They say ‘Whatever happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas,” but whatever happens in Puerto Rico during EXTREME SEALs Winter Dive Courses also requires signing a Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreement. That’s short for saying everyone had a really, REALLY good time, both diving and in the off-time they spent here.  And to the man, all agreed this was the best course we’ve run at Extreme SEAL EXPERIENCE.

Everyone left the cold and snow of North America and showed up on Saturday without a hitch and went to the Waldorf Astoria Resort, the El Conquistador for a swank New Years Eve bash Puerto Rican style… Great food and entertainment, we departed after the Fireworks show ended at Midnight. A long week of diving would begin that morning… http://www.elconresort.com/

Each morning would begin with PT and Instructor Fuch left it “optional” for the trainees to attend. Fuch’s definition of the word “Optional” meant everyone had better be there and nobody better be late…

A GREAT group of trainees were here for the course, younger and older, men and women and Fuch did an excellent job of challenging everyone without overdoing it. Standard PT and a run on the resort Soccer Field, to Cardio workouts and weightlifting in the gym; Fuch also snuck in a Coconut Run (a SEAL favorite in Puerto Rico) on the final day of the Course.

We met our Dive Instructors after PT at the Resort Pool. They were early, set up when we arrived and VERY organized with each piece of dive equipment meticulously placed poolside and in pristine working condition.  I lined up the class and explained to each one that this was NOT their Dive Course, it was the Teams Dive Course and if anyone was late, if anyone forgets a piece of equipment or if anyone causes training to slow down in any way, then they have done it to the Team and not only themselves…

It was everyone’s course or it was no one’s course…

It must have sunk in as the Class was about to get some serious “perks” for their Hard Charging Attitudes from the Dive Company…  

Half the Class was getting their basic Diving Quals and they had never dove before, the other half had their basic quals and were getting Advanced Quals. A couple hours in the pool and a few in the Classroom concluded Day-One’s dive training.

The next morning would bring the Open Ocean…

A Fuch PT and great breakfast laid out by Fallon and Sidney, the Class loaded the dive boat at 0800 for a long day of diving… Two dives in the morning, in for lunch and fresh scuba bottles; they departed for two more dives at 1300 and finished after dark.

And a strange thing happened…

The strange thing was called Team Work and Work Ethic, something the dive company was not used to seeing in its clients who normally load and unload the dive boat without lifting a finger except to complain about some BS.

The “Behind the Scenes” work these dive instructors did/do getting everything ready for each dive and each day is extreme and nobody knows it… Nobody except a couple retired Navy SEALs who have spent a life diving and the “Whip Cracking” began on the Class with Fuch’s term he coined “Stander Arounders.”

A “Stander Arounder” is somebody doing nothing while everyone else works and pitches in. It’s not a label you want Instructor Fuch referring to you as.  To the amazement of the Dive Instructors, the Class all pitched in loading and unloading all the Dive Equipment and anything else that needed done. It set the Class up for some big rewards…

The Big Rewards came as additional qualifications…

SWITCHED ON and working as a TEAM, EXTREME SEAL Trainees in addition to a basic and Advanced PADI Diving Qualification were qualified as Adventure Divers, Underwater Navigation, Search and Recovery, Deep Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy and Underwater Naturalist with dives as deep as 80’. And the limits were PUSHED as a reward…

The best dives in the best dive areas and the best dive quals were given in an effort to repay the hard and organized, on-time work the Class performed. It was VERY COOL, and it set up future Extreme SEAL Trainees Dive Courses here for the very BEST they have…

Over 150 dives were safely completed in some of the most beautiful diving the World has to offer.

The Class made a trip to the Rain Forest at El Yunque and swam in the waterfall as well as finding spare time in the evenings to “Paint the Town” of Luquillo (BURN IT DOWN) in their off-time…  

Noteworthy, was the Class shooting pool in a section of open-air restaurants and bars one evening. I noticed a young couple outside had their car blocked in by a Taxi Cab and the driver could not be found. I asked the couple if they’d like us to help them and with strange looks on their faces they said “YES,” but had no idea how I’d be able to help them.  I summoned the Class from the Pool Table and told them to pick up their car and move it so they could get out.

30-seconds later the Class had the car moved to the amazement of the couple and on-lookers who were dumbstruck by the feat of strength.

As the young lady thanked us, Diane said “Compliments of the Navy SEALs.” The young lady’s reply was a very long Wowwww, Navyyyy SEALssssss…

The next morning, our final day of training, had no diving as the 24-hours before flying rule insured no decompression sickness to the Class. Instead we boarded a spectacular Catamaran for an all inclusive snorkel trip visit to several islands for the day.  All inclusive meant all inclusive (Booze Included) and for the very few in the Class who were able to actually “remember” the trip when it ended after a hard week it was a perfect finally to a perfect week…

What made the trip even better was that the Dive Instructors enjoyed being with the Class so much that they came along with us for the day…

What made it even better than that was as I was boarding the boat one of the crew members asked if we were going to “Pick up any Cars today?”

He’d witnessed the vehicle lifting feat and we received some extra respect from the crew that day…

The FINAL Dive Course this year begins on February 11th 2012 and runs through February 18th 2012. http://www.extremesealexperience.com/1100.h.NEW_Winter_SEAL_Training_Courses

Swaggerjack productions followed us along and have a great blog they continue to work on each day at http://swaggerjackproductions.wordpress.com/

I hate sounding like a Salesman but DON’T miss the February course here in Puerto Rico if you can help it…  The Class is half full and everyone has BUSTED ASS setting it up with the most credit going to Diane. Call her to sign up at 757-560-2315…

Well Done to the January Class… Very WELL DONE…

Kick Some Ass…