Northwest Dive and Travel Expo 2008

[HowardE]

What a day! Cheng and I decided to get up early and go for a splash at Redondo before heading off to the show. Got in a nice, 73 minute dive ... came home, changed and an hour later were pulling into the Convention Center. One of the first stops was the ScubaBoard booth ... conveniently located so as to be just about the first thing you saw as you were entering the show. Howard was off schmoozing ... and Michelle was hard at work introducing lots of folks to ScubaBoard. I was just talkative (now THERE'S a surprise!).

This was the first real scuba show we've had in the area since I've been diving, and if today was any indication it was a raging success. I spent the entire day wandering from booth to booth, and couldn't believe how many folks I ran into that I'd only ever known before on the Internet. Was great to finally put so many faces to names ... and screen names.

Lots-o-fun ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I got to see you for a few seconds though.

 

[ReefPhotoKelly]

Howdy gang!
Did I mention it is warm and sunny 79?
We are off to do this shortly...

 

[8thElementDiver]

My wife and I were there both days, checking out the booths, meeting new people, giving our presentation on Yoga for Scuba Divers, selling our book, and discussing our dive trip to Dominica next year. Turnout was fantastic both days--easily five times as many people as we expected for this first-time event.

There were a few hiccups beforehand in scheduling our presentations, and the Borders Books deal fell through at the last minute, so we were very pleasantly surprised by how smoothly everything seemed to be running at the event.

Rick, Jackie, and everyone else who helped organize the event did a phenomenal job--thanks for putting together such a fun, professional event for us all! Hope to see everyone again next year.

 

[HowardE]

Yes... I thought the show was a great success. Many many thanks to Rick and Kathy from NW Dive News for putting all of the hard work they did into this show. I for one think it payed off! The turnout (especially for a first year event) was incredible! There were many great social events for the exhibitors too. All in all, it was a great weekend in Tacoma, and I know that Muggsy and I will definitely be there next year for the second annual... Maybe we'll even get a chance to get a dive or two in.

It was awesome to meet all of the many scubaboarders who stopped by to say hi to us, and of course it was also great to tell so many people about how much fun ScubaBoard is, and I've noticed that quite a few people from the Seattle/Tacoma area have joined on!

Thanks again NW Dive News!

 

[Pez7378]

I will be presenting on Saturday at 4 and Sunday at 3 and wandering around the rest of the time. Looks like a good show.

I saw your presentation on Sunday Brian and you did a fantastic job. You guys have a solid crew. I was having trouble with Mossmans website but it looks like you were on the Mamro over in Clam Cove the same time I was at the Hideaway in April. Small world eh? Dan's the guy who took us out to the Wrecks in Nanaimo a few years back too. Seems you guys have all the good diving up there in Canada!

 

[SciFiDiver]

Although the exhibit space was smaller than I had imagined, I saw everything I had hoped for and more, and came away feeling like I'd been diving. I talked with Steve of Steve's Scuba (Portland, OR) and gave him a signed copy of my most recent novel, Triangle, as a "Thank you!" for stocking Tsubute last summer. I also met with the reps from several companies that serve Baja California: Nautilus Explorer (Socorro Islands), Club Cantamar (La Paz), and Horizon Charters (Isla Guadalupe). On a personal note, I zeroed in on some equipment I want to buy before moving to Los Cabos: an Oceanic dive computer, an OceanREEF full-face mask and a Backscatter housing for my video camera. I also had a close-up look at a rebreather similar to the one I featured in Triangle. The world of silent diving is fascinating and apparently you can get a lot more up-close-and-personal with the marine life if you're not spewing bubbles.

ScubaBoard had a huge presence near the ticket sales table and I had a chat with them about my new BajaDivers.com website. If anyone has information they'd like to share about dive operators or dive sites in Baja California (norte or sur), we'd love to make it available to others. You can simply use the BajaDivers.com online Virtual Dive Log form. Even though the design of the site is still under development, much of the content is posted and it's already being used as a resource for those planning dive trips to the Baja Peninsula.

 

[friscuba]

Any idea what the visitor count was? It's always curious to see how new shows go. They tried one in Hawaii for a couple of years and they planned it on dumb weekends... I think it was Superbowl weekend one year and Mother's day or Easter the next... that was the end of the show. Hopefully this one will continue. I'm pretty sure I'd have made the drive if I was still living in Corvallis.

 

[nadwidny]

I saw your presentation on Sunday Brian and you did a fantastic job.

Sincere thanks for coming. The seminars had a smaller turnout than what I expected but it was OK as it made for a more "friend-talking-to-friend" atmosphere.

You guys have a solid crew. I was having trouble with Mossmans website but it looks like you were on the Mamro over in Clam Cove the same time I was at the Hideaway in April. Small world eh?

Actually the April trip is one of the few Mossman trips that I didn't make but you are right about "small world". A large part of that is thanks to the internet. I've been to shows from Boston to Tacoma and I always run into quite a few people that I know only through the 'net. After the Tacoma show I went to Seattle and had dinner with some good friends of mine that I initially met on rec.scuba.

"The Internet, it's not just for porn anymore".

Dan's the guy who took us out to the Wrecks in Nanaimo a few years back too. Seems you guys have all the good diving up there in Canada!

Lots of hidden jewels up here. I just wished I lived closer to some of them!