Diver Lingo

So I have been on a holiday now for around 3 months. My current blissful job of being a diving instructor at Havelock island’s DIVEIndia allows that. Diving is more than a job, it started as an adventure, became a job and will remain a passion. Some of us from the team have been out for excellent diving during this break, I on the other hand have spent my time riding through the hills and covering a bit more of the Himalayan north. But I cant wait to get back in the sea, on the sea, under the sea.

What struck me as a random thought is now about to be blogged, it is a list of things we divers are heard saying often enough, and I have a faint feeling that its more than just me who will feel the connect. So here it goes (I have added a tiny bit for the non divers/instructor specific terminology, remember its never too late to dive, except as instructors anything beyond six am is too late! )

F*** its 6

Do you have an XS?
(battling for buoyancy compensator sizes, for our respective divers)

I am getting all with 100 man!
(Not having adequate air pressure in consecutive tanks during pre dive checks)

Dude my diver is not here!
(diver is taking that half hour extra beauty sleep before the day’s tan)

Within minutes of having started the boat engines, on low tide days, after a metallic cling and thud!
“OK guys this is the dive site, we are kidding we have only broken a propeller, we have spares, hopefully.”

Dude where is the fin bag?
(fingers crossed)

How much are you getting?
(checking for available decompression time on buddy or colleague’s dive computer)

How much did you come up with?
(The everlasting breathing rate ego battles)

How was your dive? Flag pole bro or superman!
(Emphasising current conditions)

What did you see? Killer, took a picture, no, Huh!

Towards Thailand or towards Port Blair, choose wisely.
(possible options while drifting in the sea)

Wow, how big was it?
On the boat reply “2.5 m at least.”
On the staff lunch table “3.5 for sure.” By evening when the drinks begin “4.5 had to be man, that shark only must have been 2.5″

Where do you wanna do the second? (Daily line between instructors for the next dive of the day)

How do you avoid DCS? Sometimes the best of our students go like ” by ascending a few metres.” Wow, hold it right there, let’s start again.

After seeing the risk awareness and open water course videos, a common query from students is “1 or 2 beers is ok right before diving?”

And since I am reaching my creative stalemate the last and my favourite one:

You know what’s for lunch today? (Although menu is weekly, we often don’t know what day it is.)

Before the end I must add, nothing beats a good day of diving, a good lunch to look forward to, and having the rest of your day on an island.

Cheers