I'm still in disbelief that this is happening.....
Like many of you, I met Lynne here on SB. As has been said many times, she was a great ambassador for safety, good diving skills and education. I had the good fortune to know Lynne in person as well, and I dove with her a few times down in Seattle. I also got to spend several days with her on a liveaboard down in California. Every time we dove together, she would go through every step of the process. Dive site review of a site she had been to a hundred times, gear checks, dive plans, navigation.... nothing was left out, ever. She was safe, she was prepared, and she made sure she had done everything in her power to ensure the same was true of her dive buddies. I think she was just immune to the complacency that most divers struggle with, it really was remarkable.
Lynne had a way of making you feel special, like you were genuinely missed when you were gone and like she was the lucky one to be able to spend a dive with you. She would smile so bright and just be so happy when she ran into someone she hadn't seen in a while, and wouldn't hesitate to start looking for an extra tank or whatever was needed to go do a dive with them.
The last time I saw Lynne, I had gone down to Cove 2 by myself early one morning to see who was diving and hopefully pick up an insta-buddy or two for a quick swim. She was there to help with a class (or to teach one, I can't remember). I told her what I was up to, and she said she had time before her class started and grabbed an extra tank. While gearing up, she said how nice a relaxing dive would be before the work and organized chaos of a class. So, that's what we did. No cameras, no scooters, no distractions. It was a fairly short dive, 40 minutes or so, but it was quiet and calm and simple. We started and ended the dive at her vehicle in the parking lot (that was one of her rules after the bad fall she had at C2), and we said our goodbyes and I left.
This Saturday (the 29th), I will be heading down to Cove 2 for an early morning dive, probably 7am or so. No camera, no scooter, no distractions. It's not Neah Bay, but I feel it's as good a place as I can ask for to say goodbye and to pay my respects. I didn't know her as well as many of you did, and I'm sure the loss I feel pales in comparison to the grief of others. I just want to make an effort to show how unique and special of a person i think Lynne was, and how much I respect her for everything she has done for so many people. If anyone else is around, I could use an insta-buddy.
