Hello Everyone!
June has arrived and we are officially into the 2013 Hurricane Season which started June 1st and runs until December 1st. We are hoping that this season is as uneventful as last season, however we are planning for the worst (as always) with Hurricane standby for the boats, careful watch of the National Hurricane Center and a cupboard full of extra food, water and candles!
June 1st was a particularly big day for Chris and Sally this year because it marked their 5 year anniversary as the owners of Octopus Diving. There is more on this below.
Also included in this newsletter, are some interesting marine sightings we have had recently over on the Atlantic Side of Tintamarre, (you won't believe what we saw), and more on Chris' Exciting Tec adventures, plus the usual baby report of course!
You can get more Octopus Diving news on Facebook where we have 2,086 fans (so excited to be over the 2,000 mark)!
Also, check out our blog if you are interested in Sally's take on all things Octopus, you can also subscribe to this blog so that you get an email every time a new one comes out!
Enjoy this months update,
Sally and Chris and the whole Octopus Team
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Five Years in the making
| Five years ago on June 1st Chris and Sally officially received the keys to Octopus Diving from the previous owners John and Angie. It was a day full of excitement, trepidation and and joy!
In the last 5 years they have certainly come a long way. Believing in continual re-investment both in the company and themselves they have taken Octopus Diving from a small, locals only dive shop to the busy, award winning, dynamic company that it now is. Chris and Sally have taken a plethora of courses both above and below the surface that make them a powerhouse of knowledge and talent.
That first year was tough though, hurdles included the collapse of the economy, Hurricane Omar, and then Swine Flu. You can read some stories from that first year by checking out the old Octopus Diving Blog (before it came to the new site) at http://octopusdiving.blogspot.com.
 | | Happy new owners Chris and Sally had no idea what was in store for them. Here they are in June 2008 inside the dive shop! |
Since that first year they have certified hundreds of students, taken out thousands of divers and have a million stories to tell! One thing they have never done though, is regretted their decision.
 | | This is what the shop looked like in 2008 when Chris and Sally first arrived. |
Chris and Sally would like to say thank you, thank you, thank you, to all their loyal divers and friends. Without all of you, none of this would've been possible. You can check out Sally's blog about the five year anniversary if you click here!
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You'll never guess what we saw!
| Dave was out diving on the far side of Tintamarre at a dive site called Chicoearlier this month when he spotted a Mola Mola in the distance. Also known as Sun Fish, these majestic creatures are normally seen only in colder waters. Perhaps this one somehow made a wrong turn somewhere. They can be up ten feet in length and weigh over 2,000 lbs. The one that Dave saw was about 5 feet in length, but they are are pretty identifiable looking like a huge head with two fins sticking out.
 | | This picture was taken from Wikipedia as Dave didn't get a photo. |
Also seen recently were dolphins at dive site New Reef located in the channel between St Martin and Anguilla. This has to be one of the latest sightings seen as normally the water is way too warm for dolphins by mid June! |
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| Picture of the Month |
 | | This picture of the month is a photo that Sally took in Saba when the Octopus Diving Team went for a staff fun day. This particular dive site is called Diamond rock. Chris has started teaching Tec Courses in Saba and Sally shot this with her Nikon D200 in Sea & Sea housing. |
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| DIVER OF THE MONTH |
 | | Andrew from Kokomo, Indiana |
This month we chose Andrew Davis from Kokomo, Indiana as the Diver of the Month. Andrew certified as an Open Water Diver with us in May of 2011 and just over 2 years later he came back to do his Advanced Nitrox and Deco procedures with Chris.
Andrew can now dive with his dad, Tim, who is certified as a recreational trimix diver (also certified by Chris earlier in the year).
Andrew is just going into his senior year at high school, and although not sure where he will be going to college, or what he will be doing, we know that he is destined for great things.
We love the whole Davis family, both in the water and on the land as well!
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| Well, Keiran turned 7 months in May and is now able to move around like lightening. One day he was just sitting on a blanket, playing with some toys and then the next day he was crawling around like an expert.
He is still meeting the divers and snorkelers as they come and go.
His new found mobility also comes with some new bumps and scrapes as he is desperate to walk but isn't quite there yet. He is a brave boy though, and his determination to be upright and move from one place to another outweighs any fear of pain!
Here he is wearing his Octopus Diving uniform.
 | | Keiran and Sally sporting Octopus Diving gear |
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CHRIS TEC DIVING IN SABA | Saba is a small volcanic island 28 miles southeast of St Martin. It boasts some amazing dive sites and has pinnacles and sea mounts that rise up out of the depths towards the surface. Most of these deeper pinnacles have yet to be explored as recreational divers can't go much below 140 ft.
That's where Chris comes in with his training! He is now working with Saba Deep to offer Technical Diving courses, which means that Chris goes over to Saba to explore these deeper sites, something that no one has ever done before. As always with Chris, this is very exciting!
If you want to take a Tec course in Saba, or just do some awesome deep diving there, simply email chris for more info.
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