Hola, I’m Lara the new Dive Master intern at Rocket Frog!
I arrived in Costa Rica a week ago now and got straight into the water and diving with a group of 16 divers for 4 days. What a way to settle into a country! So a little about me – I come from London, England and my ‘day job” is as an Occupational Therapist working with survivors of Strokes and Traumatic Brain Injuries. So why your DM I hear you say? Well, the ultimate plan is to work within the diving industry doing rehab with people with disabilites.
So I did my research and decided that Rocket Frog was just the right place for me. Some dive operations run on interns, there are loads at a time and as much as that might be a laugh, I wanted something a little more personal. So I decided to put my faith with Mike and Nery here. And I dont regret anything. They say word of mouth is the best advertisment, and the word of mouth around Coco is all positive for these guys.
When I got here I’d been out of the water for a while and so Nery and I went on a dive to just get me back in the water and showed me round one of the local dive sites Tortuga (aptly named after the carving of a turtle on the mooring stone). The very next day we had a group of 16 divers from the US diving 2 tank days. So by day 6 in the country I have logged 10 dives including a trip to Bat Island. We have seen turtles, white tip sharks, dolphins playing in the wake of the boat, and….Humpbacks!!
So right now its coming to the end of humpback season, which is when they migrate past Costa Rica, and the reason they love it here is the waters are so plankton rich. This means that the visability isnt as clear as you might find in the Caribbean, but means you get so much more marine life! Loads of Puffas of beautiful colors, Angel and Butterfly fish, Moray eels and I’ve even found a few Nudibranch.
The staff are lovely and very friendly. Our Captain speaks little English, and I speak very little Spanish, so we spend a lot of time laughing with excessive use of hand guestures!! But I am sure that my Spanish will improve over my 2 months here. Its been a big learning curve in the last week, but I have loved every minute and am excited to see what the next 2 months brings.
Keep checking in to see updates on our adventures on land and sea – there will be many!
Adios for now…
Hi, I’m thinking of applying for their divemaster internship at Rocket Frog Divers in a couple of months. Is there some way I could contact you and ask you a couple of questions, or for some advice? Thanks so much!