September 18th 2012 Time is flying. And the days are going by so fast, we must stop, and acknowledge all that is happening here. First of all, there has not been one moment wasted. It seems we have not left this one stretch of road, and we've been hovering between between the North and South end of the strip. Aviva is in the South with her Kiteboarding course and I'm further North for my Open Water Scuba. We both started our courses on Monday. Aviva came back exhilarated, tired, and sore. Aviva learned about basic flying skills, kite set up, body dragging in the water (I think this is where the sore factor comes in) and body water starting (kite goes down and you can launch yourself from this position). Marsha and Michael enjoyed a day at the beach, watching their daughter catapulting in the air, landing in waves, being dragged behind a large red kite, and getting back up again, ready for another round. Naturally. I believe they also enjoyed some snorkelling. I went to Eden Beach Resort to participate in an Open Water Scuba certificate course. As the other instructor Linda had four students, I was set up with a young man of twenty named Boy. Blond, funny, and very knowledgeable he introduced me to my first experience with Le Scuba. We did some theory. We did some skills in the pool. And then, it was a little march to the ocean, with the weight of a small elephant on your back. But anyways. I managed to step into the ocean as I should. And breath as I should. Lowered as I should. And soon enough I was able to equalize my ears---a great fear I had---that I would be stuck to shore due to my inability to lower. But the ears popped, as they should, and before I knew it, I was already deeper than I have EVER been. With Boy next me, I felt safe, and I ventured past the sandy bottom near the sloping, descending floor of the ocean. I started to feel a tug inside my chest but the calm hand signals of my instructor lead me to breathe deep and slow. Carry on. Meanwhile Boy is trying to get me to move deeper. And I, on the other, am trying to move deeper by keeping my body on the 'shallower' side of the slope, so I was sideways---comfortable but sideways. My mind started. And I could not stop it. I no longer feared sharks, or whales, or any creature. I feared myself. I looked up. Probably my first mistake. And then I calculated how far I was from the surface and even though my math is terrible, I was suddenly able to add all this up in a jiffy. My lungs kicked in. And it was a fight from the inside. Stay calm. Don't panic. But I wanted to burst through the ocean like a rocket and get to the air, up there. Boy was encouraging and easy to work with. I went back for a second, and a third try. The third dive was incredible. I was able to swim and enjoy a huge variety of fish, sea creatures, lush sea life as far as I could see, gaze at the ocean and it's incredible size and relish the opportunity to be IN it. At the end of our session, I was pleased with my 8.9m descent and 30 minute time under the water. Today I was added to the group of four (all from Holland) and I am now with the instructor Linda. We did theory in the morning and skills in the pool in the afternoon. Aviva returns to kiteboarding Thursday. So in the meantime she will be diving at my site, Wanna Dive, tomorrow morning. While I do my scuba lesson she will go on a boat dive in the morning and in the afternoon. So we are set. Today Michael and Marsha flew home and Aviva and I went back to Bellafonte to pack up and enjoy one last dinner out on the dock. Aviva had been faithfully collecting apple cores and bits of fruit for Mr. BellaFonte and she brought her little bag of goodies for him in a hopeful goodbye. Mr. BellaFonte was underneath the massive deck, watching, but not moving a cold muscle. So, at the end of dinner, Aviva kindly left the fruit for him on a rock ledge. This was goodbye. So we are here now at Wanna Dive Hut. We immediately turned our air conditioner on, unpacked, and procured our groceries. It's quarter to ten and we are shutting'er down. We both have early starts so no staying up late. A bientôt Dd