Captain's Chronicles August 2023

August 23,1998 / Air J&J / Good Ole Days

Twenty-five years ago today I opened up the doors to Scuba Marco (we actually opened as Scubadventures w/ Captain Jeff Dawson) for the first time. I never thought I’d be sitting in the same shop STILL OPEN a quarter century later. Yes, that’s a long time and it hasn’t been easy. I credit my perseverance and stubbornness for the shop still being viable. Throw in a little luck, extreme frugalness, and a lot of really cool people coming through the front door and you have a dive shop celebrating its 25th anniversary/birthday! I would love to throw a big bash this Friday, but with the slim turn outs lately, we will celebrate in the fall. Let’s wait for the part-timers to return and I will lure people in with a fish fry and/or free giveaways! That’s not going to stop us from throwing out a massive sale. From today, through the end of the month, take 15% off of sales over $250 and take 25% off of a $500 or greater purchase!

In an attempt to keep pace with the spiraling cost of living and being a human being on the earth currently, Jessi and I have decided to rent our house out for January, February, and March. We will stay with her mom in Chokoloskee, who has had recent health issues so that will be a good thing. That’s the game plan, but preparing the house for renting is a daunting amount of work. The goal is to rent it out for at least a month at a time. I’m sharing this with you because we would love to vet whoever we rent the house to. Does anyone out there have friends or family that is or may be looking for a place that doesn’t freeze to spend some time this winter? Our house is a 3/2 with a pool near Mackle Park. It will comfortably sleep five or six people and is pet friendly! When the island is the most crowded, the shop is least busy. We are contemplating reduced store hours and/or days this winter, and possibly even shutting her down for a week or two in February. We will keep you posted well in advance of any changes. 

I’m not feeling 100%. I’m fighting off a bug or depression or something. When I was younger, I would quietly ponder, usually in disbelief, while I listened to older people talk about how things were better back when they were younger. The good ole days! I couldn’t believe they weren’t embracing all the new inventions and technological advances. People grew bitter as they approached the finish line because they know they don’t have much time left here is what I thought. Maybe they’re just making themselves feel better because they didn’t have the opportunity to use all the cool new things now available when they were my age. Now that I’m old… Damned if they weren’t right! Most of my childhood was spent playing games or sports or building forts in the woods. We played (usually outside) endlessly almost every single day. Our parents were just fine with that too. I wouldn’t trade my childhood then to have one now for all the money in the world. However, I don’t feel like my disposition has anything to do with bitterness or approaching the finish line. The world is not as nice of a place as it was when I was a kid. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of super talented, kind, generous, and caring people out there. I guess it just feels to me like we’re failing. We are failing ourselves and failing the planet. We’re not evolving well. Is there a word for the opposite of evolution? If you’re still reading, I want to thank you for staying with me while I vent. These little rants of mine really are therapeutic. When I’m not writing or diving I think I’m subconsciously hiding depression. I guess that’s a simple remedy… Write and dive more!

Speaking of, I should probably touch upon the subject of diving. The gulf is wet and warm! There you go. It doesn’t get any easier with age, but keep on:

Living Loving Diving  —Jeff