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Wake-up, get up and get ready. Check your bag, make sure you have food and water because it is going to be a busy day. Have your morning coffee and cereal then meet outside to start packing the boat. It was the long weekend and we had numerous individual guests and tour groups coming to dive with us. Four days and a minimum of 3 launches a day. We had to make sure we were organized, prepared and ready to create an experience our guests would never forget, that in the end is the goal of the entire operation. The day would start at 4:00 and if you were lucky it would end at 19:00. These days always took their toll but these hardships created were far outweighed by the rewards. Every day you have the privilege to interact with people from all across the world and guide them through one of the most beautiful marine protected areas in the world, the ISimangaliso Wetland Park.
This park boasts numerous healthy reefs with countless dive sites that provide a unique and astonishing experience every time you back roll off the boat. With more than 1000 species of fish and numerous other organisms that call these reefs their home, there is always something to look at. Whether it be a school of barracuda hovering over the reef in mid-water or the smallest most beautifully intricate nudibranch you could ever imagine. You see astonishing interactions between species. An example would be the relationship between a Goldie, a large goldfish looking species, and eels whereby they force the eel out of hiding to help chase away potential predators they might have spotted.
You begin to learn that the ocean is actually itself a massive organism that provides you with experiences based on the conditions. On windy days the whales are always breaching. On days with murky visibility fish come out of hiding and start to feed in open water due to the presence of increased plankton in the water. On calm days with amazing visibility your breath will always be taken away when you see the entire reef from the surface and the life it sustains. You then start to use this knowledge to give your guests a unique experience no matter the conditions. This isn’t the only knowledge you will attain though.
Along the way during your journey through the amazing world that is Sodwana you learn. You learn things about yourself, as you interact with people every day. You learn more about diving and the challenges it may bring through intensive daily training. You then start apply this knowledge learnt in your everyday life. Theoretical quickly becomes practical. Practical application quickly becomes habit as you are groomed into a dive professional. You not only learn how to become a good diver but a good teacher as well. You learn to effectively communicate, demonstrate and teach numerous skills underwater and knowledge required to be a safe diver. Each dive and each day becomes important.
The importance of each day causes them all to become one. Days of the week fall away and is filled by the plan for tomorrow. What is the next step forward? Achieving goals becomes daily routine and challenges start to inspire vigor to overcome them, whether they come now or later. Suddenly you start to appreciate each and every day for what it is, the gift of the present. As Nicholas Rendall once said, “In Sodwana there are no days of the week. Simply yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
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