Kids Corner

THE FIRST DOLPHIN

STORY BY PATRICK VAN HOESERLANDE ILLUSTRATION PETER BOSTEELS

Now they both understood it. It wasn’t that difficult, and it was very similar to a sports game, without it being a competition.

Or was it a bit of a competition? One to becoming a better diver, but with yourself as the only participant. It is not a contest against others, or to getting a Dolphin as fast as possible. No, you have to train in the pool and then dive in open water. That way you become a better diver and earn a Dolphin. First you get bronze, then silver, and finally gold. It is only when you turn 14 that you can earn your first divers star.

The colour of Dolphin shows everyone how much you know about diving and how well you can dive. It is a bit like a school report, but for diving, and without an exam. Your dive leader will also quickly know what you can do, depending on your Dolphin.

“When will I get my bronze Dolphin?” asked Skubba.

“One more dive and your booklet will be full. Then you get a card like this one, but with a dolphin on it,” Nella explained.

She opened the door of her car and pulled out a large case. She reached inside it and said “Ha, there it is”.

She pulled her hand out and showed Skubba a card that was very similar to what his Dad puts in a cash machine at the bank when he needs money. It was almost the same, but it had two golden stars on it.

They looked at it as if it was the key to a whole new world.

"Nice!" said Skubba.

“These two gold stars show that you are an instructor?” Fred asked.

“That’s right,” said Nella proudly.

“Can you only get dolphins or stars for diving? Are there sharks or frogs?” enquired Fred further.

“No, there are no other animals to earn.” she laughed.

“So only Dolphins for us?” he insisted.

“Yes, and no. Besides the Dolphins, you can add other qualifications. For example, you can learn how to take underwater photos. Or how to offer help if a diver is in trouble.”

“Didn’t we already see that in the pool?” Fred asked.

“Yes, but we can learn even more on how we can help another diver,” was her reply.

“Interesting.”

“I will tell you all about it later if you want, but before you can take on other qualifications, you must first obtain your silver Dolphin,” Nella continued.

Skubba had not followed the conversation about qualifications. He was daydreaming about the moment he would get his first Dolphin. Perhaps tomorrow? And what would it be like to then get his first star?

When he heard the word ‘diving’ however, it pulled him straight out of his daydream and back to the conversation.

He looked at Nella and asked, "When are we going to dive?"

A DIVE IN THE SEA

STORY BY PATRICK VAN HOESERLANDE ILLUSTRATION PETER BOSTEELS

It was going to be an adventurous day for Skubba and because he was nervous, he didn’t sleep well the night before. Normally Skubba would dive with his instructor Nella, but today she was away with Fred. Skubba would instead dive with another instructor. That was not why he was nervous though. He was nervous because it would be his first dive in the sea. In saltwater.

Skubba’s dad had loaded all his diving equipment into the back of the car. Skubba double checked to make sure all of his equipment was there, and ready. He was a real diver now and therefore responsible for his own equipment even when someone else took care of it. Everything was in good order and they could leave.

It was a long drive because they had to drive across the border into another country. They were going to the Netherlands.

“Am I diving abroad today?” asked Skubba.

His Dad laughed for a moment and confirmed that Skubba would indeed be diving abroad. Many divers went to dive in the Netherlands because it was easy to do and not that far away.

When they arrived at the dive site, Skubba saw a lot of cars. Some cars had divers and marine animals painted on them, and others advertised diving schools or shops. His Dad was right, this place was clearly very popular with divers.

They looked for Skubba’s buddy’s car. They would immediately recognise it because it had a large dive flag painted on it. Fred had told him that the dive flag was blue and white and it was missing a small triangle.

Skubba’s Dad parked their car next to it and Skubba started unloading his equipment. He neatly placed everything down, side by side. When all his equipment was assembled, they prepared themselves for the dive. While Skubba put his suit on, he saw his buddy and instructor for this dive, Britt, check over everything. She told him that he needed to add a little more weight than usual to his belt because saltwater would make him float more. He made a mental note to tell Fred all about this later.

When they had both completed their preparations, Britt gave her briefing with a detailed explanation about the dive site. Once in the water, she connected them together with a buddy line and they checked each other’s equipment. They briefly repeated a few dive signals and they were ready to go.

They saw all kinds of marine animals. Because he had never dived in the sea before, everything was new to him. He saw an anemone that pulled in its tentacles as they swam by, a sea urchin, a little crab looking for protection in a small gap, a shrimp swimming away, a flatfish was moving like a flying carpet over the ground... and so much more.

When Britt signalled to tell him it was time to surface, Skubba obeyed, but he really wanted to dive longer. Together they went up and surfaced at the same time. He had barely just taken his regulator out of his mouth when he started to list everything he had seen. And he did not stop talking until he fell asleep on the car journey back.

It had been a fun and exhausting day. Skubba was so excited to next see Fred as he had so much to tell him.