Any given workday

I often get the comment that my job sounds like a vacation. The swaying palm trees and the full house and board aboard a sailing boat definitely improves my day and at points I must admit that I feel proud to have landed such a job. But my days include so much more than swimming and improving my tan line. I thought I’d clear up a couple of things about what I actually I do any given day during my three months in the Caribbean.

6:00: Alarm goes off. Depending on how much it has rained and how many times shipmates have ran into my hammock during the night fleeing the rain, I will be more or less well rested. 6.05: Time to wake up the chefs of the day and make sure that all of the youngsters on the boat also wake up. 6.07: Chefs have spilled French toast batter all over the gas stove and smoke has started to form. 6.20: Situation is under control, but no breakfast is yet to be seen. At this point everyone is awake, but sheets and pillows are littered all over the floors and now the game of “whose shirt is this?” begins. It will continue throughout the day with various personal items of which most are soaking wet and have a suspicious odor. 7.30: Dishes. Have you ever had 15-yearolds voluntarily initiating cleaning up after themselves? 8:00: Dive rotation starts and I have already answered 30 pointless questions like; “will it rain today?” and “if I spilled water on the floor what should I do?” 8:45 Amazing dive with 5 of my students 12:45 Lunch is almost over but I am still delivering scuba tanks to be refilled to Manic Compression. I grab some peanuts and a quarter block of cheese and head back to the beach for another dive. 17.00 Dive rotations are over and I look like a red shrimp because I didn’t find time to put on enough sunscreen. For the following three days I will be wearing long pants and rash guards. 18.00 Dinner time, finally the day slows down a little assuming that the galley is not on fire. 20.00 Time to catch a ride with some of the other scuba instructors for our first couple of hours off duty since the summer started. 20.05 Missed my ride and spend 45 minutes inside a closed cabin with no air circulation sorting out why one of my shipmates is crying. I guess no beer for me. 21.00 Trying to hail my fellow staff members on the VHF to get picked up. I could really need a drink at this point and some time with grown ups that don’t ask me questions. 22.00 Back on the boat after 45 minutes of freedom, feeling strangely replenished. 22.06 Crash out on the bunk. The shipmates are sleeping to my surprise. 22.30 Get woken up by other staff member trying to squeeze himself into the small space that is left available on the bunk. 2.00 There is a struggle for space and I win the war 3.17 Wake up by hard rain and accidently stub my toe as I run into the salon area to shut all the hatches 3.18 I fall asleep like a rock. 6.00 Day starts over. Hopefully it will be equally as awesome as the previous one. I am excited but tired. I need coffee!

#BVIs