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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!
Marco Morphing / ‘I’m Melting / Damned Fools
‘Changes aren’t permanent but change is’ rings loud and true on Marco Island. New people continually come, and too often don’t always stay. Paul & Debbie and Scott & Colleen you will be missed and I wish you a happy journey down whatever path you choose! It sucks when cool people (divers) pull the plug. New replacements are always on deck though and not all of them are self-absorbed!
Tranquility or Anxiety / Happy Anniversary Baby / Rock Lobster!!
There’s something special about those first initial breathes taken as you deflate your BC to drop below the surface for a brief encounter with the aquatic realm. For me it’s very relaxing and yet exciting at the same time. I’m relaxed because I’m entering into a different world where my cell phone is no longer a thought (unless it’s an a waterproof case and I’m taking pictures with it). I am excited because you never know what you’re going to see on a dive, especially in the Gulf.
Rebooting / Michael Sipos: Eye D / The Heat!
Reboot is a funny word. It’s what you would do after your dive buddy realizes you put on their boots instead of your own. Did this word even exist before computers? That’s my memory of how reboot came into language. I could be wrong, perhaps it goes way back to a farmer that had to kick his tractor repeatedly to get it to run. Or an abusive parent; ‘you know I’ve put my boot to your backside before boy… You want me to do it again?’
Clarity / Straight Forward / Stretch Run
My mental clarity is not unlike the clarity locally in the Gulf of Mexico… It fluctuates greatly! Like the reasons behind the fluctuations in the gulf, mine too seem to be the result of multiple forces. The degree to which each of those forces plays a role is a fluctuating percentage also. There is not necessarily a direct correlation between the gulf’s and my own clarity. The gulf can’t take a pill or meditate or seek therapy to improve its clarity, but I can, maybe I should try some of that! I’m definitely happier and more optimistic when the gulf is clear.
Overhauled / Slithering / Ebb & Flow
Overhauled is a beefy word. It insinuates that a lot of work needs to be done. It also implies that once the work is completed, the subject will be much improved, if not, in a like new condition. The Psychquatic is the subject of Scuba Marco‘s latest overhaul. We have been working hard on her for several weeks.
Huge Orbit / Bouncing Back / Are You My Landlord?
They say we know more about outer space than we do about the deep depths of the oceans. Perhaps, but we didn’t know about C/2022 E3, the comet that is going to pass relatively close to earth as it whips around the sun over the next couple of weeks, until 10 months ago. Perhaps a caveman made a drawing on a wall way back, but that file has crashed. A 50,000 year orbit seems crazy, how can our sun have that much magnetic force to pull that ice and dust ball back to it?
Dry Gills / Seeing Red / Thanksgetting
Are your gills dry fellow divers? Mine are brittle and desperately in need of a submersion in seawater! We are approaching two months without running a boat trip on the Psychquatic. The longest dry spell in almost 25 years for Scuba Marco. Ian was absolutely brutal to our water quality and clarity. Nicole’s little exclamation point didn’t help either. Can’t complain, we were ultimately very fortunate. Healing takes time! Patience is part of our motto… along with kindness, it’s always free. So let’s maintain our sanity (or semblance thereof) until that next submersion! Hang in there gills… good dives come to those who wait!
Dying Selflessness / The Honesty Policy / Man Overboard
Preface to my newsletter: Jessi and I have been dealing with more than our fair share of family matters here recently. I know many of you feel my sentiment! The time I’ve spent underwater recently is kind of like the water level in Lake Mead and Lake Powell… Severely low and in danger of not perpetuating energy. I may strap on a tank and jump in the nearest pool when I’m done writing.
Red Tide? / Thanks Sahara / Ocean Salvors
First let’s summarize local diving conditions recently. Viz: below average. Temperature: beautiful. Feel: wet and wonderful. Marine Life: abundant when you’re close to it.
Conflicted / Endangered Species / Goldilocks in Rehab / Anger or Depression?
Conflicted, in so many ways. Most of the time I wish I could collectively slap all of humanity in the face. I continually feel a strong sense of sorrow for how we have treated Mother Earth. I also feel a strong sense of sorrow that more of us don’t feel that same sense of sorrow. Maybe then we could repair the damage that we’ve inflicted. Human (nature) is a disease to which there seems no cure. Yet that same human nature can and does do amazing things for our Mother Earth. Take reef clean-ups and the upcoming Great Goliath Count for example (more info below).
