| E-mail received Febuary 11 2003 |
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( Pour rappel / To remember) Le troisieme jour, nous passames notre journee sur un bateau conduit par un equipage d'allemands et dirige par l'incarnation de M. Propre (voir photo ci-jointe) avec un "kross acczent chermanique" : Isabelle pour du snorkeling et Gerald pour deux plongees en bouteilles. La premiere plongee, pres de Ko Wai, fut desastreuse : visibilite a 5 metres maximum, et perte d'un plongeur au bout de 15 minutes -le plus nonchalant que Gerald ait jamais connu, retrouve apres 15 autres minutes d'attente pour les 3 plongeurs restant, mais qui marqua la fin de la pire plongee jamais realisee par Gerald... jusque la... Puis M. Propre decida que Isabelle devait avoir un bapteme de plongee en mer qui devait la delivrer de ses apprehensions. Il est vrai que sur terre, M. Propre etait plutot une figure rassurante : Isabelle accepta. Apres l'arnachement, le saut pied en avant dans l'eau depuis le bateau, Isabelle semblait plutot en confiance. Puis ils s'eloignerent du bateau... Gerald decida de s'equiper d'un masque et d'un tuba et d'accompagner Isabelle dans cette aventure. Arrive pres d'eux, il semblait evident que M. Propre n'etait pas un exemple de delicatesse en matiere d'enseignement : apres quelques conseils techniques, il essayait d'entrainer Isabelle vers le fond par le bras, puis par les pieds... De son cote, Isabelle reclamait un temps d'acclimatation un peu plus long a force de coup de coudes et de palmes. Apres quelques minutes de "patientes" tentatives, M. Propre decida de s'occuper du second plongeur - qui lui avait paye pour son bapteme - et nous nous retrouvames bientot a 300 metres du bateau et 300 metres de M. Propre, livres a nous-memes! C'est loin d'etre dans les regles de la plongee de laisser au milieu de nulle part un plongeur de niveau 1 en palme et tuba avec un plongeur sans diplome... Mais ca se passe comme ca chez M. Propre!!! Tout s'est finalement bien fini : apres qu'Isabelle ait pris la mesure de son equipement, allant meme faire la nique aux poissons par 3/4 metres de fond, nous retournames par nos propres moyens au bateau ou M. Propre nous attendait, apparemment tres fier de notre performance, autant dire de la sienne. La deuxieme plongee fut splendide, par 10/15 metres de fond autour d'un piton rocheux, l'impression de nager dans un aquarium. / The third day, we spent our time on a boat whose crew was german and led by the incarnation of M. Clean (see attached picture) with a "chtrong ggerrman aksent". Isabelle went for snorkeling and Gerald for 2 tanks scuba diving. The first tank was of no interest : low visibility (about 5 meters), lost of a diver after 15 minutes, and end of the dive after the missing diver has been refound : the worst dive Gerald had ever made... at that time... Then M. Clean, decided that Isabelle must have her first scuba-dive in sea... this experience could definetely help her to get rid of her fear of scuba-diving. M. Plus is quite an easy-going fellow that inspires you confidence : Isabelle accepted. First equipped, and then having jumped into the water, Isabelle seemed to be pretty OK. Then, they swam away from the boat... Gerald decided it could be good for Isabelle to be near her. So he put a mask and a fan and went near them. Then, it was pretty obvious that M. Clean was not exactly a delicate instructor : after a few technical advices, he was trying to take Isabelle under water by pulling her arms, next by the legs... Meanwhile, Isabelle was asking for a bit more time to adapt and expressed it by kicking M. Clean. After a few minutes of "patient" attempts, M. Clean decided to take care of the second beginner - who has paid for his dive - and left us alone, and we were soon 300 yards from them and 300 yards from the boat... This is far from the rules of scuba-diving to leave one "Open Water" diver with a beginner in the middle of nowhere... But that is the way it is with M. Clean! All finally finished well once Isabelle had adapted to the equipement : while we were returning to the boat, Isabelle even went at 3/4 yards deep to look at some fishes face to face. The second dive has been splendid : at 10/15 yards deep around a pinacle, it was like being in an aquarium. Hi Tan, We have been busy as well : a lots of time to find our cargo to go to Australia. We will normally leave on monday or tuesday for a 12 days cargo trip. We will send you a picture of us from Australia (if we forgot, please ask again : we do not know if 12 days in the middle in the sea are good for memory...). We hope you had no problems in your guesthouse during the riots in Phnom Penh. Have you seen our english friend, Martin? Cheers |