Damn ears

Damn it. Today I was supposed to do the last of my major diving requirements — the mapping project. But I couldn’t equalise my damned ears. Shit. That means today was a waste for diving.

For the non-divers — when you decend in water the surrounding pressure increases. For every 10 metres of seawater the pressure increases by one atmosphere. So at -10m you have double the pressure. At -20m you have triple the pressure. As most of the human body is liquid or solid (which doesn’t compress under pressure) this isn’t a worry. But there are a few gas pockets — primarily the ears/sinuses and the lungs. The scuba gear deals with the lungs by supplying air at the surrounding pressure. But divers need to deal with the ear pressure imbalance themselves by equalising. Normally this is easy. But occasionally it is difficult… and then a dive needs to be cancelled.

Anyway… hopefully I’ll be OK tomorrow and can do my mapping project, insh’allah. On Sunday (27 April) I took my first guided dive. The added responsibility was a bit strange, and I accidently kicked some coral (mea culpa, mea culpa), but otherwise it was OK. Then yesterday (Monday 28 April) I did my rescue scenario and my 20 skills.

Now I just have to do the mapping, the emergency plan, three more tests, five more dives and complete the paperwork… and then I’ll be finished. By Saturday hopefully.

Continuing the “plan changing” theme from my previous post, I am now thinking of heading to Israel for a week. Then Jordan, Nepal and India. This will taint my Australia passport so that it can’t be used in Iran, Syria, Lebanon etc… but I can always go back to those countries on my British passport if the opportunity arrises.

I have been remarkably unsuccessful at progressing my serious life while in Dahab. I haven’t written any more of my economic papers, advanced any of my social ventures, done much politics, learnt any chinese, played any poker or done any flying. But my name change experiment is going well… and I’ve changed my online identity to “Temu” or “Temujin” in most places.