合格畢業

 English version

    在2公尺高的海浪中前往外礁，然後在一小時內帶4個體驗潛水遊客外加2個潛水學生。下午原班人馬，再一次體驗潛水和潛水課。潛水課結束後，又冷又累，但是工作還沒結束。一日遊的潛水船還要去和船宿的潛水船會合，接遊客回凱恩斯。

    兩船會合時，艾瑞克跑來問：「學生們表現如何？她們合格畢業了嗎？」

    我回答：「合格畢業了啊。」思索他為什麼會來問這個問題。這兩個學生的泳池訓練是艾瑞克教的，他很清楚只要今天外中實習兩次就合格畢業了。

    他接著說：「我跑去恭喜她們成為合格潛水員，可以她們還不確定自己是不是合格畢業了．．．」邊說邊裝哭，彷彿學生們剛剛跟他哭訴了。艾瑞克又要開始誇張地說教了。他是優秀的潛水教練，他誇張戲劇地表達方式在教學上很有效。可是，有位同事說得好，艾瑞克把每個人都當成他的學生在說教。

    「喔！我還沒在文件上簽名而已．．．」嘗試停止他冗長的說教。我累了，只想要快快收工回家。

    艾瑞克提高分貝：「尚尼！」每次他真的要對我說教，都會這樣叫我。「教練應該要在學生結束最後一次海中實習，剛回到水面就立刻為學生歡呼。不管什麼文件簽核了有的沒有．．．」我後悔剛才在他沒說完就嘗試打岔。從這幾個月的共事，我了解艾瑞克不是難搞，只要讓他把想講的話說完就好。他很會表達敘述，但不是個好聽眾，更不能打斷他的話。

    我立刻承認：「是我的錯。」從這幾個月的工作，學到另一件事是承認自己的疏失，不要找藉口。要面對自己的失敗。艾瑞克說得對，最後一次海中實習的氣氛應該要是歡樂的。對學生來說，是很值得慶祝的成就。我應該在海中實習一結束就恭喜學生成為合格的潛水員。亡羊補牢，艾瑞克說教完後，趕快去跟學生恭喜。下一次帶海中實習應該要把氣氛炒熱。

    照片是我的潛水教練證 。

Certification

    It’s a long trip to get to outer reef under 30 knot wind and 2 meter waves. It’s a long dive to take 4 introductory divers and 2 diving students within 1 hour. It’s a long day to repeat the long dive again in the afternoon. I was cold and tried when I finished the diving course. Yet, the long day was not finished. The daytrip boat had to meet the liveaboard ship to pick up passengers.

    Instructor Eric came when the boats met. ‘How are the students? Are they certified?’ he asked.

    ‘Yeah, they are certified.’ I answered. Wondering why he suddenly asked the question that he had known the answer. He had trained the students in the pool. It’s for sure that the students would be certified once they completed the last open water dive this afternoon.

    ‘I congratulated them on their certification,’ he said, ‘but they were not sure if they were certified…’ Eric pretended to weep as if the students had answered in tears. Eric started him lengthy dramatic talking again. He was an excellent course instructor, and his dramatic talking certainly worked for his students. But, once another colleague had commented that Eric talked to everybody like talking to students.

    ‘Oh, I haven’t signed on their student records…’ I explained and tried to stop his endless talking. I was tired. I just wanted to finish the work and go home.

    ‘Seany!’ Eric raised his tone. He always called me this way when he was about to lecture me. ‘The instructor should cheer for students as soon as they get back to the surface from the certify dive. Not because the instructor has not signed the paperwork…’ I regretted what I had said. One thing I learned from the past few month was that Eric was not difficult as long as I let him finish what he wanted to say. I could learn a lot from his experiences. He was a good speaker but not a good listener. Never interrupt him.

    ‘It’s my fault.’ I said. Another thing I learned was to admit my mistake without any excuses. I had to face my own failure. Eric was right. The certify dive had been supposed to be joyful. It was a great achievement for students. I should have celebrated right after the students finished the certify dive. I congratulated to the students right after Eric finished his lengthy lecture. Next time, I should be cheerful for students.

    The photo is my instructor certification card

零能見度的潛水課

English version 

    最近陰雨綿綿，生意清淡。昨天只有三個遊客，不用太多教練上班，被放無薪假一天。早上強風大雨，比昨天更糟，擔心又要被放無薪假。

    果然，今天一日遊的客人不多，又不用去船上工作。不過，有華裔的澳洲妹和加拿大妹要去小島上潛水課，把我調回小島分店。塞翁失馬，焉知非福。不用在強風大雨的天氣去外礁，只要去小島教潛水，下水兩次就完工。

    潛水課程的海中實習教過幾次，都是一對一教學，這是頭一次帶兩個學生。到了小島分店才知道，小島渡假村有個香港員工也要參加，變成三個女生一起上課。自信熟悉潛點，一次帶三個學生不成問題。

    大雨的影響，水中能見度比豆漿好一些，幾乎要貼到面前，才看得清楚學生的表情。剛下潛時，澳洲妹的面鏡一直進水。立刻向其他學生打手勢，要她們待在原地，自己上前幫澳洲妹調整面鏡。好不容易調整好面鏡，回頭才發現其他學生已經不見了。忐忑不安，牽著澳洲妹在海中找其他學生，怕連最後一個學生都搞丟。找了一下還是不見蹤影，升上水面去追蹤學生呼出的氣泡。還沒到達水面，加拿大妹和香港妹已經回到水面，朝自己拖在水面的潛水旗游過來。還好下水前有交代，萬一分散，只能在水中找一分鐘，就要回到水面會合。

    找回學生後，不敢再讓學生離開視線，不時地要學生手牽著手。沒有再分散，不過課程進行得很緩慢，不像平常可以抽出一半時間導覽珊瑚礁。有了早上的教訓，下午第二次潛水時，保持所有學生都在觸手可及的距離。游動的時後，倒退游保持所有學生在視線內。不用手牽著手，可以自己游，學生比較進入狀況，開始像個潛水員了。要成為合格的潛水員，學生還要再潛水兩次。希望明天的工作分配到潛水課程，可以完整教完海中實習。

    照片是凱恩斯的天氣預報

Teaching in zero-visibility open water

    It had been rainy and windy this week, so not many tourists signed up for a day trip to Great Barrier Reef. Yesterday, only 3 passengers took the daytrip boat, so the shop canceled my shift to save the cost. This morning, I could hear the rain struck and the wind gusted against the window before I completely woke up. I was worried that my shift would be canceled again.

    Surprisingly it turned out to be positive for me. We didn’t have many passengers, and the shop didn’t need me to work on the daytrip boat. However, we had an Aussie girl and a Canadian girl going to the island shop for a diving course. So, I was re-assigned to the island shop today. I didn’t need to travel to outer reef under severe weather. Simply teaching the course and having two dives on the island could finish my day.

    I had taught the diving course, but only in a one-on-one class. This was the first time I had to teach two students at once. Later when I got to the island shop, I was informed there was a Hong Kong girl from the island resort attending the course. I ended up with 3 students in the class, but I was confident to do the job because I was familiar with the dive sites near the island.

    Due to the rain and wind, the visibility was merely better than soy milk. I had to be so close as within 1 meter to see a student in the eyes. Right after we descended, the Aussie girl got her mask flooded. I pointed my palm to the other students and signed them to stay put. When I finally got the mask adjusted, the other students just vanished. I skipped a beat, grabbed the Aussie’s hand, and looked for the other students in the water for a minute. Still no visual of them, so I started ascending and hopped to find their bubbles from surface. Luckily they did what I had told them before the dive. Looking for each other up to 1 minute and getting back to surface. So, they found my dive flag on surface and swam toward me.

    Then, I didn’t dare to let any one out of my sight. I even asked them to swim hand in hand. No body got lost, but the course progressed slowly. Unlike the one-on-one class, the students didn’t have time for exploring the reef for fun. Because of the lesson learned from the first dive, I kept everybody so close that I could instantly reach them for the second dive. Also, I swam backward and kept everyone in sight while having them swimming. They didn’t need to swim hand in hand and were getting better as if they had been certified divers. To be a certified diver, they still needed two more dives. Hopefully, I could be assigned to be their instructor to complete the remaining training tomorrow.

    The photo is the recent forecast in Cairns.

大堡礁一日遊行程

        這個月從小島潛店調到一日遊的船上工作，載遊客到大堡礁浮潛和潛水。和小島潛店的悠閒步調相反，早上從六點半開始上班，一直忙到下午五點半洗完船下班。

        早上遊客登船後，旅遊總監要花十五分鐘，跟遊客介紹船上設施和行程。頭一次當旅遊總監，拿著簡報提示卡，講得零零落落的。第二次比較熟練，沒有提示卡也講得出八成內容（其實是忙中有錯，拿錯提示卡）。第三次就開始即興演出，搞笑娛樂遊客。

        娛樂完遊客之後，要趁著遊客還沒暈船之前，跟體驗潛水的遊客上課。船上人手不夠，一個教練要在一個小時內，帶三趟體驗潛水。所以要提前把準備工作完成，船一下錨，潛水甲板準備好，就立刻帶客人下水。

        中午遊客在船上享用午餐時，船員沒得休息，要起錨到下一個珊瑚礁。等到潛水甲板再次準備好，遊客也休息完了。午餐只能扒個兩口，就又要下水了。

        下午第二次浮潛和潛水結束，回凱恩斯的路上，要清洗裝備，整理甲板。不過回程遊客大多都累了，癱在座位上昏睡。這時才有機會，抽空到廚房搜刮吃喝。

        一日遊的船上工作不難，但是時間緊湊。在海裏潛水，也要留意時間，準時把客人送回船上。只要有一項工作沒有準時完成，整個行程就延誤了。

        照片是小島潛店外的沙灘，短時間內沒機會在這悠閒的小島工作了。