Welcome divers and future divers to the Dive Dive Dive monthly newsletter. It is hard to believe that 2015 is wrapping up in just a few short weeks. It has been a great year of diving and we look forward to all the excitement that 2016 is sure to bring to the underwater world. We were very busy in October and November so if you missed out on the diving then take a moment to read all of the “happenings” around the dive shop in October and November. October was a great month at Dive Dive Dive with a cadre of new divers joining our dive family and stories about some of our dive trips. From the classroom, to the Florida Keys, the Florida Springs and then on to sunny Bonaire Dive Dive Dive could be found blowing bubbles around the globe. It was truly an exciting time to be part of the D3 dive family. D3 Open Water Training
We wrapped up a number of dive classes in October and November. The feedback from the classes was very positive with students letting us know that the SSI training team made sure that there was some “serious diving” with lots of “serious fun.” If you are thinking about learning to dive – then we have a class schedule that will work with your hectic life style. We offer our standard monthly training – beginning the first Tuesday of every month. The class is Tuesday and Thursday nights beginning at 6:30 pm and runs for three weeks – so if this is something you are interested in then give the shop a call and make plans to attend the class.. If the Tuesday – Thursday class does not meet your needs then we offer Executive Weekend classes. The Executive Weekend class begins on Friday at 6:30, and then Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 5:00. This is one of our most popular schedules and we offer the Executive Weekend class twice a month. And lastly, if the Tuesday – Thursday or Executive Weekend class is not for you then stop by the dive shop and learn how we can put together a “custom schedule” class that offers you the flexibility of picking the times and dates to take the class that works for you.
Florida Keys – Yep We Were There in October!
Instructor Michael White led and his group of merry divers headed to the Florida Keys for certification and just plain fun dives. The Florida Keys trip went down on the luxury motor coach and was attended by Roy, Mark, Nat, Shamus, Rex, Susan and Ginny along with a few technical divers. The weather was nasty and we were blown out on Friday – but that did not stop this group from having fun hanging out at the pool. The conditions on Saturday and Sunday improved and we made 5 dives on Saturday and 2 more on Sunday. Our new divers are Shamus, Rex and Susan. For our repeat divers (Ginny and Nat – (Nat’s 4th October trip with me) it was great to spend time with you again. These “diver reunions” always result in rehashing old trips and making new memories to share on the next trip – and for me, I relish the sense of community that we have developed over the years. And Mark, it was great to have you on the trip and welcome back to the world of diving and your diving hiatus. That being said, I would have never known that you have been away from diving – your buoyancy skills are impressive – many of us will not forget watching you on your safety stop in the “lotus” position. And less not forget, Roy managed to get in two of his advanced decompression dives as he works his way toward his advanced decompression, nitrox and recreational tri-mix certification. Spook Scuba – Florida Springs
Dive leaders Judd Wolfe and Michael White led a “spooky group” to the Florida Springs for Halloween diving. That’s right – 16 divers went to the Florida Springs for some Halloween fun. We dove both the Blue Grotto and Ginny Springs during the weekend trip and most of our divers managed to get in 7 dives. There was an underwater pumpkin carving contest, under water “trick or treat” and Galaxy dives – not to mention that we certified 8 new divers during the weekend. To our new Open Water Divers – Kathryn, Jeremy, Ethan, Alayna, Alexis, Chris, Linda, and Michael – congratulations on a job well done and welcome to the family of certified divers that make up the Dive Dive Dive family – we are proud you have joined us. As for the underwater pumpkin carving – it was something new for us all. Believe it or not, underwater pumpkin carving was an opportunity to explore new ways to improve our diving skills while having some fun. Congratulations to our “winning carvers” – Jeremy and Kathryn. We also had a grand time bringing back the “Galaxy Dive” for the certified divers (we may look at doing this trip again next October). Rumor has it that a number of divers are going to practice their pumpkin carving skills and challenge this year’s winners. Blue Grotto in November
D3 shop owner – Lee Sessoms and John Addy led a small group to Blue Grotto the first weekend in November. They spent the weekend certifying 7 new divers and we welcome those divers to our D3 family.
Bonaire in November
10th Anniversary celebration. As I write this newsletter, the Bonaire group is boarding the plane headed back to Atlanta after a week of some of the best diving on the planet. This November marks the 10th consecutive year that dive shop owner Lee Sessoms leads a trip to beautiful Bonaire. With unlimited diving – Bonaire is often touted as one of the “bucket-list” dive destinations. And there is no one better to show you around than Lee. He has logged over 300 dives in Bonaire so he knows his way around the entire Bonaire marine sanctuary. Bonaire offers something for every diver – from exciting shore dive locations, easy boat dives, to diving the wreck of the Helma Hooker. Stop by the shop and learn all about this year’s trip – and then consider signing up for the trip next year.
New Instructor – Roy VanderPloeg
For those of you that have been around the dive shop the last couple of years you know that Roy has been working his way through the professional training offered by D3. He completed his instructor evaluation in November and is now a member of D3’s Instructor Team. Next time you see Roy be sure and congratulate him on his accomplishment. And if you have an interest in joining D3’s team of professional divers, talk to Roy or any of the other instructors about the path to becoming a dive leader. As you can see – we were busy during the last two months – but never too busy to go diving!
DECEMBER AND BEYOND
Christmas Party – December 16th at 6:30 PM
Mark your calendar – you do not want to miss the annual Christmas Party at Dive Dive Dive. This year the party is scheduled for December 16th. As in the past there will be plenty to eat and a few great door prizes. But more importantly the Christmas Party is a great opportunity to reunite with divers and share dive stories from your dive trips. (You can even get a preview of where we will be going in 2016 to get you thinking about your 2016 dive vacation.) It is also a great time to pick up a few of those last minute items to put under the Christmas tree for your favorite diver. We all hope to see you at the Christmas Party.
Can You Say Aquarium?
D3 is putting together a trip to the Aquarium for January. If you have always wanted to swim with the big fish while your friends and family watch you dive – then the aquarium should be your next dive destination. Stop by the shop and learn all of the details.
New Product Line
Ssshhh – The word is not out yet but D3 is looking at picking up an additional product line of scuba equipment. Make sure and stop by at the Christmas Party to learn all about the new product line that will be offered by D3. To be clear – D3 is not leaving Scuba Pro – but instead we are picking up another line of dive equipment in order to offer a more rounded portfolio of dive equipment that is designed to meet everyone’s budget and dive requirements.
Make it a 2016 Resolution to stop by the Dive Shop Regularly! At D3 we are a “family” of divers – if you are interested in learning to Dive – or you are a certified diver looking for “dive family” – then why not consider D3 and let us show you some “serious diving” and “serious fun”.