Marc has been talking about wanting to do a couple of speciality dive courses, one of them being the rescue diver course for quite some time now. He finally "just did it" and enrolled him self to do the rescue diver through the Kristal Klear Dive at the Hotel Kristal.
Marc did the theory part of the course during the week before with a written test on Saturday, 16 May.
On Saturday, 23 May at 8am we departed from the Anchol Marina, pier 15 for our 1 night, 2 days diving weekend on Alam Kotok. Kotok Island is one of the 1000 islands (Pulau Siribu) and is conveniently only 1hour, 30min by fast boat from Jakarta.
We arrived on the island at 9:30am.
Like Putri Island which is one of the more popular islands, Alam Kotok is a package weekend, which is usually for 1 night/2days. The Rp.2.4 mil per person includes transport to and from the island, 4 meals and 4 dives. The Island is small and can apparently accommodate a maximum of 30 guests. There were only about 18 guests on the island when we went, so it was really peaceful and it almost felt a little deserted, which was great.
Like with a lot of places around Indonesia this rustic and what some might call run down resort is a very welcome break from the hustle and the bustle of the city.
The resosrt has very basic, but comfortable rooms with AC.
The rooms have semi-open air bathroom with hot water.
"Make sure you check before you sit down, Oh and keep the toilet seat closed" - I used the loo in the middle of the night and when I reached to flush the toilet I nearly had a heart attache when I saw a huge (almost the size of my hand) spider on the toilet seat. And yes, I imagine it was there when I sat down. I'm sorry I didn't take a photo of it, to proof that I am not just a ninny. It was really HUGE!! Les you would have died.
"Also, ensure that the AC is working when you check in". We had to move to another room in the middle of the night. It is no fun trying to sleep in extreme tropical heat. And opening the doors and window's didn't really help and besides, that wasn't really a good idea with all the creepy crawlys around, especially after what I saw in the bathroom.
The diving was "ok". Not the best though, but just to be able to "blow bubbles" in less than 3 hours from the time you've left Jakarta makes it all "OK".
There were 5 people in our group. The instructor spent time with the guys doing more theory and practical exercises before and after the dives.
The 1st dive we did on Saturday was right off the pier and as to be expected the reef around the island was dead/dull and because of this the dive was equally "dull"....boring. With the exception of seeing the toilet and kopaja (bus), which was quite different to anything I've ever seen under water.
The Toilet, kopaja and a couple of tyres were placed around the reef to try and create an artificial reef. But unfortunately it hasn't yet turned into anything that remotely resembles coral but rather looked like an underwater scrap yard. ;-(.
In between dives, we enjoyed a great lunch. 
I gave the 2nd dive on Saturday a miss because of my ear but I was very happy to laze around on the deck just enjoying the fresh air and listening to the sound of the waves, snorkeled and cooling off in the clear ocean next to the pier.
Marc joined them for a night dive as well, which he says was fantastic. Something I am looking forward to trying next time.
We had a nice dinner and finally climbed into bed in the new room (see note above) at around 1:30am.
Sunday, 24 May we had breakfast early before the days diving started at 8:30am.
The semi-open air restaurant where all meals are served.
I was surprised to see a Monitor Lizard right next to the breakfast buffet table.
As it turns out, he is a regular visitor at breakfast and is also quite demanding. He was hissing until the waiter fed him his omelette.
After breakfast we were ready for the days diving.
Marc and Gregory taking it all in, ensuring they knew exactly what to do in a case of emergency.
Our 1st dive was around Kotok Kecil and it turned out to be a lot better than we expected.
We had a fantastic long, 65min dive with amazing, 20+meters visibility and great fish life and colourful coral.
Towards the end of our 2nd dive, Marc and Gregory (the two rescue diver students) finally had their knowledge and skills put to the test when they had to save Lucas, their instructor. If I didn't know any better I would have thought that it was a real life rescue: complete with the victim not responding under water, being brought to the service by Marc and Gregory, pushed and pulled onto the boat, "pretend" CPR was admitted during the boat ride to shore as well as on land until finally the victim was saved by the two very capable rescue divers Marc and Gregory. 
It's a good thing Marc has been working out a lot.
Well done guys!
I must admit; witnessing this pretend rescue made me realise how tricky real life rescue situations could be and that we (I'm sure I speak for quite a lot of people when I say this) should probably be a little more "prepared" especially when we travel in such remote places.
And yes, though Marc does work for a Medical Assistance company, I still think it is very important to check the following:
Is there a first aid kit
Is there a first aider in your midst
Is there oxygen
What to do in case of an emergency, who to call: International SOS, DAN (Divers Alert Network) etc.
Aren't I lucky that Marc is now a qualified rescue diver!
With the 1000 Islands practically on our door stop, it is the perfect get away when we feel the urge to blow some bubbles.
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