Tag: diving

Scuba Training: I am a Rescue Diver

This week I took the course for my next levels of PADI Scuba, and now I am a Rescue Diver.  I also needed emergency response certification to complete the course, so it was a very intense week!

Course Materials

I had three books to read, study and memorize. Fortunately for me, two of the books were in English. The dive shop only had a Spanish version of the emergency response book. So now I know how to use a defibrillator and perform CPR and rescue breaths in Spanish.

Scuba books I am a rescue diver
The dive books I needed to memorize
Busy Week

This week, I spent Monday and Tuesday morning in Spanish class and Tuesday afternoon in scuba class, reviewing all the signs and symptoms of diver accidents and ailments.  I spent Tuesday afternoon and evening studying and then on Wednesday afternoon had a dive class in Spanish (the only available instructor speaks Spanish) about emergency response. Just to make things more difficult! What is life without new challenges? Needless to say, I spent a little less time at the gym this week.

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Scuba Diving in San Juan del Sur

San Juan del Sur is a surf town, but being on the ocean, you can scuba dive here too. It is definitely not common: after a few days searching, I was able to find one dive operator in town. Scuba diving in San Juan del Sur is possible! I got two dives in with Dive Nicaragua this past weekend and even used the go-pro underwater for the first time. It worked!

The dives weren’t the greatest dives I’ve ever done. The water is quite cold – less than 20. This isn’t the Caribbean, that’s for sure! The visibility also wasn’t fantastic. It really varied around, depending on the amount of sun shining and the waves kept bringing in lots of sand. All in all, it was still worth it. The dive master was very nice and the other client, a youngster from Germany, was very friendly and interesting. The weather was great and the scenery was pretty good too. One of the good aspects of diving is you can do it as a solo traveler.

The dive sites were close to the beach I visited last week, Playa Hermosa. At the first site, we dove around a statue of the Virgin Mary which was recently submerged in the water and is beginning to attract plant life. On both dives, we saw schools of fish and lots of rays and starfish. My photos aren’t the best, but they are OK.

Hermosa scuba diving in San Juan del Sur
Dive boat view
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Why Am I Living in San Juan del Sur?

San Juan del Sur is a surf town on the Pacific coast just two hours drive north of Costa Rica. So, why am I here? I am living in San Juan del Sur mainly to study Spanish, but also to experience a few weeks in a beach town and hopefully get some scuba dive training in in my spare time.

About San Juan del Sur

Located on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, in the south near Costa Rica, San Juan del Sur is 87 miles south of Managua. Known for excellent surfing, stunning mountains, and party hostels, San Juan del Sur is a vacation spot for locals and foreigners alike. While the ocean is good for surfing, I can also scuba here, although Corn Island, Nicaragua’s Caribbean claim, is more known for scuba.

Living Space in San Juan del Sur

I am living with a family two doors down from the school, as arranged by the school, which is great. I get to live cheap in a convenient location, 3 meals a day, and I practice my Spanish with the large family in whose house I rent a room. Here’s more about my homestay in San Juan del Sur.

Daily Schedule

My schedule Monday – Friday (today was Day 2 of 3 weeks):

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