DMT's Week 4

I can’t believe the month is almost over. Time has flown by so quickly. This last week, the team has been busy practicing refreshers and fun dive briefings. Scuba Junkie offers refreshers to divers who have not been diving in a couple of months as way to increase confidence in their diving skills, like clearing a mask, and in their diving ability, like buoyancy control. A refresher involves several parts. First, the DMTs work on finessing their “equipment explanation”, which means being able to describe the function of each piece of scuba gear, and discussing how to set-up and break down the equipment. Second, they need to talk about the skills that will be practiced under water. Ideally, a thorough briefing involves confirming the underwater sign of the skill, a clear explanation of how to do the skill, and why we do the skill. Third, they will need to be comfortable demonstrating skills underwater, watching divers perform the skills, and correcting any mistakes. By this point, the DMTs should feel comfortable navigating Awas and the House Reef. So for the fun dive practice, the team is learning how to analyze the conditions, such as current strength and tide levels, before going on a dive. Next, they practice delivering a thorough yet succinct dive brief, which should tell divers from start to finish of a dive what the dive will entail, our expectations of them as divers, and the cool marine life they might encounter. Lastly, we go for a DIVE and practice logbooks! The goal is for each DMT to successfully navigate around the dive site of his/her choosing.

On the 28th, we completed the equipment exchange, which is one of my favorite parts of the course. Here, the DMTs work in pairs to exchange their fins, mask, and BCDs with their buddy all while buddy breathing. Buddy breathing is where two people share one second stage regulator between themselves. Super challenging but extremely fun! In the evening, we had one last “skill” to complete - the snorkel test, which is basically a rite of passage for newly minted professional divers! Below is a picture of our new divemasters (WOHOO!). I and the whole team at Scuba Junkie are so proud of all of their hard work! Welcome to the club! If you have any questions about making the transition to living the dream on an island and diving every day, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would love to see you here!

DMT'S Week 3

For Week 3, the DMTs were super busy ticking off the boxes re the Practical Application portion of the course.  First, they completed the mapping project.  The team spent two days working to create a map of Awas and House Reef.  This entire month, the theme has been boys versus girls.  So on the first day of mapping, the boys (Damien and Man) and the girls (Jan and Sanne) worked in separate teams using skin diving and various search patterns to orientate themselves.  On the second day, they worked together as a four person team to combine their maps and to polish the details, such as compass heading, fin kicks, and depth readings.  They did a superb job!

Next up, we geared up for the final skill circuit, which involves demonstrating the twenty-four skills from the open water course.  There is a big difference between being able to DO the skills and being able to DEMONSTRATE them.  Part of the skill circuit involves learning how to explain the parts of the scuba gear and how to assembly and disassembly the kit.  Here’s a picture of the girls practicing their spiel and preparing their equipment.  And here’s a photo of the boys hanging out after the skill practice.

At the end of the week, we completed the 40 meter dive.  It was serious fun planning and preparing for the deep dive.  My favorite part is seeing how “narc-ed” the DMTs are at 40 meters by playing various number games that involve hand-eye coordination.  It’s always a good laugh to see how hard they are concentrating when counting using their hands.  Check out the team after the dive!

Next week is our final week together, which means the STRESS TEST and the always messy SNORKEL TEST.  Stay tuned for more details!

DMT's : Week Two!!

As I mentioned in the last blog post, the February DMTs have spent much of their first week completing administrative/non-water work details: (boring) paperwork, reading the DM Manual, and watching PADI videos, etc.  Week 2 saw them back into the water.  WOOHOO!  They assisted different instructors with open water and advanced courses and shadowed divemasters leading refreshers, snorkelers, and fun divers.

Now, we are back in the classroom.  While the classroom isn’t a bad place to be as it involves sitting in comfy chairs and couches upstairs in the bar with the sea breeze blowing through our hair, it isn’t exactly as exciting as being in the water and blowing bubbles. At the moment, we are focused on finishing the dreaded information laden Chapter 9 of the DM manual and participating in five lectures – physiology, physics, equipment, decompression theory, and environment.  Each lecture summarises important information that is necessary to the diving industry and sport.  Here’s a picture of the group (minus Man, who is in Semporna helping out in the equipment room today) during one of our lecture days.  At the end of the week, the DMTs will be taking their second exam and should start their mapping project.

Work hard, play hard.  That should be everybody’s life motto.  During the day, I cram dive knowledge into their brains.  In the evenings, people congregated upstairs chatting with each other about the day’s diving and just enjoying the beauty of Mabul.  If you haven’t seen a sunset here, then you are missing out on LIFE.  Absolutely stunning!  It’s not a bad life – that’s for sure.

FEBRUARY BLOG

Happy Leap Year! This month, we will have four new divemaster trainees (DMTs).  We are very excited to introduce them to you:

JAN:

I am Jan from England and have taught English in various locations around the world for the past 10 years.  I decided I needed a change of career – another one that would also give me the opportunity to travel the world.  Having been passionate about the diving since I got my OW [open water] in 2011, I decided to do my DMT.  I hope to become an instructor in the future to continue living the dream.

SANNE:

I come from a small island in Denmark and have always loved the ocean as it brings peace to mind.  I just quit my job as a social worker to go traveling and am trying something completely different.  Ever since I got my OW in 2009, I have wanted to challenge myself and do the divemaster course.  I enjoy the quietness of the water, the sound of bubbles, and I also a sucker for turtles!

DAMIEN:

From County Kildare in Ireland.  Started diving (OW) in 2008, in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.  I enjoy diving, particularly the big stuff.  Diving has allowed me to meet a lot of strange and interesting people and visit many remotes parts of the world.  I am doing the DMT course as a way of broadening my dive knowledge and to learn more about the marine conservation work Scuba Junkie undertakes in Mabul and the surrounding areas.

MAN:

Alright, my name is Man.  I am so lucky to have been born in Semporna.  It’s such a lovely place with beautiful islands.  I have been working with Scuba Junkie as a dive shop assistant for the past year.  One day, I started to become interested in diving.  So, I talked to Ric [one of the owners], and he said that he would be happy to give me the opportunity to be a divemaster.  The first breath underwater is still fresh in my mind.  Now, I realize what my passion is! I love diving!

The first week of the course is all about orientation to Scuba Junkie and our way of life, introductions to their diving history and reasons for becoming a professional diver, and increasing their enthusiasm for the underwater world by expanding their knowledge on dive theory and marine life.  We just finished the administrative side of the course aka the paperwork, which is not the most glamorous side of diving but necessary.

We will be sure to keep y’all updated on their progress throughout the month.  If you have any questions about our in-depth DMT program, please send us an email at info@scuba-junkie.com or check out our website at www.scuba-junkie.com.

Congratulations to Dani, Sarah and Dolly! January DMTs

Congratulations to our January DMTs, Sarah, Dolly, and Dani! They have successfully completed their dive master course with Scuba Junkie.  We had an epic equipment exchange and stress test on the 28th!  Throughout the month, these guys dealt with a lot of challenges, such as learning everything in a second language, improving their dive skills, and learning how to speak like a professional diver!  We also shared many laughs along the way (well I did at least).

 One of my favorite things is something that the December’s DMTs passed onto to the January DMTs.  As we all know, the buddy check involves BWRAF.  The December DMTs created a new and improved buddy check consisting of BWRAF – H.  The H stands for HUG.  After completing the buddy check, everybody gets into a circle, wraps their arms around each other, starts jumping, and yells, “DIVING, DIVING, DIVING!”  It’s pretty epic.  Their enthusiasm inspires me and hopefully everyone else to keep on diving.

Dolly has returned to Australia to continue his studies. We will miss him greatly!  Dani and Sarah are staying for a two week internship, and we are happy to have them.  If you see them around the dive shop, make sure to buy them a beer for all of their hard work!

If you have any questions about our DMT program, please let us know either on Facebook or through email at info@scuba-junkie.com. 

Introducing our first DMTs of 2016!

Happy 2016! Scuba Junkie would like to introduce to you its new DMTs for the month of January.

DANI:

I have been an ocean baby my whole life, from being born in Hawaii to growing up on both coasts of the USA.  I am a dancer, a climber, a mountain biker, and a traveler.  And a diver, of course!  I love being outside, trying new things and meeting new people.  I got into diving as a reason to travel the world.  I hope to one day become an instructor and work all over the globe, showing people how beautiful the world is just below surface.

SARAH:

So, a little about me.  I am originally from London, U.K., and have been traveling and working as an English teacher for over a year.  I have been interested in marine biology since I was a wee nipper, and I made a promise to myself when I left the UK that I would finally learn to dive.  I got my Open Water certification last Christmas Eve, in 2015, in Bocas Del Toro, Panama.  Since then, diving has become a huge part of my life, and I can’t imagine living far from the sea now.  My daily commute to work is by boat.  What’s not to love?

So why did I decided to do my DM?  Well, everything about the lifestyle appeals to me. I feel part of a community of passionate and proactive nutters, who share my sense of adventure and curiosity about the ocean.  I also love what the DMT course at Scuba Junkie has brought out in me and those around me: a focus on empowering one another, improving my diving skills, and my awareness of the environment and marine life, and generally taking pride in what I do.  It is undeniably a full-on course, but it has felt great to be totally immersed in something so dynamic and new.

My experience at Scuba Junkie has been so positive; mainly because the staff here are so helpful and lovely, and they have gone out of their way to help me with any queries.  Ultimately, every time I dive here, I learn something new.  I find it so useful watching the variety of teaching styles of different instructors and dive masters, and I learn so much by observing and chatting to other divers who are visiting too.

DOLLY:

I am Dolly from China studying in Melbourne right now.  Half a year ago, I got my AOW certification in Koh Tao, Thailand, and I was addicted in scuba diving after that.  During this summer vacation, I found a really cool place to begin my DMT – Scuba Junkie.  It helps every diver to realize his dream.  For me, I just want to travel around the world and find part-time jobs in different places.  The DMT program trains me to be a professional diver including offering practical skills as well as theoretical knowledge.  I am meeting lots of friends here even though most of them cannot speak Chinese. Scuba diving is such a magical sport because it allows people from different languages and backgrounds to bond together.  I am so happy that I am welcomed by everyone here.  If you want to enjoy a lifestyle where every day is a holiday then come and join us.

We are already in Week 3 of the program.  At the moment, the DMTs are currently finishing the second half of their exam.  Earlier this week, they worked together to complete the mapping project.  They focused on their strengths – navigating, fin kicking, and artistic ability – to create a map of the ever favorite dive site, Awas.

Later this week, we plan to dive to 40 meters to meet the Deep Dive requirement.  During this dive, we will check to see if the scuba babies are affected by nitrogen narcosis by playing a couple of hand eye coordination games while at 40 meters.  At 30 meters, we will look at color differences, and at 15 meters, they will navigate a reciprocal heading – 20 fin kicks out and 20 fin kicks back.  Moreover, we plan to finish up the Search and Recovery activity.  During this practical application, the DMTs have to search for small and large objects and learn how to operate lift bags as well as learning how to tie three knots – bowline, two half hitches, and sheet bend.  For the small objects, I throw several coins into the Scuba Junkie confined area of Awas.  The DMTs then have 25 minutes to find as many coins as possible.  For every coin that they do not find, they will have to give me one in return.  I find this sufficient motivation for them to do well.  Jason, another DMT instructor and Scuba Junkie legend, would always stand at the stairs and yell words of encouragement.  He would literally yell, “Words of Encouragement.”  Both methods work well :-)

If you have any questions about our DMT program, please feel free to email Scuba Junkie @ info@scuba-junkie.com.  We would love to hear from you.

Congratulations to our December DMTs!!

DECEMBER BLOG

Last month in December, we had three amazing DMTs: Kai (in the blue t-shirt), Chris (on the left), and Cat (on the right).

KAI:

My name is Kai.  I am a regular local guy from Borneo.  I am the account clerk at Scuba Junkie.  One day, I told Ash and Dave [Semporna managers] that I would like to do diving as my career.  After talking with Ric [Scuba Junkie’s owner], Scuba Junkie offered to enroll me in the divemaster internship program, which allows me to take all the courses (open water, advanced, EFR, and rescue) up to the divemaster level.  I am very happy diving and meeting people.  I have learned a lot from the instructors here!  Now, I realize that I need nitrogen to live ☺

CHRIS:

Chris is one of the new DMTs at Scuba Junkie in December. He hails from Brisbane, Australia, and has been diving since he was first certified as an Open Water Diver in the Maldives in 2001. Chris is a career researcher, and is completing his DMT internship in order to have a more active and leading role in his university’s dive club. He came to Mabul to see peacock mantis shrimp and flamboyant cuttlefish – both of which he saw on his first day. Hobbies include talking, all the time and about anything at all, to anyone who will listen / is within earshot.

CAT:

Catherine is the second recruit in Decembers DMT course, from Sydney, Australia. First certified in 1997, searching far and wide to do her DMT course and finally finding her ‘happy place’– Scuba Junkie Mabul.  With a background in Sales & Marketing, she is looking to change the scenery from the usual office grind as well as to become a better diver.  Travel, photography, diving and salsa dancing are just some of her interests – and looking for any opportunity in which to combine one or more of these interests is her passion in life.

Below is a picture of the December DMTs after completing their equipment exchange/stress test.  Everybody succeeded with flying colors, and Scuba Junkie is happy to introduce them to the world as PROFESSIONAL DIVERS!

If you're interested in taking the step into professional diving please send an email to info@scuba-junkie.com