The Day After Diving & "Cool Vibes Only"

The Day After Diving & "Cool Vibes Only"

A day of relaxation, silence, wind, anticipation – and a moment of fright that I will not forget.

Why today is a special day – what diving does to the body

After an intense day of diving, the body carries something that cannot be seen but can be felt:

dissolved nitrogen.

Underwater, nitrogen is stored in the tissues due to the pressure.

When surfacing, the body starts to metabolize it slowly.

However, flying suddenly exposes the body to lower pressure – like a leap from “down to up”.

If the nitrogen hasn’t completely metabolized, it can suddenly turn into bubbles:

• they block joints
• pinch nerves
• clog vessels
• can be life-threatening

This is called decompression sickness.

That’s why the famous 24-hour break is not a recommendation but a safety mechanism.

Between the underwater world and the world above the clouds, the body needs this one day to be safe again.

So today is my personal “back-to-the-normal-world day”.

The first spider – typical Australia

This morning I had my first visitor in my room:

a spider.

And immediately the thought came:

“How am I supposed to know if it’s deadly?”

Australia from a German's perspective.

Luckily:

On Great Keppel Island, there are

• no venomous snakes
• no venomous spiders

And today’s specimen was probably harmless.

But the respect remains.

The planned snorkeling tour – and the big storm

My eco-certified snorkeling tour was scheduled for 1:00 PM.

A guided tour through the most beautiful reefs of the Keppel Islands.

But at 11:00 AM I got the news:

Cancelled.

Due to too few participants – and because of a massive storm.

This storm was as severe as the one in the USA with Bibo back then.

Massive lightning, thunder, rain walls – Australia in its most impressive form.

I even asked if I could stay outside.

I could – but only for a short while.

A quiet morning – breakfast & massage

After the storm, I treated myself to a quiet breakfast and later a massage that did exactly what I needed:

to ground myself again.

After such a day of diving, that’s worth its weight in gold.

In parallel, the first follow-ups to the BNI Global Convention were rolling in:

Contacts getting in touch, wanting to know:

“What’s next?”

“When do we talk?”

I notice:

These people are at my pace.

Engaged, fast, motivated – as crazy as I am.

It feels good not to feel “different”.

My partner Dr. Joachim Bender is also working hard on the follow-ups.

I feel:

Something great is in the works.

Cool Vibes Only – my place in the wind

Then came the moment of the day.

I discovered a place with the sign “Cool Vibes Only”.

In the morning, there were young people sitting there.

In the afternoon, the place was empty.

I sat down – and fell asleep.

This wind!

You can't imagine how extreme it is here.

Strong, warm, wild – and at the same time soothing.

A moment full of calm, warmth, peace.

The scare moment: A iguana right next to me

On the way back to my little house, something happened that I did not expect:

A roughly one-meter-long iguana suddenly stood right next to me.

Just like that.

No noise, no warning.

I was startled much like when I first saw a kangaroo – only this time the feeling was different.

For I could not gauge the iguana:

• Is it dangerous?
• Will it bite?
• Will it attack?
• Will it flee?

And that's the biggest issue here:

Many animals you do not see in time, you don't recognize them, and you don't know if they are dangerous.

Today I know:

The iguana was harmless.

But the scare – that was real.

An old man and the Australian wilderness –

you know how it is.

Conclusion – a day full of transitions

• Relaxation after diving
• Storm that opened the sky
• Thoughts about the big journey starting next week
• Wind that lulled me to sleep
• An iguana that quickened my pulse
• And the feeling that something great is brewing in the background

A day that started quietly and ended wildly.

A day that was a break – and yet an adventure.

Oh by the way - it's only just beginning

“The countdown starts – the big journey begins.”