My First GUE Project

It's been eight years since that summer. I had become a GUE instructor the year before, and I seemed to have the world in my hands. Today I recall with a smile the great emotions that I experienced during those two weeks, and only now I can understand what an exceptional learning experience it was. Mario, the great Super Mario Arena, had arranged everything in detail, and the efficiency of his plans had allowed a group of GUE explorers to finally land on a small island in the Channel of Sicily. I say “finally” because over the preceding years, we had been rejected from the island more than once, as if it wanted to deny us the possibility of discovering its secrets. But in the summer of 2005, nothing could stop us, not even the island. The Archeology project Pantelleria 2005 saw committed and talented explorers: Mario, JJ, and David to name only the most famous. I was the master of the house, and in those days I felt I was living a dream. There were so many dives, so much effort, and so many smiles and stories, especially on those endless nights at the compressor. I remember the faces, exhausted by their efforts, but calm; I remember the sunsets and sunny days that made our work the most beautiful experience in the world. I also remember my pain: after only 2 days of the start of the project I caught an ear infection that forced me into bed and kept me from going down into the water for the duration of the project. I was at my house, I was there with the best technical divers in the world, and I could not be with them to discover the secrets of my island. But I was not sad, because even if I could not be with them underwater, I was always there. How much I’ve learned just by listening to their stories and observing their emotions. I felt like a baby, focused on every move. I was with them, always, 'cause we were a team, a united group with a single purpose. I remember my friend Massimiliano, just Fundy-certified, who spent the whole project on the boat as a surface diver. Every day he was there, working in the sun with his black DUI to check that all was well. Massimiliano never stopped and even if he’s never been on the bottom of that beautiful sea to discover ancient amphorae, he lived his most beautiful experience. Only when people feel useful and appreciated for their work are they able to give their best. When I think back to that summer and my first major GUE project, I think how lucky I was to have learned so much and made so many friends who are still part of my life. I have never abandoned the spirit of that time, and now that this new project is ready to take off, I would like to tell you that these are the things which make going underwater worthwhile, because this experience will accompany us throughout our lives and ...and you will see that you will not be alone. A special welcome to all the friends from that summer, especially Mario, Fabio, and Bruno, still my buddies today on this beautiful adventure.


Enjoy!