Farewell Orca.

As I'm embarking on a new chapter in my life, I'm going to be finishing one too, my job at Orca. Working here for the last two years has been amazing. I've learned how to do business administration, finances, social media and obviously a lot about diving. I've learned how to fix regulators and how to clean BCD's properly. I've also learned that life is what you make of it and you can't pass up an opportunity. When I think of how little I knew about the diving industry and how shy I was to even answer the phone, it seems so far away. I can really see how far I have come as a person and that's all because of you.

So thank you to all of the Instructors for showing me guidance and helping me out when we were desperately short for staff. To the Dive Masters for having a joke and a laugh with me, for annoying me and always being there. To the Rescue divers for carrying a ton of kit around and doing everything you can to help out. To the shore support and to all of the people I've made an impact on. You have all shaped me into the person I am today, somebody that I'm proud to be.

Thank you to Gary for giving me the opportunity that nobody else would. Not only did he give me a passion for diving, a social group, a place where I felt safe, he gave me a reason to believe in myself and a reason to keep on fighting every battle. Nobody has ever taken a chance on me like Gary did. I'm so so so grateful to him for that.

I'd like to thank Rhonda for always being there when I need her and for all of her effort on my OW-MSD courses. Thank you to Jamie for being the DM on my OW and for bringing out my inner -weirdness...and for giving me abuse over the phone every week. To Nicole and Katie for being good friends who I can trust and be girly with. Thank you to Nick for calling me and Gary every day and cheering us both up. Thank you to Steve and Carole for inspiring me to be who I want to be. Thank you to Gill and Marcia for making me laugh so much on Thursday nights and for making me believe that everybody is worth something. Thank you to every single person at Orca. I can't say it enough. There are so many of you that have impacted my life and made me feel happy, loved, annoyed, frustrated and part of something unique and special. I'm truly going to miss working here everyday.

So what now?
I'm going to be working as a Section Planner at Network Rail. Then hopefully I'll be able to fund a few months travelling next year. I'm going to find the thing that I'm meant to do, something that drives me and something that I'm passionate about. I'm going to live my life in the way that I want, where I can look back when I'm 80 and think "wow I had some adventures". I'm want to inspire people and help then. And definitely dive in as many countries as possible.

But don't think that you've seen the last of me. I'll be back diving as much as possible so until then, farewell Orca.