’s attention, he finally heard and made his way over to take some photos. Back at shore after yet another exit victory against the surf it was time for our last chilled pool swim and some lunch before setting off back home to Dubai.

What a fantastic weekend and I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed the diving this time. I was definitely a lot less anxious than I have been in the past and in the end I actually felt quite comfortable down at the bottom of the ocean! Another great sense of accomplishment! :)

Wild Wild...

Wadi and other adventures...

Almost a month has passed since my last update and as we have become accustomed...what a month it has been! Firstly the temperatures have soared, which has taken some getting used, and for the first times in our lives I think we can actually say it’s not so bad having an office job.

The weekends on the other hand have proved interesting, trying to keep ourselves entertained without over heating (too much). In our first attempt, Mark, Carol and I headed off to the Wild Wadi Waterpark (near the Burj Al Arab - the hotel that looks like a sail boat and the Jumeirah Beach Hotel – the hotel that looks like a wave) a couple of weekends ago, for a fun day in the sun (or should I say scorching heat). We spent the entire day (from about 11am – 7.30pm) in our costumes in and out of the water, having an absolute ball and a lot of laughs! We had a go on all the rides available and some a number of times... from ‘white water rafting’, rides on big tubes, rides on small tubes (all of which whisk you around on slides around the park), catching waves in the tidal pool (which was very entertaining to see just how many adults made use of the life jackets available... the only reason I can think of is because they not used to a sea that has very many waves), to a rather high and super fast water slide (on which my lungs, which had had quite the workout already, were used to their full capacity!).

Apart from Boxing Day at King’s Beach (back in the day when you used to go to the beach on Boxing Day many moons ago) I don’t think I have ever seen so many people swim in their clothes (and I don’t mean strip down to the bare essentials for swimming purposes, I mean their entire kit). Wild Wadi is not somewhere you just happen to stumble upon on your way past when you feel like a quick dip... you pay to go in and generally make a day of it, so those that were there had every intention of going to a Waterpark when they set out from home earlier that day.

The swimwear was interesting to say the least, from the usual bikinis, tankinis, full costumes, board shorts, chafe vests, you name it...to the more conservative swimwear for ladies... full body costumes yes, you read right... we headed right back to the 1920’s (actually maybe even before that) where woman wore full length costumes (serious ‘onesies’), long pants to the ankles and long sleeves to the wrist, not to mention a head thing as well... and as if that wasn’t enough, they also wore a skirt or sarong of sorts around their waists. We even saw a lady in a full length wetsuit (with a skirt around the waist)...and considering I was dying of heat in my tankini...I would honestly hate to know how hot she must have felt, but then at least she was in and out of the water from time to time. Unlike another lady we saw, sitting the in the tiniest spot of shade, in jeans, a full length jersey and a head scarf watching her husband and children frolicking in the water... how she didn’t pass out from the heat I really don’t know.

What a fantastic day out for us though, we really made the most of our time there (getting our monies worth entirely) and before we knew it they were announcing the closure of the park. Carol and I fitted in one more ride before it was time to head home, from what had been an action packed and quite an exhausting day.

The rest of the month has included a couple of trips to the movies...Carol and I went to watch Jane Eyre. Mark and I went to watch the much anticipated Hangover II, which didn’t disappoint and was almost every bit as funny as the first. Mark and I bought a WII, which has led to some stiff competition between Mark and I (not to mention stiff arms and other body parts). We had another skiing session with a couple of mates, followed by lunch at the Lakes Club (and a swim for some). We met up with a friend from London (who was over for a few days for work), headed to Neos, the Sky Bar at the Address Hotel, which has fantastic views across Dubai (including views of the Burj Khalifa up close and personal). After which we gave the Mango Tree a second chance and had dinner there, where the food made up for the disappointing service we had had the time before.

I also did some more study work and finished off yet another assignment! If only I could bottle and sell that sense of relief after just having submitted an assignment ...I would be a very wealthy lady!

We also did online e-learning Padi courses for our Advanced Scuba diving course and Enriched (Nitrox) Air course. And as if all that wasn’t enough for the month of June already, this past weekend we headed off to Fujairah, just outside of Dubai, to complete the practical side of the Advanced Diving Course.