Originally posted by King_Neptune
Aug, 1995... D-Day ... Ground Zero!
1 Instructor, 1 DiveMaster, 12 Students, and me (the 2nd DiveMaster)...
Days before the dive, the regular class Instructor, Cosmo (yes that's his real name, hehe) had suffered "baro-trauma" to his ears. The class had really grown to like and trust their instructor but try as he might he was in just too much pain and could not push it and asked for another instructor to take over the open water dives. I had dove with the other divemaster before and she and I got along well, and I had also been helping out with the class as a "Divemaster" since "LadyDiver" was in that class and they were in odd numbers so I served 2 purposes - even the buddy teams and he has to pay one less DM, hehe. (Water? Where? Drool... Sure! err, I mean, ok, if you insist, hehe).
She (the other DM) came up to me and asked if I could go ahead and join them that morning as I had been helping Cosmo with the class and the students had kind of gotten to know me and looked up to me a bit and it might make them a bit more comfortable with having a unknown Instructor take over. (Once again ... Water? Where? Drool... Sure! err, I mean, ok, if you insist, hehe).
The only other thing that should be known was the weather reports for that morning said "chances of rain" ... Which for San Diego usually means it's gonna be just as Hot, Dry and Sunny as any other day. We all showed up in front of the "Marine Room Restaurant" where during high tide the waves often crash into the side of the dining areas foot thick glass windows. In the time it took for everyone to suit up, the weather did not "burn off" like most days but seemed to pick up with a slight breeze. Yet, still no cause for real alarm but the other DM and I did talk to the Instructor about maybe calling it off, this was their FIRST Open Water dive. but he would hear nothing of it. So, as I usually prefer to do I positioned myself behind all the other students and while slipping into alittle something more comfortable (a wetsuit of course, hehe) I studied each one of the students as I would an opponent during a sparring match, quietly and intently, while acting like I wasn't even looking. Then, as if Air Raid sirens were going off I saw something that scared me.
She was 43 years old, stood 4' 9", easily weighted 250+ and while one hand held the spoon she was licking that contained the last drops of her "Fruit on the bottom" yogurt the other held the empty banana peel. AAAHHH! No she wasn't! Oh yes she was - and did! This was the same student that said she kept getting sea sick during her Open Water Dives and this was the 4th time taking a Open Water Class and she was a transplant from another class because she just needed to pass her Open Water Dives to get her C-Card. What REALLY got me though, was I couldn't figure out what they were doing all gathered around her and causing such a ruckus over. So I stepped around from where I was to see them asking around for anyone else that had another extra weight belt. Oh yeah, did I mention she was about as "round" as she was "tall"? It would have almost been funny that they were trying to link weight belts together to get around her but it was NOT funny at all, as a matter of fact I didn't find it amusing at all and voiced my opinion to the Instructor there, but he wouldn't hear it. This was beyond hurting someone's feeling, and to this day I disagree with his stated fear that turning her away could bring some sort of discrimination law suit. This wasn't any kind of racial, gender, creed, overweight, religious or other personal problem I had with her but rather one of safety and concern for the group as a whole and this person specifically. If ever I wished, no, wrong words ... If ever I prayed, that I was wrong more, I don't know when...
=-)
