Remember when I said I was gonna work backwards to catch ya'll up? Forget that. We're just gonna start at the beginning and move forward and yesterday's post is gonna be out of place in the middle.
Okay so we left off with diving for a week and finally being able to equalize. Dang, that was literally like the beginning of this trip lol
Okay so all I've told you about was Nick, hurricaning, I3S, and diving. So if you read my last post you're probably confused about who are all these people lol
I have introduced Nick - basically South African Kai.
Craig is the other intern.
Sam is the researcher that works at Sharklife; Josh is her boyfriend and Chidi is her dog.
Michelle is a manta researcher that went to Eckerd with me.
Natalie is a turtle researcher. She's super nice and helpful and she's also from South Africa but doesn't sound like Nick or Sam. I think Candice said she's originally from Portugal or Peru or something so that's probably why. Her dog is Dexter.
Candice and Grant own Sharklife. Dennis also works for Sharklife and is the Zulu chief's son or something.
Summer is another researcher. She works with Natalie and Michelle. She is super nice too and her voice sounds like Phoebe Tonkin's if you know that actress.
Matt works at Occi Lodge and EAT restaurant, which are basically attached to Sharklife. He practically knows everything that's happening at all times and thinks I go to Visagies every night, which sometimes I do lol
That's basically it for Sharklife people and then there's 4 main dive companies I have friends at and of course my bartender friends. Let's start with the bartenders just because there's fewer of them.
Sodwana Bay Lodge is my favorite. I just really like the vibes there and the staff is super nice. Jared and his wife Samantha are the bartenders there and they've been here for like 5 years I think. There's also a blonde lady with short hair that runs the restaurant but I don't know her name (update her name is Cindy). Alan also likes to hang out at Lodge Bar and he makes the necklaces that everyone here has - he's making me a pilot whale (update I got a mermaid tail instead).
Robbie is one of the main bartneders at Maak n Jol (literally "Make a Party") but honestly he kinda creeps me out a little. He's harmless but still.
Carl and Janet are the waitstaff at EAT and Brandon or Brendan, idk, (update it's actually Reyno, how the heck did I get Brandon from Reyno) is the owner and his dog is Sammy.
Ash is the bartneder at Visagie. She's super cool. Bianca is the owner's daughter and she's really pretty and her dog is Augi (or Auti, I'm not really sure but he's the cutest dog in Sodwana).
My loves Donno and Laura also worked at Visagie during the fishing tournament to help out but they're Coral people so we'll get there lol
Fabio's is a pizza place and idk that guy's name but I feel I should mention the dog there is Suntoe. She has a monkey/limp paw. She's technically a stray and Craig wants to adopt her but she lives there.
Ngunis is a restaurant right across the street from us and idk anyone there but just in case I mention it.
Adventure Mania is next to Ngunis. This is one of the dive centers. I love their logo because it's like ACDC but AMDC but like with the lightning and everything. Bryce works for Adventure Mania and his brother is Garrett. Also I forgot to mention Clayton. So ya know how Mitch is the "Uncle of Bishopville"? Clay would be the Uncle of Sodwana and his wife is Karin and they have like 4 dogs. They host parties with daisy (BB) guns at their house and like to watch us practice breathholds in the Visagie pool.
Moving on to Pisces Diving. This is where Chris and Ace and Martin work. Martin is a spearfisherman with long blonde dreads. Ace is really nice and Chris reminds me of Ted; he's really nice too.
Scuba Center used to be my main group and it's where Nick is going back to once he's back from his weeks with his dad. They're called the Ninja Turtles because their shirts are green. Josh works for Scuba Center and they're normally very nice and let me just hang around them. Ryan, Connor, Chelsea, Keanu, Cam, Liam, Verne, Nix, 3 or 4 Germans (I think one's name is Levin? (update as I'm typing, Levin, Ono, another Cam, and I don't know the tall one's name)) and a bunch of others work there. Ryan just finished, sad face, he's super fun because he's always singing and having a good time but still responsible. Connor, Chelsea, and Ryan are all from the same little town and were friends before Sodwana. Connor and Chelsea go home April 5. Liam's girlfriend has amazing style but idk her name (update her name is Brittany and she's actually also Chelsea's sister!). Cam is super nice and sometimes I wish I looked like her. Keanu likes to play DJ at Visagie and he is a beautiful human and actually pretty nice as well. Oh! Grant (different than Sharklife Grant) also works at Scuba Center and he looks just like Christian from Beach Patrol and he's always smiling and nice. There's also another Ryan and a guy with dark hair that are always actually doing work while the rest are on like beach/boat/scuba duty (which is still definitely work, just a different kind).
Time for Coral! We spent 3 days diving with them this week so now I feel more comfortable with the rest of them (aside from our little group) than I did (kinda like when NCL was my favorite cruise line til we sailed Carnival a million times. Scuba Center is NCL and Coral is Carnival LOL).
There's tons of Coral Divers, it's run as a school and they'd give you a student visa if needed. They provide housing and meals but it is a lot of work and the most expensive. Some Coral people that aren't necessarily in my little group but that I might mention are Sascha, Amy (basically South African Graceanne), Liam, Tyyrone, Damian, Shannon (boy not girl), Bridget, Kristen, Robin, Montene, and Stef (4/14 update also Dylan).
In my group we have Ingrid and Donne; they're the best. Ingrid always makes sure I know the plans and am included. Donne is like my confidant and she's great. James is one of Donno's (not to be confused with Donne lol we'll get there) best friends and like Ryan, he's always down to sing and dance and have a good time. He taught me a fun Afrikaans dance (update it's actually Swedish not Afrikaans) and I taught him Cotton Eyed Joe. His dad is in Bahamas so hopefully we can meet up there after this sometime. I forgot to mention Isaac, he's not really part of our group but sometimes he is I guess but he's another Coral guy and he's one of those human sunshines. Always smiling, always in a good mood, always high energy. He has a great smile and it's actually really easy to latch onto it and let his energy increase your own mood until you're having a good time as well, which is super helpful and useful as I normally tend to attach to the negative energies instead so being around Isaac is a welcomed positive change.
Laura is basically Donno's Nick. I really want a pic of the 4 of us once Nick and Laura are back from their break next week. To be honest at first I didn't really like her but now her and Donne are definitely my Sodwana Bay besties.
Feb 18 we (Nick, maybe Craig if he was here already, and I) went to Maak n Jol and that's where I ment Donno and James (Laura was probably there too) and I cheered him (Donno) on in beer pong and bam, new friend. He's from Secunda and he's South African but his ethnicity is Polish because Nick makes fun of him for it and his name is Donavan not just Donno lol. Anyways he's my favorite. Oh and he's a cancer (zodiac).
Donno, Donne, Laura, James, and Ingrid are all here til the end of the year for their dive internship. Makes me wanna stay too but I only have a few months to make money at home for mermaid season and that money goes a long way here, so gotta make the bank while I can then I can come bring mermaiding to South Africa during the off season because wouldn't that be cool? (also update they didn't have a divemaster class starting near when I was done at Sharklife anywayssss)
xoxo,
Tasha
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