To be honest, SCUBA was not even on my radar. The night I met my future husband-he was slightly sunburnt & freshly back from a week of diving in Cozumel & packing for a trip to the Chinchorro Banks where he was going to board a dumpy local fishing boat with a makeshift shark cage that he had organized with his buddies. Well, I was firmly on the hook. I HAD to get in on this level of adventurous living…and fast-because I fully intended on crashing his shark cage.
After a short time together, we talked about dreams and his was opening a dive shop. I was working in a different industry at the time but I was all in for the idea of a business that was about fun, fish and incredible experiences.
Shortly after the birth of our bouncing baby business, we both became scuba diving instructors. We continued to develop the business and ourselves and over these past 28 years, I have had so many ridiculous experiences with the underwater world. I have befriended some of the most brilliant minds in our industry and I can engage a new customer and get even more inspired when they share their stories…and equally thrilling is to see the wide eyes and smiling face of someone whom we have freshly certified.
It has been an awfully lucky existence and next week there is more excitement to come. I am not a jealous person, but SSI created the most prestigious award in our industry and in its inaugural year, 1993, my beloved husband was awarded this honor along with other members of this first graduating class, including Jacques Cousteau and Bob Hollis (inventor and founder of Oceanic and Hollis and more).
Next week, at the #DEMASHOW, I will join the ranks of this elite tribe as I accept my SSI Platinum Pro 5000 award. An added bonus is the fact that I was nominated by people for whom my admiration is greater than my vocabulary. I have not read their endorsement letters yet. They will remain under a green tree until opened on December 25th.