I arrived in Lembeh fresh out of my Rescue Diver training and excited to start my Divemaster Internship.  After being presented with my timetable for the first three weeks, I went to bed that night in fear and trepidation – what had I got myself into?

Taking it one day at a time, I’m now 2 weeks into my 6-week internship, and under the guidance of Luke my instructor I have learned a huge amount and already improved my diving. Revisiting skills from my Open Water course way back when has been an eye-opening experience – who’d ever thought that flooding and clearing my mask would be a problem? – but after practice, it’s all getting better and I’m starting to feel that this might actually be possible.

I’m taking the Eco Divemaster Internship, so as part of that this week I’ve organised a Project Aware Dive Against Debris reef clean, which I’m pretty excited about as I’m passionate about reef conservation. I’ve also brushed up my Rescue Diver skills, learnt about mapping a reef, how to conduct a dive briefing, and put together an Emergency Assistance Plan. I’ve even fitted in time for some fun diving to spot some of the weird and wonderful creatures that make the muck of Lembeh Straits their home.

With 4 weeks to go, I’m looking forward to learning lots and meeting more of the fabulous Indonesian sea life.

Philippa