Franzi Ewald

Girls who dive:  Divemaster Candidate

1. Before asking you why you want to be a Divemaster, we want to know how you got into diving? Adventure, the love of travelling and the fun of discovering the world are part of my job as a flight attendant and reflect my being. The sea attracted me. It may sound silly now, but I "heard" an inner voice calling me to discover the ocean and the underwater world. Also, since I fly a lot, I often spend time on beautiful beaches and am captivated by the enthusiasm and happy faces of the divers coming out of the water.

 2. Your first diving experience was not the best, but you decide to go ahead and try it again. Because? That's right, my first diving experiences were not very nice. It took me a few years to process what I had experienced, but there was always the curiosity and desire to discover this underwater world. I knew I wanted to try again, and maybe it wasn't the right time.

3. At the end of your Open Water, you decide to continue with your training. What was the most challenging course for you? Of all my training, the Rescue Diver was the biggest challenge. It was the first time I took responsibility for another diver and faced a sudden emergency. At the same time, this course gave me more confidence in myself again.

4. A few months ago, you had a scare while diving. It was nothing important, but it undermined your confidence in yourself. How did you turn that situation around? Diving is a sport and passion, as well as meditation and awareness. I got stressed. I started to learn to deal with stress and control my emotions better. I practised breathing techniques, thought about where the stress was coming from, and took steps to reduce it overall. In addition to drinking a lot of water and sleeping, it was also helpful for me to do a lot of dives to the same depths. Because it was factors such as the depth of closed spaces or even blue nothingness that could trigger this stress again, trying to figure out what it would be like, how I would approach these situations, and how I would dive into the depths with ease. During a dive into a cavern, I started to believe in myself and move from the stress/anxiety situation to emotional thinking, to living in the moment and just enjoying it and letting it act on me without thinking about what could happen. I learned to control my emotions and techniques to cope well with stress in any situation in the water.

5. Right now, what is your favourite type of dive? At the moment, I'm still enjoying everything, but I imagine myself developing a passion for diving in places like Cenotes in the future.

 6. Divemaster is the first professional level in the diving industry with which you will assume the role of guide and all its responsibilities. How do you think this new scenario can change your perception of diving? I am sure I will have even more confidence and grow more internally with the new task. I'm looking forward to taking on more responsibilities. I think it will change in this sense. I will be in my element, and it will be difficult for me to fly again.

7. You work in the civil aviation industry with safety regulations. Do you think that this slight similarity with diving can help you in your training? Yes, diving is structured very similarly with all of its learning content. In aviation, everything is regulated, and safety comes first, as in diving. We constantly review all emergency procedures in our training so that we can react quickly in the event of an emergency, and they must be usable in any circumstances because emergencies arise suddenly and usually without warning. Keeping the emotion under control and quickly applying the appropriate procedures. I think my aviation background may give me a slight advantage here.

8. Personally, what do you think will be the hard part of your Divemaster for you? I think it will be a challenge to live up to my expectations. I face the course with joy excitement and nervous at the same time. The most hard part of the training will be getting up regularly in the morning. I am not used to that in my irregular daily life.

9. Why did you choose Nusa Lembongan in Indonesia to do your Divemaster? I had already travelled a lot in Asia before getting into aviation, and I like the mentality of the people. I was also looking for a dive centre, capable that offered me many extensive training opportunities. The diversity and possibilities of diving, the experience of the dive centre, the warm temperatures, the excellent food, the pleasant character of the people of Asia and the fact that I had never been to this place motivated me and finally led me to my decision.

10. Is obtaining the Divemaster a personal challenge, or do you intend to go further? The Divemaster is just the first step towards a diving career. I would like to become an instructor at the end of next year. Safety awareness is my top priority. I want to grow and learn to be safe in the water for others and, of course, for myself. I want to discover much more and share the fascination of diving with other people in the long term. Whether it will be on a dive trip or at some point at my resort remains to be seen.

11. From your personal experience, what would you say to divers who, at some point, have lost their confidence and want to return? Try, but don't you dare? From my personal experience, I tell you: Believe in yourself, give yourself time and if you think you would like to try again, then look for a person who will walk the path with you, someone who is patient, someone who is there for you. You're there to take a beginner's course and do what feels right for you. Face what you experienced and talk about it with other divers. You are not alone. Don't let an experience destroy your joy. You can do anything if you want to. It is your thoughts that decide your actions.

Translate by Caco Pradas