I set my alarm for 6:30AM, as I wanted to wake up with a coffee in bed. Alona Beach is a party beach and I could hear dance music blasting into the wee hours of the morning. My neighbor came home at some insane hour, slamming the door and knocking things around the room. Then that bird or whatever it was returned but well before sun up. So much for getting a nice solid sleep.
As I was checking my email and FB with my morning coffee, I noted that construction noises started at 7:20AM. Ugh. I got my stuff ready for diving and headed out of the room at 8:00AM. I was to be at the dive shop at 8:15AM to get geared up. I was nervous but excited.
When I got to the shop, they told me there’d be another girl joining the refresher course. The two of us got gear sorted and then headed into a classroom at the dive shop to go over some theory. I enjoyed the details and the reminders of things I’d forgotten. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I remembered from the advanced diving course I took on Ko Tao, Thailand in 2003.
After an hour of theory, it was finally time to gear up and head into the pool. We practiced clearing our masks and removing them completely underwater as well as losing our regulators and recovering them and what to do without them in our mouths. We practiced sharing alternate regulators in case one of us ran out of air. We also practiced buoyancy. It was informative and I was grateful for that boost of confidence in the underwater world.
Now that our refresher was complete, it was time to jump in the boat and head a few hundred meters out to the wall I had heard about. It was amazing! The coral was gorgeous and the life around it was spectacular. We saw schools of sardines and all kinds of fish that I’d have to look up. We saw a huge lionfish, a moray eel, black and white sea snakes, a ton of starfish, a puffer fish and even a sea turtle. Apparently it’s not common to see sea turtles in the area so we were pretty lucky.
I came up to the surface of the ocean and could barely contain my excitement. Removing my regulator finally allowed a burst of giggles to escape my mouth! I felt like a school kid at recess!
All went well on the dive and I had no trouble equalizing which I have in the past so I signed up for a day trip, which includes three dives on an island for the day after tomorrow. (5,100PHP/NT$3,000/CAN$130) My new diving buddy will also be on the tour so at least I’ll know someone!
My tummy was grumbling once again as we got back just after 12:00PM. After cleaning my equipment, I had my instructor sign my dive book and was on my way. I headed back to my room to shower and change and then set off to find some food. I opted for a margarita pizza and cold beer at a place across the street from my hotel. (500PHP)
I originally thought I’d rent a scooter for the afternoon and tour around the island but I found myself putting my bathing suit on, grabbing my book and heading to the resort pool. Once again, I was the only one there. Perfect!
Not long after, I was forced to come back to my room. The day was extremely hot and they were treating the pool so one wasn’t able to go in the water. I hid in my room until just before sunset. I headed down to the ocean and was amazed at how many people were on the beach. It was Saturday, after all, making it impossible to find a quiet corner.
On my way back to my room, I grabbed some freshly cut pineapple for 100PHP. I then stopped at the 7-11 to grab a couple of beers. I had some leftover pizza, which I planned on eating in my room for dinner. I watched some TV, did a bit of reading and hit the hay early. Would tonight finally be the night that I would be able to get some solid sleep?
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