Moved out of the expensive accommodation and found much cheaper place towards the northern end of Salang Bay. For 30RM per night ($10) we got a little beachside chalet which is a 1 room hut with an attached bathroom. Although it did not have air con or hot water, it was a groovy little place which became like home for the next week. It also had a uninterrupted view of the beach from the door! The nights are pretty cool so not having air con was not really a problem. We did discover that the toilet did not have a working flush, so we created the James and Emily Bucket Flush Method, which involved pouring a whole bucket of water down the bowl. Worked perfectly and we were pleased with our invention. After settling in we caught a boat to Tekek (the main town), to use the broadband internet connection. Ahhh, at last, civilization. Updated and emailed whilst looking at various news storied and events which have been happening. It was so great to feel connected to the world however so briefly.

Tuesday was the first day of the dive course. Introducing "Crazy Jay" the dive instructor. (Crazy Jay was our nickname read on to discover why) A tiny midget Malay man with an obvious passion for diving... however he did lack a few basic people skills which we discovered later! The dive instructor who insisted his 20 a day cigarette habit only improved his lung capacity !?! A group of 3 Norwegian girls were so put off by his manner and harsh broken English they abruptly changed instructors. After a day of watching very irritating American videos, in which obvious things were stated over and over again there was the very boring arduous introductions to the dive gear.

Wednesday brought more irritating videos, and sitting silently whilst the dive instructors painfully attempted to talk about first aid for SCUBA divers. (To his credit, James' did not day a word during the explanations although some of the medical points were quite wrong). The day also included the first of the training dives where you carry out a whole heap of basic skills underwater. Crazy J would start off quiet relaxed, but once the nicotine cravings hit he became 'Crazy' J, quite grumpy, inpatient, frustrated and rude. Emily found buoyancy a bit of a problem at first. If you are not completely calm whilst diving it is very hard to sink to the bottom and stay there. Panicking (as she was) made her breathe deeply, filling the lungs and making her float. This was very frustrating making her more upset and of course did not help in achieving the task. Crazy Jay did nothing for her anxious state by continuously banging his stick and getting frustrated himself!!! After exiting the water, James gave Emily a few words of encouragement (something you think you may get from your instructor!) and a bit of a pep talk over lunch and the second attempt was very successful. We were joined by a gorgeous Indian couple from Mumbai, she a high flying executive and he a Bollywood musician. They were absolutely wonderful warm and friendly people who made the whole experience bearable. We were all able to laugh as Crazy J would give these terrible tirades before getting out of the water, and then suddenly become calm after his cigarette.

More Video's, with some of it just PADI advertising being sold as 'education'. This is just one reason why for profit companies should never ever have power of licensing. Even Crazy J acknowledged PADI (the huge diving conglomerate brand which gives you your divers license) was often said to stand for 'Put Another Dollar In'!

Thursday consisted of more basic dive skills. Although 'Crazy J' lacked a bit in the encouragement and patients stakes, to his credit he was very thorough and really took time to go through things properly which was great. Some deeper dives which were excellent, some cuttlefish and an amazing swirling wall of fish, as well as some quiet pretty nudibranchs. We ended the day by doing the silly exam.

Friday saw the final day of dive course where we took a boat over to an uninhabited coral island called (imaginatively) 'Coral Island' Entry into the water from the dive boat. Emily has developed a characteristic somersault entry which involved flailing legs which James found very entertaining! Some really fantastic diving although there was a mild current and visibility wasn't great. It was just wonderful to be out seeing the underwater world rather than doing silly skills training . The second dive was better with lots of beautiful soft coral extraordinary fish, a hawksbill turtle and plenty of rays. Everyone was really very comfortable in the water and afterwards we got given our diving certification. Crazy J, has arranged for us all to have dinner together at one of the restaurants on the beach which was a really great night. By this time, we were beginning to accept Crazy J and even began to like him! It also helped that he was not teaching there was a constant stream of nicotine entering his system keeping him calm. Great guy, great diver, not so great teacher!!!

Saturday consisted of sleeping in and laying about followed by dinner. Sunday we decided to complete some fun dives, so went on the boat with a big group to an island called Chebeh Island. The boat ride was a bit rough, so by the time we got in the water, Emily was a bit green in the face. Once we were in the water though things calmed down and it was an amazing dive seeing many different tropical fish, turtles, worms, and nudibranchs on a backdrop of massive volcanic boulders and caves. The second dive was around an little island off Salang Bay. The currents were quite strong, so for part we were swimming against but the other we were swimming with which felt like you were flying though the water with no effort. Again, totally amazing.