Dive Internship at Latchi Dive Centre by Ben

Dive Internship Experience at Latchi Dive Centre

The Dive Internship to which I signed-up turned out to be a lot more challenging than I bargained for. But, what an opportunity.

This first month at Latchi Watersports has not only been educational but also life-changing. This was my first time away from home by myself. I don't think I could have chosen a more welcoming and endearing atmosphere in which to start my dive internship.

The staff here at Latchi Watersports have been the kindest, entertaining and charismatic people I have met in a long time. This first month may have had its hurdles but I’m learning so much every day. And, with each lesson learned, I am becoming a stronger person. The dive team at Latchi Watersports help me with every challenge I face without hesitation, that goes for all the staff; not just the fabulous dive team. I've been coming to Cyprus for 11 years now and I don't think I have learned so much nor had this much fun in such a short time. I’m so glad to be here for the season and ecstatic about the upcoming months.

Each and every day of the Dive Internship is challenging. That is something I have accepted. And, the best part about it is I have the Latchi Watersports family to guide me through it all.

 

Getting back into the water after a year on land seemed to bring back the memories that brought me here in the first place. Last year on my holiday I came to Latchi and completed my Open Water Dives. My instructor; Diver Dave told me about the internship that they offer and I was already hooked on the idea of working for Latchi Watersports. When I landed in Cyprus, I came straight to Latchi. Upon arrival, I was introduced to the team and welcomed like one of their own. Within a few days, I started work and was in the water diving. St George’s Island was our first adventure. The water here in Cyprus is so clear that you can see the bottom of the boat. Even at about 15 meters! The island has a sharp wall that drops down to 30m, but you can see fish at any depth along the wall. One of the most common animals that you see along the wall is Octopus. And, I’ve seen them do some odd things! One of the strangest was on my 22nd dive when I saw an octopus eat another octopus. It was such a bizarre thing to see!

Dives 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14 were all for my PADI Advanced Open Water. We did a range of specialties but dive 14 was my favourite. It was a night dive at Aphrodite's Rock. While we were swimming out to the rock; we saw a turtle disappear off into the darkness. Night diving gave me a strange feeling in my chest. Having your visibility go from 20m down to 0 without torch light is very strange. Something so simple that happens every day ends up giving you a whole new perspective!

 

Once the sun had set, the nightlife came out to play.

 

And, it's amazing how much more marine life comes out at night. Unfortunately, there were no salamanders, but there’s always the chance for a Slipper Lobster or two at night time. they are such strange creatures! It almost looks as though they are crawling back into themselves like a swordsman’s scabbard. Shining torches on the fish made them glow and shine with each one seeming to become even brighter. However, the strangest part was when we resurfaced. Descending when it was still somewhat bright and getting out in the pitch black was very disorientating. And, what felt like minutes was actually almost an hour underwater.

 

Later on in the month, around my 17th dive, it was my birthday.

 

Given it was my first birthday away from the family, the dives we made weren't just normal dives. The conditions had to be perfect to get to where we wanted to be. And, luckily the ocean was flat. The skies were clear and that gave us plenty of opportunities to get there safely. This dive was at the reef. It has no real name because it’s just an offshore reef at the edge of Cape Arnautis. This had to be the best dive I had done so far. The rock formations and marine life are beyond anything I’d seen to date. One of the swim throughs we found at about 15m almost looked man made!

The further we swam through the reef, we found huge holes in the ground that opened up into more smaller caves. The 2nd dive we did that day was called Black Rocks. The dive site consists of huge gullies and channels and somewhere amongst all the gullies sits a massive tunnel. Probably big enough to drive a car through.

At the end of the tunnel, hundreds of fish were almost hiding away from the rest of the world. It was a spectacular sight to see! All in all, it has been a great start of the season for me. I really can’t wait to continue
to experience everything that is to come throughout the busy summer.

 

My name is Ben, and I'm on a Dive Internship at Latchi Dive Centre

 

If you are looking for a summer of fun and hard work, working in Cyprus, spending your time learning a new skill set, meeting lots of people with similar interests, all on the doorstep of the stunning coastline of the Akamas peninsula; home of the Blue Lagoon, then maybe Latchi Watersports Centre is the place for you.
By Dive Centre Interns