This was truly a GREAT event: especially for it's trial run! Major kudos to Neal (the Dive God) Watson, William Kline and all of the other members of the Ministry of Tourism Team. Let there be no doubt, they made this look EASY and yet I know that there had to be a lot of back room drama. They got everyone to the island on time, got through all the presentations AHEAD of schedule and even got a dive in for us!
It was GREAT to see Bruce Purdy (Aquacat, Pplau & Blackbeard), Keith Cooper & Niall Christofferson (Unexso), Lucia Branning (Coral Caverns), Lori Lachtnicht (Ginn sur mer), Alvaro Botero (the Yacht Cat Company) as well as many, many others! It really was great to meet the participants and my lovely companion for the evening: Linda!
The Media was out in force with my good friend Nick Lucey (ScubaDiving Mag), as well as other friends such as Rick Stratton (NW & NE Dive News), Jeffery (Diving Almanac ) as well as Francesca (Sport Diver Magazine). I am sure I missed someone, but I just got in and my BRAIN is fried.
Special Kudos go out to the "Grand Bahamas Scuba" Dive Charter. I must say that Brianna and Ashley were the cutest Dive Masters I have ever dove with! Their beauty and charm are surpassed only by their caring and skills both in the water as well as out. You should see the gymnastics they go through to hook up to a boy, er I mean buoy!

Hey, they even make Fred look good, and that's a remarkable achievement all by itself. Melinda was a wonderful asset as well, helping make this a SAFE as well as enjoyable experience.
Finally, it wouldn't have been a symposium without the attendees. They were always ready, always enthusiastic and ready for just about anything. It was great meeting with each and every one of you and I truly learned a lot. You guys and gals are the juice that keeps Scuba fresh and fun for more and more people every year! I look forward to seeing you here more often and I can't wait to hear about the trips you are planning in the future! Maybe even I will show up for one or two!
