How to condense 7 months into a few lines !
We arrived at the end of April and it was good to be back after the months of travelling and not staying in any one place for long. It was a great feeling to be on the ferry, watching Gozo loom ahead of us, without the uncertainty and hugh learning curve of the previous season. We were collected by Glen who we had not seen since Bangkok and stayed at his place. The next few days were spent catching up with old friends, drinking Cisk and Red label wine, enjoying the breads, fresh vegetables, feta cheese, Oh and house hunting. We found a nice place, only a 5 minute walk from work - home till October.
It was quiet here until June time, water was cold and required a drysuit, but none of the sites had lost there appeal and it was good to see it earlier in the season, it was lush, there were crops in the fields, rather than later in the year when it is dry from lack of rain.
It was good to be back with the old gang, plus the 'new boy' , Andy, who would become a good friend over the season. The old traditions soon reappeared - CCC (chicken curry & chips) on Friday night, drinks after work at 'Cafe Del Mar', and watching football at 'Bo Jagles' (Oh the highs and lows of the World Cup & the penalty shootout). There were changes since last season, a new watering hole 'The Creek' (cheap beer and Glen could cheat the pool table), new ownership at 'Otters' (I mourned the loss of the amazing pastas) and Staff dives moving to after work (more civilised than before work, despite the reverse profiles).
The downside was Jo's work promose fell through, and no real work was forthcoming till August (Team Nautic), which drove her mad. She completing her IDC in June though, which was a real cause for a celebration.
The season picked up, work was hard with long hours and few days off, but the atmosphere was generally good, althoug Patrick was his usual self !. Dave joined us in July (he got married in Gozo later in the season, which was an excuse for much alcohol). Glen was not happy at work and left us in July, which was sad as he is a great bloke as well as a great instructor - I learnt alot from him. He was replaced by Sean, a newish instructor who was thrown in at the deep end and fitted in well.
The diving was a good as I remembered it, I made new friends out of the people who dived with us, as well as seeing some familiar faces.
In August, 2 wrecks were sunk for us to dive, the 'Comino Land' & 'Karwella', which was great for the diving, especially as they were sunk in a pretty barren part of the coastline where we were forced to dive when weather blew out other parts fo the island.
We had friends visit, it was great to see Owen & Sally again, and also Martyn, Carol, Sam & Matthew - especially to see them diving together as a family.
As with last season, with few days off, little occured outside of work, a few beers after work, a few meals out per week (D Bar still does the best pizzas) and the odd sightseeing trip around the island (which we had failed to do the previous season). We managed to walk around the streets of Victoria (capital), visit the Citadel and Ta'Pinu (the Lordes of Gozo !).
The end of the season arrived all too soon though. Generally, it was a great experience to complete a whole season, I love Gozo, the island, the people, the lifestyle & the diving. We would have loved to return, but there were a few differences of opinion towards the end of the season which would only have intensified the following season - so why make life hard for yourself ?
It was sad to go, one day we will return. Glen is now in the Bahamas, Sean is in the Canary Islands, Andy is in Cyprus & Dave is back on the cruise ships for a year. I keep in touch with all of them and hope to catch up again in the future.
So ......... we left with nowhere to go, and a whole world to choose from !
