Zen and the Art of Scuba Maintenance:

I met the richest man on the island last week, a billionaire with a two or greater in front of the nine zeros. I’m not sure if I’ve ever met a billionaire before, how would you know if you did? Well, millionaires tend to make scenes, it would seem sensical that billionaires would make a scene several fold. Last week I was sitting at the end of a picnic table looking yonder towards the sunset when an old man in a dirty ripped tee shirt walks up and sits down. He doesn’t say much, I can’t recall if he even said anything at all. He simply pulls some palm leaves out of his shorts pocket and weaves an elegant crane of fresh fronds. He leaves it on the table. Stands up and walks away.

A billionaire.

Had two great dives today, the cowfish lost its spot at the top of “my favorite fish list”, taking its spot, the sail-finned blenny. A tiny blenny who hides in finger size holes in small stones. You can pick up a few of these stones and place them face to face and the blennies will proceed to  yell at each other from their doorways like two neighbors arguing over a property line. They will eventually grow violent and kill one another or force the other to relocate.

After the dives I took an equipment maintenance course. I learned all about dismantling and reassembling the entire system. The valves, high pressure hose, primary and secondary regulator, learned the cleaning procedure for the metals, filters and o-rings. I feel a much greater connection to the system, once you are aware of them, you can imagine and sense the parts when you’re using them. You can feel them as if you are inside of the machine. I would love to be able to work more with this stuff. All I need is the esoteric tool kit.

With this addition to my credentials I will soon be able to get a job anywhere in this world (where there is water).