gr8jab
Contributor
Training/Trip Report
This report is a little delayed. I’ve been busy at work and have postponed writing it for a while. I hope it is helpful and informative.
My son was interested in getting his open water certification. He had previously been to Kids Sea Camp and done the SASY and Seal Team programs at Curacao and Grand Cayman. He knew he enjoyed diving. Around age 13 he attempted to get certified through a local dive shop. He did most of the skills well, but was frustrated by a few. The most notable of which was mask clearing. He disliked it very much. We decided to wait.
This year he turned 16. After much discussion and reflection, he wanted to try again. Instead of taking him to the local shop, we decided to seek out a private instructor. After a lot of research and chatting with instructors (via email) all over the world, we decided to travel to Key Largo (from the Pacific Northwest) and learn from the Chairman of the Board, NetDoc (aka Pete Murray). He and Mselenaous (Elena Rodriguez) were both very friendly online, tolerated my continuous barrage of email questions, and provided lots of advice and guidance as we planned our trip.
As it ended up, I decided to take Self Sufficient Diver while my son learned OW. I was hesitant to do this because I did not want to interfere or impeded the OW class, but Pete and Elena assured me it would be a good combination. I would be able to participate, but not intrude. My son could hear the topics I was studying, and I could listen and absorb what Pete teaches for OW cert too.
I’ll detail the whole trip below, but let me summarize by saying that Pete and Elena were incredible. They took what would have been a stereotypical training trip and made it in to a great vacation. We had a few obstacles and issues along the way, but never once did they fail to turn them into opportunities for success. They were kind, and friendly, treated us as if we knew them for years.
Day One, Sunday
We arrived in Key Largo, after driving south from New Smyrna (and previously, Orlando). Hearing that we had arrived, Pete and Elena invited us to dinner and introduced us to the Bayside Grill. We had an incredible meal, talking about diving and travel, and hobbies, and whatever else came to mind. The food was wonderful, my son particularly enjoyed the Seafood Diablo. I’ve never thought of him as a big seafood fan, but he ate every last bite. At one point he even tried to lick the plate!!
Throughout the conversation, Pete took the time to address my son directly, seemingly to chat about stuff. I noticed that he was also gently probing for information. I later surmised that this was typical of Pete, using what he learns to adapt and change his teaching style and methods to best fit my son. Elena had her own style too. She was so friendly and talkative, but somehow also very frank and straightforward. She had such a nice way of saying “You’d be crazy to dive tomorrow, unless you like to puke!” I had hoped to get a few boat dives in while Pete and my son went to the pool… oh well.
Day Two, Monday
We rose early and met Pete at DJ’s Diner. This appeared to be his favorite breakfast joint, since he knew everyone by name and even had his own favorite table in the back. We all enjoyed a nice breakfast while Pete talked about the day’s lessons. The first day was all about my son, and I was just going to hang back and give them room to get started.
After breakfast, we headed over to the local pool, Jacobs Aquatic Center, in the YMCA park. It was a great place for dive training, and appeared to be the popular destination for many instructors. We saw several classes come and go as we worked. The lap pool and adjacent diving well seemed to be Pete’s favorite spot. I hung out in the bleachers enjoying the sun, and watching people come and go. The local preschools and other summer camps apparently use the kids pool regularly. They came marching in a long line from the parking lot, with teachers and staff leading the way. Their laid-back attitudes and matter-of-fact performances were either an indication of the more typical Keys lifestyle, or merely a symptom of the frequency of their visits.
After what appeared to be half of the day’s lesson, I jumped into the pool to cool off and stick my nose into Pete’s business. I wore my snorkeling gear (fins and mask), and swam around and watched them work. Pete made me practice my frog kick, and made endless jokes about my split-fins (justifiably so). Although he tried all week, I avoided giving into his admonishments, and buying replacements.
After we were done for the day, at our request for a good Cuban sandwich, Pete took us to… a liquor store! No, he’s not an alcoholic. I’m assuming that Denny (the owner of Denny’s Latin Café) must also own the Discount Liquor store right next door. The sandwiches were excellent, and reminded me of the wide variety of food found in Florida, but unavailable where we live now.
Day Three, Tuesday
Elena, in her friendly and kind way, again informed me that Wednesday would likely be a “puke fest” on the boats, and I should just stay ashore. I am paraphrasing a bit, as she told me this in the nicest way possible. However, I do believe the words ‘puke’ and ‘fest’ did emerge from her at some point.
Tuesday was almost a mirror image of Monday. Yummy breakfast at DJ’s and pool time at the Aquatic Center. However, I did suit-up and join Pete and my son in the pool. While he and Pete worked on his OW skills, I was sent off to improve my buoyancy, swim around without my mask, and try to take my gear off/on without touching the bottom or surface.
Pete and my son spent most of the day doing the usual OW tasks, but also building buoyance skills by playing games with weights on the pool bottom. Most everything seemed to be going well. Our biggest hurdle seemed to be building his confidence and comfort in the water so that he could successfully complete the harder tasks. Even though it was the second day of practicing mask clearing, the mere thought of it obviously bothered my son. As his anxiety grew, his buoyancy was shot and he was up-and-down like a yo-yo. By the end of the day, however, he had done everything to Pete’s satisfaction (for now).
This report is a little delayed. I’ve been busy at work and have postponed writing it for a while. I hope it is helpful and informative.
My son was interested in getting his open water certification. He had previously been to Kids Sea Camp and done the SASY and Seal Team programs at Curacao and Grand Cayman. He knew he enjoyed diving. Around age 13 he attempted to get certified through a local dive shop. He did most of the skills well, but was frustrated by a few. The most notable of which was mask clearing. He disliked it very much. We decided to wait.
This year he turned 16. After much discussion and reflection, he wanted to try again. Instead of taking him to the local shop, we decided to seek out a private instructor. After a lot of research and chatting with instructors (via email) all over the world, we decided to travel to Key Largo (from the Pacific Northwest) and learn from the Chairman of the Board, NetDoc (aka Pete Murray). He and Mselenaous (Elena Rodriguez) were both very friendly online, tolerated my continuous barrage of email questions, and provided lots of advice and guidance as we planned our trip.
As it ended up, I decided to take Self Sufficient Diver while my son learned OW. I was hesitant to do this because I did not want to interfere or impeded the OW class, but Pete and Elena assured me it would be a good combination. I would be able to participate, but not intrude. My son could hear the topics I was studying, and I could listen and absorb what Pete teaches for OW cert too.
I’ll detail the whole trip below, but let me summarize by saying that Pete and Elena were incredible. They took what would have been a stereotypical training trip and made it in to a great vacation. We had a few obstacles and issues along the way, but never once did they fail to turn them into opportunities for success. They were kind, and friendly, treated us as if we knew them for years.
Day One, Sunday
We arrived in Key Largo, after driving south from New Smyrna (and previously, Orlando). Hearing that we had arrived, Pete and Elena invited us to dinner and introduced us to the Bayside Grill. We had an incredible meal, talking about diving and travel, and hobbies, and whatever else came to mind. The food was wonderful, my son particularly enjoyed the Seafood Diablo. I’ve never thought of him as a big seafood fan, but he ate every last bite. At one point he even tried to lick the plate!!
Throughout the conversation, Pete took the time to address my son directly, seemingly to chat about stuff. I noticed that he was also gently probing for information. I later surmised that this was typical of Pete, using what he learns to adapt and change his teaching style and methods to best fit my son. Elena had her own style too. She was so friendly and talkative, but somehow also very frank and straightforward. She had such a nice way of saying “You’d be crazy to dive tomorrow, unless you like to puke!” I had hoped to get a few boat dives in while Pete and my son went to the pool… oh well.
Day Two, Monday
We rose early and met Pete at DJ’s Diner. This appeared to be his favorite breakfast joint, since he knew everyone by name and even had his own favorite table in the back. We all enjoyed a nice breakfast while Pete talked about the day’s lessons. The first day was all about my son, and I was just going to hang back and give them room to get started.
After breakfast, we headed over to the local pool, Jacobs Aquatic Center, in the YMCA park. It was a great place for dive training, and appeared to be the popular destination for many instructors. We saw several classes come and go as we worked. The lap pool and adjacent diving well seemed to be Pete’s favorite spot. I hung out in the bleachers enjoying the sun, and watching people come and go. The local preschools and other summer camps apparently use the kids pool regularly. They came marching in a long line from the parking lot, with teachers and staff leading the way. Their laid-back attitudes and matter-of-fact performances were either an indication of the more typical Keys lifestyle, or merely a symptom of the frequency of their visits.
After what appeared to be half of the day’s lesson, I jumped into the pool to cool off and stick my nose into Pete’s business. I wore my snorkeling gear (fins and mask), and swam around and watched them work. Pete made me practice my frog kick, and made endless jokes about my split-fins (justifiably so). Although he tried all week, I avoided giving into his admonishments, and buying replacements.
After we were done for the day, at our request for a good Cuban sandwich, Pete took us to… a liquor store! No, he’s not an alcoholic. I’m assuming that Denny (the owner of Denny’s Latin Café) must also own the Discount Liquor store right next door. The sandwiches were excellent, and reminded me of the wide variety of food found in Florida, but unavailable where we live now.
Day Three, Tuesday
Elena, in her friendly and kind way, again informed me that Wednesday would likely be a “puke fest” on the boats, and I should just stay ashore. I am paraphrasing a bit, as she told me this in the nicest way possible. However, I do believe the words ‘puke’ and ‘fest’ did emerge from her at some point.
Tuesday was almost a mirror image of Monday. Yummy breakfast at DJ’s and pool time at the Aquatic Center. However, I did suit-up and join Pete and my son in the pool. While he and Pete worked on his OW skills, I was sent off to improve my buoyancy, swim around without my mask, and try to take my gear off/on without touching the bottom or surface.
Pete and my son spent most of the day doing the usual OW tasks, but also building buoyance skills by playing games with weights on the pool bottom. Most everything seemed to be going well. Our biggest hurdle seemed to be building his confidence and comfort in the water so that he could successfully complete the harder tasks. Even though it was the second day of practicing mask clearing, the mere thought of it obviously bothered my son. As his anxiety grew, his buoyancy was shot and he was up-and-down like a yo-yo. By the end of the day, however, he had done everything to Pete’s satisfaction (for now).