So the next stop was Pemba, the northern island of the Zanzibar archipelago. I had booked a ten or so day stint and 20 dives and got there a little worse for wear after a final night in Unguja.
The first dive I did took me a bit by surprise as I had never been in a current really before (only really surge occasionally) and the first dive I did was at a site called Deep Freeze, which I later learned was known for its currents. It was quite a fast drift and I soon learned the art of drift diving: relax and enjoy the ride! I got up from that dive amazed by the drift and the beautiful corals and the spectacular wall that was that site. I was informed that that wasn't even a fast current for that site!!! Luckily I got used to it as most people do.
I was loving the diving. Most of the dives being wall dives and occasional drifts. The corals in Pemba are stunning and the fish life is abundant.
I spent each morning diving and generally afternoons sleeping unless there were three dives being done in which I would do a third dive.
It was on obout my 3rd or 4th day that my usual amazing good luck kicked in. Just having finished dinner, I got called over by Raf and Cisca, the owners of Swahili Divers. After finding out what level certification I was, they then went on to offer that I stay on and do a heap of diving and courses with them for no real cost at all as long as I helped out a bit and then guide some dives as a divemaster. Before making the decision to stay, I asked several questions trying to find out what the catch was. In asking, the deal just seemed too good to be true, but it was real. So I stayed and ended out staying until April 15th when they closed for the rainy season for 2 months.
It was a pretty good lifestyle. Get up, dive, lunch, do a few jobs in the dive shop with the dive instructors Stu and Wes and my fellow divemaster Maxine, then go for a shower and back to the Banda for a beautiful sunset, a beer and to socialise with whoever we had staying as well as my fellow crewmembers. Pretty idyllic. It's great being in the right place at the right time!
I did 150 dives while there, became a divemaster and guided dives. I met some amazing and fun people. Most people that come to Swahili Divers are keen and experienced divers and very easy to talk to so it was easy to get along with them. It was a great lifestyle and led to me leaving the place at my pre-Norway weight (when I was 15 pre Stratos and Melkesjokolade chocolate's effect) without any effort put in at all (in part because I had no access to chocolate). Never did I think I would be less than 60kg but it happened. Now I am away from Swahili Divers though I have put on at least 2kg. I really need to go back!
I loved the diving there and my favourite dive site was already Manta point before the dive I had there that was to be my favourite dive. And I have to describe that dive to you. Many may already know about it. Manta Point is an underwater mountaing which has a drop off on one side to 1600m depth and then it comes to a point where there is a sandy area and as you go round that point, the dive site is a sloping wall with a sandy bottom at 25m. I was easily swimming along the drop off side with the diver who had been with us about a week. There was no current and the visibility was amazingly clear. I looked ahead to see Stu getting excited about something big in the distance at the point. He had two other divers with him and were well ahead off us in the really clear visibility. I saw the shadows of the large creatures up ahead and could see from the way they moved that they were dolphins. I have never finned so fast ever. These dolphins who were by the sandy patch were playing. There was three of them and they looked at us as we interrupted them and sat down on the sand. After only a short time, they headed away but one of them kept turning back to look at us as though in curiosity. The visibility was so clear that we could see them for ages as they headed towards the closest dive site which was well within due to the visibility.
It was so amazing to see them playing underwater. I think I was excited about it far a good month afterwards.
And now I am more addicted to diving than before. It is nearly 2 months since my last dive. I need to go again.
