The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
This past weekend we attended Debby Diver's retirement/farewell party as she gets ready to move to St Croix with Tom (Horsenail). It started the night before at Briny Irish Bar. That was a hoot, but the real fun was to be had on Saturday as we dove Tenneco Towers just off of Ft Lauderdale.
Mind you, I have made many dives out of Ft Lauderdale with various ops and have always enjoyed the experience. How I missed Sea Experience for so long, I have no idea, but they were a wonderful surprise. We misunderstood the arrive/departure time and ended up getting there over an hour ahead of schedule. This was great as I got to see the whole charter from prep to the final rinse at the dock. Right at 7:30 Rob, the divemaster, showed up. He was bright and cheerful, quickly rinsed his own vehicle and started right away getting the boat ready for the passengers.
Now when someone is trying to work, I try to stay out of their way and not bother them to much. Rob would have none of that and kept up a running dialog with us all the while keeping busy, busy. He was a nice guy and a real bright spot in our industry. The boat we were going out on was a 45ft Corinthian Catamaran.
I love these boats for their openness and fun. They are perfect for most reef diving and are popular in the Keys. This one was particularly well set up with ample gas tanks, lots of tank room and even a head.
When 8:00 came, Elena and I headed over to sign in for the trip. The dive shop is conveniently just across the parking lot. There I met Bill, our Capitan and owner of the Charter and Dive Shop. We had met many times before at consumer and trade shows. He's an affable guy and pays close attention to his clients. It's obvious where Rob learned his customer skills from. Elena and I might have been the only "newbies" on this boat. Most of the divers were repeats. They addressed Bill and Rob as friends and not as vendors. However, neither of us felt out of place for being new. We were treated on an equal basis. It was an incredibly congenial experience. It's no wonder that the divers keep coming back again and again.
The weather was Wonderful. Fifteen minutes to the ocean and another 45 to the Towers. We had vicious 6 inch seas with no current to speak of. We splashed and could easily make out the tower 60 below us. Here, let me allow my pictures to tell the rest of the story.
Elena about 40 ft below me. The vis was wonderful.
Finally at the base of the structure.
A soon to be dead lionfish seeks some shelter.
This nudibranch was about a foot from the lionfish. I almost missed it.
View from the top.
View from the starboard.
It's a crappy shot with all the silt kicked up by the fish, but the tower was teaming with life.
A clam and arrow crap co-habitate a ledge.
Soft corals were everywhere!
The soft corals really added color to the whole tower.
Mind you, I have made many dives out of Ft Lauderdale with various ops and have always enjoyed the experience. How I missed Sea Experience for so long, I have no idea, but they were a wonderful surprise. We misunderstood the arrive/departure time and ended up getting there over an hour ahead of schedule. This was great as I got to see the whole charter from prep to the final rinse at the dock. Right at 7:30 Rob, the divemaster, showed up. He was bright and cheerful, quickly rinsed his own vehicle and started right away getting the boat ready for the passengers.
Now when someone is trying to work, I try to stay out of their way and not bother them to much. Rob would have none of that and kept up a running dialog with us all the while keeping busy, busy. He was a nice guy and a real bright spot in our industry. The boat we were going out on was a 45ft Corinthian Catamaran.
I love these boats for their openness and fun. They are perfect for most reef diving and are popular in the Keys. This one was particularly well set up with ample gas tanks, lots of tank room and even a head.
When 8:00 came, Elena and I headed over to sign in for the trip. The dive shop is conveniently just across the parking lot. There I met Bill, our Capitan and owner of the Charter and Dive Shop. We had met many times before at consumer and trade shows. He's an affable guy and pays close attention to his clients. It's obvious where Rob learned his customer skills from. Elena and I might have been the only "newbies" on this boat. Most of the divers were repeats. They addressed Bill and Rob as friends and not as vendors. However, neither of us felt out of place for being new. We were treated on an equal basis. It was an incredibly congenial experience. It's no wonder that the divers keep coming back again and again.
The weather was Wonderful. Fifteen minutes to the ocean and another 45 to the Towers. We had vicious 6 inch seas with no current to speak of. We splashed and could easily make out the tower 60 below us. Here, let me allow my pictures to tell the rest of the story.
Elena about 40 ft below me. The vis was wonderful.
Finally at the base of the structure.
A soon to be dead lionfish seeks some shelter.
This nudibranch was about a foot from the lionfish. I almost missed it.
View from the top.
View from the starboard.
It's a crappy shot with all the silt kicked up by the fish, but the tower was teaming with life.
A clam and arrow crap co-habitate a ledge.
Soft corals were everywhere!
The soft corals really added color to the whole tower.
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