Chocolate Lobster Dive gripes

[headhunter]

Kelly,

Thanks for giving us such a great description and explanation of the changes and why they were necessary. Thank you also for listening to the local dive community and asking for suggestions.

It sounds like you are actually increasing the level of fun, while trying to make the event more sustainable from a financial standpoint.

We always have some great reports here on ScubaBoard after the CLD, telling us what a fun time they had even if the conditions were close to zero visibility.

I see that this is your first post on ScubaBoard and I want to welcome you. I don't know if you are a diver or not, but if you are, it would be nice to meet you at one of our monthly dive gatherings here in SoCal. We just had one in Redondo Beach last weekend and the next one is in La Jolla. We've just started our planning for the September La Jolla Dive and BBQ and there is more info on our La Jolla dive here:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=108393

Here is more info on our next 3 boat dives:

September 3rd, Saturday - Long Beach - The Sun Diver
Discussion: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=105875

October 1st, Saturday - Long Beach - The Sun Diver
Discussion: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=107738

October 29th, Saturday - Long Beach - The Sun Diver
Discussion: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=107739

If you are a diver, I hope you are able to come out and put faces to some of the names you see here on the board. If you are not a diver and are thinking about getting into it, you may want to come out just to learn more about it.

Thanks again for the info you've provided for the Chocolate Lobster Dive. I wish your event great success.

Christian

 

[choclob05]

Hi Christian,

Thank you so much for your warm welcome! I am grateful for your expressed support of this year’s CLD and I appreciate your comments that my message helps provide more clarity on the changes that have been made and the reasons why. I promise that the fun and excitement have not been taken away from the event – we’ve just added more fun and excitement!! I hope to see you down at Cabrillo Beach on the 24th.

FYI, I have updated our website so that it now includes a FAQ section, maps of the area, description of the dive site and a more thorough overview on how to participate (whether as a regular diver or as a sponsored diver). For those who might visit the site, please note you might have to hit your refresh button on each page to see the updates. Check out www.chocolatelobsterdive.com.

And yes! I am a diver and would love to join one of your monthly dives. The next two months are a little crazy for me, but I will aim for the October 29th date. Thank you for the invitation.

Happy Friday!

Kelly

 

[jengineer]

Dang, tough crowd, poor viz, only 500 lobsters in past years, higher costs.

Personally I am there to support a good cause. I volunteer with Pacific Wilderness and we are the ones that try to wrangle the divers that want to wander outside of the "boundry" zone. If you are doing this solely for a hunk of chocolate or a chance at a prize then I wonder if your heart is in the right place. Sure it is nice to win a prize. So far as a volunteer I have only gotten one shirt and one lobster, oh yeah and a lunch. You need to look at the bigger picture. My complaint would be if I paid up the money and a chit for free parking was not included! Not a problem if you sign up before the 19th of Spetember.

So this year you are guaranteed a lobster - If you miss the hunt I will be more than glad to hide it for you in a spot that only I know. This way if you fail to find it I will be able to retrieve it for you. Oh there will be a substantial finders fee.

As for the dive site, yes it usually has poor viz. So far only 1 year out of the last 5 have I seen over 5 foot viz. Once the diver get in a rake it up a bit it gets worse. That is a bit unfortunate but logistically it would be a nightmare to move to another location. First there is excellent facilities on-hand to support the event in terms of Harbor Patrol, the Safety Group (Lifegard Station) not to mention access and parking.

Since they are using a new bio friendly marker I suggest that a sample of what you are looking for be prominantly displayed at the sign-in table.

Just this morning I got a call to Volunteer and a catroon map was included. It shows where you can park and trhe general layout of the area. Hope it helps, it is essentially the same one that is on the CLD web site.

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/29325/cat/500/ppuser/10607

Fianl thought, I don't know if there is a dive team limit. In years past there was close to a 1:1 relationship between divers and lobsters. Once a set point of divers had registered the event was closed to other divers. At that point you, as a diver, had to decide where your values lay. You could still donate your hard earned cash and time to a great educational organization or walk away in a huff. I am not sure if the number of divers are limited this year, Sounds like to me there are more corporate sopnsers and possibly more means of recripication.

je

 

[mcmickenj]

Hi Kelly,

I was going to call you about this, but since it came up here I will reply instead. I am also having a hard time "selling" this to everyone in my group and have heard a lot of gripes about the changes.

The main issue that I hear everyone having is that they either have to pay $60 each, or join the Aquarium and get the entry for $35 which still equates to at least $60. The buddy membership is better, but only one person gets the family membership unless the buddies are related. Maybe you could offer an option where they can have two single memberships instead of a family membership?

Thinking about the event with the buddy membership in mind, this is really only an increase of $15 for each diver over last year’s event. Unfortunately, I think many divers are not looking at it this way. Once an event gets over $50, everyone looks at it differently.

I am still encouraging everyone I know to go and I will be participating again this year. The Outreach program the aquarium offers is well worth all the support that the dive community can give.

~Jim

 

[choclob05]

Thanks JE and Jim for your comments and feedback.

Yes, we can definitely have examples of what divers are looking for at the registration area as well as during the saftey talk - great thought. We are working right now on testing different colors (flourescent yellow, orange, etc) to make sure they show up well underwater. I'll keep you posted as to the final color and material used - I can even try to post a photo of what they will look like on Scuba Board in the coming weeks.

Jim, your idea of offering 2 individual memberships ($30 value each) rather then one family membership ($50 value and what we have done in the past) is a really great one. I will chat with a few people at the office on Monday about this and let you know what we decide. I honestly don't think it will be a problem and if it's what helps entice people that little bit more then I am completely for it. I'll be in touch.

Again, thank you all for your messages of support and please keep the ideas coming! I'm going to have to hit you all up to be committee members next year (kidding!!).

Have a great weekend,

Kelly

 

[choclob05]

Me again!

So providing two individual memberships this year is not going to be possible. In my excitement over the idea (which I still think is a really great idea), I failed to remember that we recently increased our membership levels (see, we have increased fees in other areas too to help keep up with our ever-rising costs!!). Individual memberships are now $40 which would mean that of the $100 brought in through the Buddy Package, $80 of it would go to membership and only $20 to the Ocean Outreach Program - not exactly ideal.

For now, each Buddy Package will receive one Family Membership (valued at $50) and that membership will be applied to the paying, or 'primary,' buddy. As I mentioned before the Buddy Package includes two entries, lunch, two free t-shirts and parking (if you register by September 19), a $50 family membership, chocolate lobsters AND the chance to win great prizes is not a bad deal. AND YOU ARE HELPING TO PROVIDE QUALITY HANDS-ON MARINE EDUCATION TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF KIDS A YEAR!! I hope that this is enough of a 'selling' point.

Again, if anyone has any comments, questions or concerns please let me know. It is really great, for me personally, to collaborate with members of the dive community as I want to ensure that the Chocolate Lobster Dive strikes the perfect balance between maintaining a fun, exciting and entertaining event for you all AND a successful fundraiser for the Aquarium.

Have a great Wednesday - I can't believe it's Wednesday!

Kelly

 

[Ann Marie]

I got vertigo and ended up barfing. My brain didn't like 4inches - to 2ft of vis.

Oh, poor us....this year during the lobster dive we'll be in Bonaire. I am so in for the dive next year.

Kelly- if you need committee members for next year, just give me a shout (annmarie@divotndive.com) I will be there if I can. I just love a good cause!

Viz or no, winning or not...it's a great cause. (Up until 3 months ago, my non-diving hubby thought that sea horses were mythical creatures! It is a shame that more people aren't exposed to the beauty that lies just under the water!)

 

[Serenity]

Hi, Kelly, Thanks for your responsiveness to these concerns. I've always loved the event, and regularly recommend the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium as having the best exhibit on local marine life, bar none. Thanks also for being open to suggestions. As you hear from the various comments some of us have made, all these changes will take some getting used to. But please know that we wouldn't be griping if we didn't care!

Someone earlier questioned the location of my heart in making these gripes and saying I'm not sure if I'd do it this year (and to you, sir, I would tell you that I am so good at this chocolate lobster dive that without the catch limit I would totally CLEAN YOU OUT , so it's not about the gain). But, I think it shows that some people are seeing this event as the only way to contribute. I've always known that your organization would be happy to just take a contribution, in lieu of the event fee, if I choose not to participate, but I don't think everyone knows that. Perhaps you could also explicitly encourage people to simply make a monetary contribution if they cannot do the dive for whatever reason. Or even just renew their membership! The organizers of the Chamber Day charity dive event have done a great job with this, offering a special souvenir t-shirt to those who donate but cannot dive. But I think people need the reminder.

Haven't checked out your website yet, but am looking forward to the changes.

 

[Serenity]

Another thought: how about a discount for repeat customers? Reduced entry fee for those who participated last year (or those who will participate next year). It'll keep them coming back!

I agree with Jim: there is some kind of a psychological barrier that needs to be overcome when you hit the $50 threshold...

 

[choclob05]

8th Annual Chocolate Lobster Dive a SUCCESS!

This year's Chocolate Lobster Dive was a huge success! Thank you to all who participated and helped to raise $15,000 for Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. With over $30,000 donated in prizes from over 100 supporters as well as over $20,000 donated in in-kind support, the 8th Annual Chocolate Lobster Dive was the place to be on September 24, 2005.

A special thanks to those participants who participated in our first-ever optional Dive-A-Thon which helped to raise almost $5,000. Your additional support is greatly appreciated. Thank you also to the many volunteers who worked through-out the day - we couldn't do it without you and we truly appreciate all of your hard work!

Proceeds from this years Chocolate Lobster Dive will benefit Cabrillo Marine Aquariums Ocean Outreach Program, our aquarium-on-wheels that reaches over 30,000 children in under-served communities each year. Ocean Outreach provides a hands-on learning experience for many children who might otherwise not have an opportunity to interactively learn about the marine environment.

The Chocolate Lobster Dive continues to be a great day for the entire family and provides a unique opportunity to partner the message of ocean conservation with the love of scuba diving and snorkeling. We are proud to report that our effort to make this years event a larger community experience was a great success. Families were able to enjoy a day at the beach either by participating in the hunt, experiencing sea creatures in the touchtank, visiting with vendors or eating chocolate lobsters! The introduction of dropping plaster lobsters as an environmentally conscious alternative was a great improvement to the impact the event has on the ocean we are helping to protect.

We continue to be committed to increasing the level of fun and the number of people who join us for this wonderful event so that everyone involved can have a great day at the beach while supporting a great Aquarium! We look forward to seeing you at the 9th Annual Chocolate Lobster Dive, scheduled for September 30, 2006.

Warm Wishes,

Kelly

Visit www.chocolatelobsterdive.com to submit your feedback on this year's event and see great photos of the 8th Annual Chocolate Lobster Dive. Don't forget to hit 'refresh' if you have visited the site before!