Another Day, Another Dive

It’s been a few weeks since my last post, and while a lot has happened, I don’t feel like I have a cohesive way to put it all together. So this will be part update, part sharing some of my favorite underwater finds from recent history.

First, I’m a divemaster! I officially became a divemaster as of March 11. This has been a goal of mine for over a year now, and I couldn’t be more excited that it has finally happened! After nearly six weeks of training and a couple dozen kit removals underwater, I had done it. Hooray!

I got to sticker the paper myself!

I was more excited than I look, and I look pretty dang excited!!!

Since my divemaster course is completed, only one question remains…Will I go on to be an instructor? Well, the shop owner, Phil, and my instructor, Will, convinced me to do it, so it’s not a question of if, only a matter of when. Since I just finished my DM course I wanted some time in between before I begin my instructor training. So for now I’m just chilling and diving, but some day I will be Instructor Natalie, and that will be another big day 🙂

Now, we move on to the second part of this post, which is just all the random aquatic mischief I’ve been up to.

Lily. Clare and I have taken to calling ourselves the three musketeers, and it has been so much fun diving with them more. I’ve done plenty of diving with Clare, but recently Lily has been able to join us more as we make our marine escapades.

Clare says hi!

Next up is Lily!

A fun fact about Lily and I, as of writing this post, we have the same number of dives! 97! Which means we are coming up on our 100th dive! We’re trying to plan something fun…We’ll see what ends up happening and hopefully I’ll write about it.

Have I mentioned before that I love the ocean and more importantly, being in it? Probably only a thousand times. It just doesn’t get old. It is so soothing and relaxing, I love the wide open space of the sea (with a bottom, thank you very much, I’m not that crazy) extending on forever in each direction. The possibilities all around me are endless and it’s thrilling. Half the reason I love diving is just for the pure, simple joy of being suspended in water, free to move up and down and any way I please. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to flying, I think, but actually I think it’s better. There’s more to see!

Splendid toadfish, are an excellent example. They are endemic to Cozumel, which means you can’t find them anywhere else. They look like grumpy old men to me, but in a cute way.

Also, another lobster friend! For anyone who’s read my blog for awhile, you know that lobsters were pretty much myth for me until I came to Cozumel. I think I saw a single lobster during my entire stay in Belize. Here I see half a dozen every dive, and the novelty hasn’t worn off just yet, so suffer through another lobster photo for me, won’t you?

There it is! Also I had this random thought that sometimes lobsters look like Shelob from Lord of the Rings, and now I can’t unsee it. You’re welcome!

And I found this adorable pair of banded butterflyfish, they’re making my heart melt!