Diving into the deep

The girls’ first big adventure in New Zealand has now come to a close…they’ve earned their PADI open water diver certifications from Auckland SCUBA.

Torin found the course via the web in early December and there were two open spots, which was perfect since Todd already earned his certification back in 1988, and I decided SCUBA isn’t an interest area for me. Store Manager/Course Director Nick Wyatt was a dream to work with over email – I felt like we had a personal friend in Auckland.

I liked the idea of the girls getting to do something they wanted right after landing in NZ, while Todd & I got our bearings. When our flights went wonky it seemed like it could have been the wrong decision, but it all worked out.

Days 1 & 2 (Th/Fr) were in the classroom and a beatiful pool…Torin was in love!

Days 3 & 4 (Sa/Su) were at the beach! Todd & I got to tag along on Saturday – what an easy way to get out of Auckland and see some of the countryside and the ocean!

The first beach, Matheson Reserve was a bust for the divers – too much churn caused low visibility and they were only under for 18 minutes. The whole process took a couple hours, though, so Todd & I had fun setting up our hammock and hanging out, plus I explored the area.

After their disappointing first go, the divers dried off and stowed their gear, then Doyle drove us back to Goat Island…more formally known as the Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve. And by the way, there were never any goats!

As it turns out, we had been there earlier in the morning but it was too crowded. This time it was even busier, but Doyle wanted his students to have a better dive, so he parked quite a distance away and they all suited up for the long walk and hauled their gear to the ocean. I wasn’t sure Torin and Tevka had enough energy left for the challenge – they looked sun-baked and quite weary – but it turned out all the effort was worth it. Here are Torin’s own words from her journal that she’s been sharing…

…and more pictures…

Today the girls went on their final dive day while we were otherwise occupied (we went to the Unitarian Church and then picked up our rental car – more on that later).

Since Doyle learned yesterday that we were walking the girls back-and-forth to class every day he offered to pick them up. Sure enough, Doyle showed up at 8 o’clock sharp in the dive school van. What a guy! The group got back shortly before 5pm with our certified PADI divers!