January is Perfect for Diving!

Who says you can't have fun with diving when its only 14 degrees!? They must not have been with us and all the eager divers on Saturday!

Jim (upper-left) welcomes another class to the water here... My focus for the day was on one of our entry-level Discover Scuba classes, so I don't have a final number on total divers but I think we had about 15+!

This weekend I dusted off my old digital camera, found its ominous set of attachments, chargers, and memory cards and washed out it's underwater housing and Voila! I had my own lesson for the day, to relearn the nuances of the camera and the extreme variables of the elusive perfect underwater camera shot. (It's time for a Digital Underwater Photography brush-up, I think! ;-)

There were Discover divers, new Open Water divers, Scuba Review classes, snorkeling instruction and interested friends and family looking on.

My focus on fun for the day were these two intrepid adventurers! Ashley & Chuck! I can attest to Ashley's spirit with her determination to equalize her ears while decending into the depths of the high-diving area of the pool. Chuck joins her here for a celebration shot for the successful traverse down that deep end transition...

After getting aquainted with the deep end, Ashley & Chuck enjoyed watching the activities of the other instructors and students.

After a long holiday month, it was nice to meet up with fellow scuba professionals-in-training, Frank (pictured here, left), and Keith. We've all decided to continue our training in the Instructor Development Program which starts in February. It was nice to take some time out and discuss our shared group attack plan on our months ahead!

I know its just January, but just remember, from here on out the weather just gets warmer, there's more sun every day, and the water gets more comfy! See you here next week!

(more pics for the day here)

Emergency First Responder Training

The classroom is running out of space as the popular Emergency First Responder training filled up the shop this morning! It's a comprehensive class of CPR, AED and First Aid sessions. The class was filled with students from a wide range of backgrounds, mostly a wide array of diving backgrounds but some not. Every student present had to demonstrate ALL the skills! (Even if we have to use extra space to get one-on-one experience).

Although I happen to be secretly absent in most of my reporting, Pam, owner of GLDC snaps a surprise photo of me in training... Not sure why, but someone felt like I needed a real test today and put me to work with a custom AED training scenario that included "Battery Low"! Was I a pawn in a game or just a lucky recipient of thorough training?? Either way, the end result is the same: Confidence from Training!

Very informative class and well worth only one day of training to have the confidence to help fellow divers on the boat or non-divers on land!