AIDA Instructor || Retired world traveller
23-29 April 2015 || Moalboal, Philippines
I first "met" Nico while I was finishing some freelance work at the hostel lobby. He randomly came in, sat at the reception counter, and started talking about his ear infection. I wasn't looking and was just overhearing the conversations but I thought it weird for him to divulge such detail to the hostel people who didn't sound interested at all. A few hours later, I decided to pause work and check in with the freediving shop to confirm the schedule for tomorrow. I met with my instructor and was surprised when he said he has already seen me at the hostel. As several people dropped by at the hostel the whole time I was staying there, I asked whether he also saw the guy with an ear ailment. When he said that it was him, I felt embarrassed and tried to recall whether I mentioned anything negative about "the ear guy". Fortunately, this didn't affect our exchange at all and I became a happy and fulfilled student.
Nico is still young at 26 y/o. He's been travelling when he encountered freediving and decided to pursue it because it felt appropriate with his natural skill set. He is very passionate about freediving and with sharing his knowledge -- patiently and intently answering all my weird and minor questions. He says he has gotten tired of jumping from one place to another and of staying in hostels and dormitories so he decided to become a freediving instructor and stay in Moalboal for a short while.
He is very mature but he loves playing with kids -- their innocent laughter being one of his favorite tunes. He walks around barefoot everywhere, wears string bracelets, and has a bicycle tattoo on his ankle.
