The day came. The day we’d been waiting for. Working for. Dreaming about.

And, at the same time, it was just a normal day. Just a Wednesday. Woke up, made tea, started school with the girls. Lu had physics and Delph read her book aloud for English class. Chapter Eight. She is barrelling through that Kensuke’s Kingdom.

So how did we get here – Jack, Delph and I in the water by the beach three hours later? We weren’t rehearsing Michael washing up on Kensuke’s island after all. Meanwhile, Lu was still on Quest – she had three live classes left to do. Three hundred metres away, Delph had her scuba diving gear on.

She was on her first open water dive – here in sheltered Bequia. Completely up for it. Leading the dive was her dad. Jack is still registered as a dive instructor in active teaching status. Another tick for years of planning. Not that Jack needed much encouragement. Putting her gear together, sitting with her and debriefing her on the aspects of their upcoming dive together. He was right back in his element. It’s nice, no – being able to revisit the past and step into old work shoes? I always admire this about his diving. 

I was with them to assist – to help with dive gear and snorkel above them while towing the surface marker buoy around with flapping dive flag. Very helpful safety marker, me and my buoy. Together, we cover a lot of ground.

It’s not the first time we’ve done this. Lulu went through the same dive training, beginning three years ago. Over the years on Quest, she’s got her PADI Junior Open Water Advanced certificate. This has been awesome to watch and to take part in… but still. I have to say it. Something has always been missing. Our family’s been split. While Jack and Lulu have been diving, me and Delph have been snorkelling, or watching them go up and down from Quest. Now, with Delph diving too, well, it’s complete. We can dive together as a family. After all, why bicker overground while you can bicker underwater too?  

Delph really wanted to as well. Not the bickering – she’s way too highbrow for that. No, the diving. She’s been talking about the diving for ages. Coming to the Caribbean again has been a big motivating factor – it’s Delph’s turn to learn to dive. She’s been waiting. Watching. It’s not over yet. A very normal Wednesday.