DIVE DRY WITH DR. BILL #730: SCUBA SHOW 2017
I missed SCUBA Prom (aka Chamber Evening) at the Long Beach Aquarium last week. Just like my senior prom in high school, I didn't have a date. However, Friday night I packed my bags and, in a light drizzle, caught the early Catalina Express boat to "The Big Island" across the Channel and walked over to the Long Beach Convention Center for the second big event of the week, SCUBA Show 2017.
I have "religiously" attended this event, billed as the largest consumer SCUBA show in the country, for more than two decades. Usually I submit two short films to compete in the film festival, but this year there would be no films screened. Being a starving dive bum, I had to come up with another way to secure free entrance.
For the second year in a row I worked the Palau Dive Adventures booth with co-owner Chris Lubba, Dori Booth, John Gelrud and others and gave a video-based seminar on diving Palau... my number one dive destination (when I'm not heading down to our kelp forests and giant sea bass). That kept me on my feet (on my toes?).
Chris liked this year's presentation so much, he asked me to repeat it the following day as part of a seminar on two week packages to dive Yap and Palau. Bill Acker, owner of Yap Divers and the Manta Ray Bay Resort presented the second half. Yap is very intriguing, but at my age I'm not sure I could carry its currency. For you non-divers, traditional Yapese money consists of huge round stones. Neither my pockets nor my muscles are big enough!
The rest of the two days I walked... and walked... and walked the show floor. It took me many hours, but not just because of all the exhibitors. So many folks I know stopped to talk. There are two main reasons I attend each year... to socialize with old friends (and make some new ones, especially the lovely, and intelligent, lady-go-divers), and to collect as many of the dive show special travel brochures as I can. Hopefully my next two surgeries won't prevent me from taking a trip or two later this year.
Saturday night was the big party so I dropped my bag and computer in my car trunk and returned for a light dinner at the Hyatt. No drinks since I had to drive to my hotel afterward and much as I could benefit from a DUI (drysuit that is), I didn't want to get that other kind of DUI! I was pleased to see the film team of Howard and Michele Hall receive the California SCUBA Service Award. I won it back in 2011 which was a great honor. My legs were worn out since I couldn't wear my fins to the show, and I retired early to my budget hotel. Yep, Dr. Bill can be a real party pooper some times.
Now I mentioned early on that I was involved with PDA. No, not public display of affection... Palau Dive Adventures. Palau is my favorite dive destination and PDA is an incredible valet dive operation. They treat their customers like family. In fact they kind of adopted this grisly old geezer for some reason.
A dive friend, Petra Lietz, created an incredible GoFundMe fund raiser which has already raised over $12,000 largely from my dive friends, Avalon residents, classmates and former students to help pay for my medical bills. Well, not only did PDA donate to that, they also extended an offer to divers who may be interested in going to Palau. For every donor who gives up to $500 to the fund, they will issue a credit toward a trip to Palau with them. Check out the PDA website: We Offer 1 Week Palau Dive packages
As always I had a fantastic time at SCUBA Show chatting with so many dive friends. However, by the time the Show was closing on Sunday, Dr. Bill was a very pooped puppy. Once again it ended before I could find my permanent dive buddy. I said my goodbyes and Chris put me on a Lyft to the Catalina Express terminal. And, wouldn't you know it, the rain started coming down hard as we lined up to board the boat. What crazy weather we've had this winter and spring. Global climate change anyone? May be time to spend my winters in a warm, tropical dive destination!
© 2017 Dr. Bill Bushing. For the entire archived set of over 700 "Dive Dry" columns, visit my website Star Thrower Educational Multimedia (S.T.E.M.) Home Page
Image caption: Dori, Dr. Bill and Chris in the Palau Dive adventures booth and Mike Garcia (aka "Bob Kennedy" in the Catalina Express booth; the Truth Aquatics dive boat booth and Marty Snyderman presenting the 2017 SCUBA Service Award to Howard and Michele Hall.
I missed SCUBA Prom (aka Chamber Evening) at the Long Beach Aquarium last week. Just like my senior prom in high school, I didn't have a date. However, Friday night I packed my bags and, in a light drizzle, caught the early Catalina Express boat to "The Big Island" across the Channel and walked over to the Long Beach Convention Center for the second big event of the week, SCUBA Show 2017.
I have "religiously" attended this event, billed as the largest consumer SCUBA show in the country, for more than two decades. Usually I submit two short films to compete in the film festival, but this year there would be no films screened. Being a starving dive bum, I had to come up with another way to secure free entrance.
For the second year in a row I worked the Palau Dive Adventures booth with co-owner Chris Lubba, Dori Booth, John Gelrud and others and gave a video-based seminar on diving Palau... my number one dive destination (when I'm not heading down to our kelp forests and giant sea bass). That kept me on my feet (on my toes?).
Chris liked this year's presentation so much, he asked me to repeat it the following day as part of a seminar on two week packages to dive Yap and Palau. Bill Acker, owner of Yap Divers and the Manta Ray Bay Resort presented the second half. Yap is very intriguing, but at my age I'm not sure I could carry its currency. For you non-divers, traditional Yapese money consists of huge round stones. Neither my pockets nor my muscles are big enough!
The rest of the two days I walked... and walked... and walked the show floor. It took me many hours, but not just because of all the exhibitors. So many folks I know stopped to talk. There are two main reasons I attend each year... to socialize with old friends (and make some new ones, especially the lovely, and intelligent, lady-go-divers), and to collect as many of the dive show special travel brochures as I can. Hopefully my next two surgeries won't prevent me from taking a trip or two later this year.
Saturday night was the big party so I dropped my bag and computer in my car trunk and returned for a light dinner at the Hyatt. No drinks since I had to drive to my hotel afterward and much as I could benefit from a DUI (drysuit that is), I didn't want to get that other kind of DUI! I was pleased to see the film team of Howard and Michele Hall receive the California SCUBA Service Award. I won it back in 2011 which was a great honor. My legs were worn out since I couldn't wear my fins to the show, and I retired early to my budget hotel. Yep, Dr. Bill can be a real party pooper some times.
Now I mentioned early on that I was involved with PDA. No, not public display of affection... Palau Dive Adventures. Palau is my favorite dive destination and PDA is an incredible valet dive operation. They treat their customers like family. In fact they kind of adopted this grisly old geezer for some reason.
A dive friend, Petra Lietz, created an incredible GoFundMe fund raiser which has already raised over $12,000 largely from my dive friends, Avalon residents, classmates and former students to help pay for my medical bills. Well, not only did PDA donate to that, they also extended an offer to divers who may be interested in going to Palau. For every donor who gives up to $500 to the fund, they will issue a credit toward a trip to Palau with them. Check out the PDA website: We Offer 1 Week Palau Dive packages
As always I had a fantastic time at SCUBA Show chatting with so many dive friends. However, by the time the Show was closing on Sunday, Dr. Bill was a very pooped puppy. Once again it ended before I could find my permanent dive buddy. I said my goodbyes and Chris put me on a Lyft to the Catalina Express terminal. And, wouldn't you know it, the rain started coming down hard as we lined up to board the boat. What crazy weather we've had this winter and spring. Global climate change anyone? May be time to spend my winters in a warm, tropical dive destination!
© 2017 Dr. Bill Bushing. For the entire archived set of over 700 "Dive Dry" columns, visit my website Star Thrower Educational Multimedia (S.T.E.M.) Home Page
Image caption: Dori, Dr. Bill and Chris in the Palau Dive adventures booth and Mike Garcia (aka "Bob Kennedy" in the Catalina Express booth; the Truth Aquatics dive boat booth and Marty Snyderman presenting the 2017 SCUBA Service Award to Howard and Michele Hall.
