A Day in the Life of...

Have You Ever Puffed a Puffer? (we hope not)

2012-01-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

Since earning my Open Water certification in 1996 and then starting to work in the dive industry in 1998, I have now finally "been around" long enough to be able to look back and notice some changes and some patterns, both locally and globally. It's interesting to look back and take stock of what's changed.

At Ulua Beach here in Maui, I can remember the locations of three different turtle cleaning stations (these locations change over the years). I can remember when the shop I worked in only carried a single dive computer and it sat in the case for months! I can also remember when, as a dive guide, I used to hand divers collector urchins, and I remember when I saw my first porcupine pufferfish puff.

Of course now the turtles at Ulua Beach seem to be in transit and now we can't keep dive computers in stock because it's difficult to imagine diving without one.

In recent years, it has become unacceptable to touch anything and now I would never dream of ripping an urchin from it's life on the reef to hand another diver. In fact, it was even hard to just admit the urchin thing! It is also now very rare for a customer to want to touch something. Around the time I was becoming a better educated educator and diver, I would attempt to hand a critter to a diver and they would refuse it. Somewhere along the line, the general consciousness seems to have arrived at the realization that this type of interaction is not advantageous to the critter nor is it necessary! This all is fodder for a much longer blog post, but for now, we're just observing changes ;-).

I can also remember when I saw my first puffer fish puff. Prior to our dive, I had mentioned to my dive guide (and friend) that I had never seen a puffer puff. Imagine my surprise during this dive when he tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a puffed puffer floating nearby - wow! We watched it for several minutes as it was swept back and forth in the surge on the bottom, unable to swim or do anything else until it deflated back to normal size.

After the dive, I exclaimed about how cool it had been to see a puffed puffer. When the dive guide winked and said, "you liked that, huh?", I suddenly realized that I had not just witnessed a natural occurrence; the guide had stressed the puffer on my behalf, causing it to puff and become otherwise defenseless for my "benefit". I cringed inwardly and surprised myself by telling the guide that I would never want him to stress an animal for me.

As a result of this specific incident (and some others), my views on animal interactions changed immediately. These days, I much prefer to observe underwater animals in their environmental in a much more natural state. I educate divers about what we'll see and why we don't need to (and in fact shouldn't) be handling them.

And I included the puffed puffer photo (not mine) so that we could all see a puffed puffer...but please imagine that shot with a big red circle with a line through it!

Diver Gift Ideas, Part 2

2011-12-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

What can you get a new diver? All kinds of stuff, starting with more diving! Divers fresh out of an Open Water course can really benefit from continued diving. You could sign them up for an advanced class or even purchase dives for them a la carte!

Once a diver has gotten the hang of things, the desire for accessories sets in. Some must-haves include slates (our favorite is the Mini Quest), logbooks (you can personalize them with patches!) and noise makers like the sub-duck or H2YO.

Stocking Stuffers!

There are some accessories that really surprised and captivated us this year, and top among them was the Sola 1200. If you want to really score big with your dive buddy this holiday season, this light will make that a sure thing!

The new DryCases have been popular so far too. Everyone who visited the shop after Thanksgiving noticed Gabe’s phone sitting in the water all day (in his DryCase of course)! These come with armbands so you can use them while snorkeling, kayaking, surfing, etc. Yes, you can even go diving with your phone if you must!

Finally, we have recently gotten in some very cool “diver jewelry” and at very cool prices (ranging from $10 - $36). With whale season upon us we think the whale tails will be popular, and we also have these fun charm necklaces in stock.

If you need ideas, have questions on sizes, availability of things, etc., please give us a call. You might be surprised to learn that we even know what YOUR dive buddy wants for Christmas - no kidding!

Diver Gift Ideas, Part 1

2011-12-16T15:38:00.000-08:00

The diver in your life is easier to shop for than you might imagine, and we’re here to give you a few ideas from big ticket items to stocking stuffers, so here goes, starting with a couple of those biggies!

If it’s time for a computer upgrade, the Cobra 3 is an excellent choice and through the end of the year, when you purchase one of these, you’ll get a FREE Suunto heart rate monitor watch. Also from Aqua Lung, we have the new, top of the line Legend series regulators in stock, including the LUX edition with pink gold on it!

And speaking of pink gold, we currently have LOTS of girlie goodies in stock. From pink dive flag key chains to unique (and inexpensive) jewelry, you can surprise your dive girl with a gift that lets her know you’ve been paying attention! And keep checking in with us because we also have a bling bling apparel order that’s been lost in the mail, but it could arrive any day now and contains even more new items for the ladies.

We’ve got some hot items (literally) for the guys too! I know we’ve been going crazy over Lavacore, and it’s been with good reason! We sold out of our first shipment in only two weeks and just received another batch. The long sleeved hooded shirts have been very popular, but we also have Lavacore shorts. This is an item anyone who usually wears board shorts will appreciate, as wearing Lavacore shorts instead of trying to jam a traditional bathing suit into your wetsuit just makes everything so much easier! We also have what we like to call “diver’s formal wear” – nice button front shirts with subtle hammerhead embroidery on the front, very classy!

No gift idea list is ever complete without mention of gift cards, and yes, we have those too. We’ve even printed up a new batch this year with the caption, “Let the dreaming begin”. I know that’s what happens when I get a gift card, especially if it’s dive related! We can accept phone orders for these and have been mailing them out daily for our mainland customers.

So that concludes part 1 of your divers' gift buying guide. Stay tuned for part 2 coming up in the next few days (this will include more stocking stuffers and gift ideas for the newer divers out there) and be sure to email us with any ideas you may have!

I Love My LavaCore!

2011-11-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

We’ve all heard it. Everyone who lives in Hawaii and dives on a regular basis always gets asked the same question by visitors: “WHY are you wearing so much exposure protection?”. People from colder climates don’t seem to realize how the human body adapts to year-round warm weather, and just how sensitive many of us get to cold. I originally moved here from New England, and I went from diving in a shorty to diving in a 3mm...to a 5mm...to a 5mm with bonnet hood...and I’m STILL cold out there—I just dive too much for my core to stay warm. I’ve been looking for something that keeps me good and warm in the water without also making me carry the lead that a 7mm wetsuit would require...and now I may have found it.

Two days ago, I bought a new Lavacore long-sleeve shirt with hood to wear under my wetsuit, and yesterday I put it to the test. For those who haven’t heard of the product, Lavacore is a new line we’re carrying at Maui Dreams—sort of a hybrid between a rash guard and a wetsuit, with some innovative technology to keep you warm. When I first tried it on in the shop, my initial reaction was that it seemed a bit tricky to don, and that the hood felt constrictive--but it was also the first time I’d worn a full-face hood, and I know from experience that how something feels in the water is the true test. My other first reaction was: WARM! The thing had a slick, water-repellent outer shell, a middle layer that reflects heat but lets your skin breathe, and a fleece liner. You can feel the effect immediately—if you don’t believe me, come into the shop and try one on.

Okay, off to the water. Since I tend to FREEZE out there, I wore my Lavacore under my 5mm full suit. The suit slipped on easily over the full shirt, and saved me from the “putting on the wet wetsuit first thing in the morning” curse...enough reason to own one right there! Once I got in the water, I was sold—that fleece inner liner gets cool for the first few min, but then traps the water it absorbs, warms up, and becomes insulation. As for the hood—I forgot I was wearing it 10 min into the dive. And the Lavacore is neutrally buoyant, so no extra weight required! I did two dives and felt nice and warm throughout. Between dives, I noticed another thing—usually when I’ve worn a rash guard under my suit, exposing the rash guard to air feels like someone dumping ice water on me due to rapid evaporation...with the Lavacore, I got that effect for maybe 3 seconds, then I was warm again...even in the wind!

Later, I did a 3rd dive at night...and a really really long one, just to put it to the test. I was MUCH warmer than I would have been without a Lavacore, and I don’t think I want to ever dive without one again. Overall, I’d say it’s an extremely well-designed and well-manufactured product that absolutely lives up to the hype...the only caution I’d give is to practice putting it on and taking it off a few times before you take it diving, it takes a little care as the hood and neck fits rather tightly and you don’t want to yank off your own ears. : )

As for me—I think I’m going diving again tonight, as I’m looking forward to staying warm!
Aloha, Jim

Here's a p.s. from Rachel: Gabe and Zac love theirs too! My friend Rob who lives in Kansas loves his too! Rob offered this tip: The soft fabric on the outside of your lavacore can be easily snagged on velcro or worn if you put your BCD on it directly. He recommends wearing it under your wetsuit or even another rash guard.

Have You Ever Lied About Your Air?

2011-10-20T23:34:00.001-07:00

Come on, have you? Well, if not, you might be surprised by the number of divers that have.

As divers, we can sometimes be very focused on the numbers of the sport. “How deep did you go?” “How long was your dive?” “How much air did you come back with?” In addition to the normal chit chat about what you saw or who peed in their wetsuits, these semi-competitive comments are pretty common.

1500psi on a Suunto gauge

We all like to be the one who found the coolest critter, got the best photo, dived the longest dive, had the best air consumption. And sorry guys, but your female dive buddies will almost always ace you on air!

As a dive instructor, I have had the experience of divers lying to me about their air. I might ask them how much they have and while they’re telling me, I glimpse their gauge. Hmmmm…1500 psi, better head back, I think to myself. Imagine my surprise when the diver signals 1800! What??! I glance at the gauge again and maintain my plan to head towards shore, all the while wondering what’s going on.

As we cruise along and I continue to point out cool critters and ensure that my divers are safe and comfy, I puzzle over what has just happened. Maybe it was just the angle I was viewing the gauge from? Maybe the diver can’t read the gauge? From a customer service stand point, I don’t want to “shame” the diver in any way. From an instructor standpoint, I am concerned about whether the customer knows how to read their gauge, knows how to communicate properly, and I am motivated to help this diver when we have a private moment after the dive. By the way, this can also be resolved by pointing at the diver’s gauge and signaling back to them what they actually have, but the first time this happened to me, I was a bit flustered by what was happening.

I know I keep saying this, but imagine my surprise when, during a post dive chat, this particular diver confides in me that he just didn’t want to be the lowest on air! The good thing about this was that it lead us into a whole new conversation, and one I hadn’t been anticipating.

If you have ever lied about your air or thought about doing it, then I am talking to YOU right now. When you lie about your air, you are potentially endangering yourself AND everyone else you are diving with. Yep, that’s right.

Almost Out!!!

If you are with a guide who takes you at your word when you communicate your air, they will continue the dive plan based on that. If you have less than you say you do, you could find yourself deeper or farther from the boat or shore than you want to be once your air gets very low. If you are a diver who only checks your gauge when asked, you could find yourself completely out of air. And this is just the beginning of your new “situation”.

Now you’re low on or out of air and not where you should be. Does your buddy share air with you? How much air do they have left? Can you continue on your buddy’s air or should you go up? What are conditions like at the surface? Will you have to pop up far from shore or from where the boat captain expects you to be? Do you have a surface signaling device? Does the entire group now have to surface and deal with this together? The answer to that last one is probably yes.

As divers, we all can get caught up in the excitement—and yes, even competition—of a dive...but sometimes we get caught up to the point where we forget the basics we learned back in our Open Water certification classes. Remember, these aren’t just hints; the following points are part of your responsibility as a certified diver:

1800psi on Suunto Gauge

• Monitor your gauges frequently

• Make sure your dive plan covers what to do in a low or out-of-air situation

• Always wear a surface signaling device

• Be aware of how your actions affect everyone else

• Don’t be afraid to ask for a larger tank

And finally, we all know about the two kinds of divers, right? There are those who pee in their wetsuits and those how lie about it.
JUST DON’T LIE ABOUT YOUR AIR!

Aloha, Rachel

p.s. To my fellow dive guides, I say when checking air, it can never hurt to “trust but verify”!

Maui Dreams Gone Green

2011-10-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

I love nature, both above and below the water- you could even say I'm an enthusiast. I try to do my part to recycle, buy localally grown produce, and I pick up rubbish that I find on the ground or during a dive (it makes my little heart flutter to see my fellow divers or students also pick up trash during a dive!). As I was reading the latest Undersea Journal (a professional dive publication), I came across an article about how dive shops are making an effort to ‘go green’ in the sense of making their companies as environmentally friendly as possible. Many of us divers are ambassadors of the environment, and I think that it is great that the shops that support them are doing their best to protect the wonderful world that we all treasure (both above and below the water!).

As I read through the article, I was very proud to see that both Maui Dreams and the Maui Diamond II have already implemented many of the ideas that were mentioned. I also happened upon a published photo of one of our recent underwater clean-ups. (I was made anonymous in the photo by another enthusiastic diver's hand)!

Maui Dreams asks all of our customers for an email address (if they have one) so that we can email receipts instead of printing them off. We also have an email newsletter that anyone can sign up for which further saves paper. We make good use of our website to inform fellow divers of the current conditions and list basic information about our classes, gear and dives. We are very active on Facebook and always love to see our divers posting photos or tales from their most recent adventures.

If you choose to take a class from Maui Dreams, your certification will be processed online. Not only does this save time, money and paper, you get your new number right away and do not need to provide a photo (we take a digital photo of you right in the shop!). If you haven’t taken a class in a while, check out the wide variety of classes that Maui Dreams offers - there is something for everyone! There are several Project Aware certifications that will increase your awareness and understanding of our watery world, including Naturalist, Fish ID, Coral Conservation, and Our World Our Water. A good diver is always learning!

The Maui Diamond II has reusable plastic mugs that are washed at the end of each charter, and the crew recycles all of the aluminum cans that are used each day. The wetsuit cleaner that is used on the boat and in the shop is biodegradable and environmentally friendly. About four times a year, the shop and boat crews volunteer to lead clean-up dives which always fill up with divers wanting to help out - awesome!

So a BIG MAHALO to all of our divers for their efforts in keeping our world beautiful! Thank you for picking up rubbish when you are diving and for being mindful of the environment by exercising good buoyancy control. Mahalo for coming out on our clean-up dives, and even for buying our reusable eco-friendly stainless steel water bottles. Aloha, Sara

Course Director's Day Off

2011-09-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

How does a PADI Course Director spend her day off?
Diving, of course! Sara, Sandy, and I went over to Maliko Gulch for two spectacular dives this last Tuesday. Maliko Gulch is a special place on Maui which faces Northeast. It is near the world-famous Jaws surfing site. This means that during the winter months we cannot get in the water at this site (sometimes Jaws gets waves higher than 50’!). So summer is the only chance we get.

Flying Gurnard

One reason Maliko is unique, is its placement on the island. Most of our dive sites face the west or south. If you have been to Maui County, you know that it is made up of several islands other than Maui itself. These islands, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Molokini, and Maui, surround a kind of bay which reaches only about 700’ deep. However, the north and east sides of Maui face the open Pacific Ocean which drops down to 10,000’-25,000’ pretty quickly. The next land mass is the mainland thousands of miles away.

Blue Rice Coral

This means the water conditions can be pretty rough at times, which I believe is why I don’t see some of the more fragile corals such as finger coral. Instead we see more plate corals and the beautiful Blue Rice Coral more often. Because access is more limited, we also see bigger fish. For instance, Sara spotted the largest Flying Gurnard I have ever seen! We also saw a couple of pairs of HUGE Sailfin Tangs, as well as a pair of the largest Butterflyfish in the world, the Lined Butterflyfish. One of my favorite moments on this diving excursion was when we sighted a delicate Pearl Wrasse.

Rugged conditions usually create fascinating topography. Maliko Gulch is a bay which gives us the opportunity for two distinctly different dives. The right side has wonderful canyons we can drop into which are filled with giant boulders. Sandy referred to the first one as the “Grand Canyon”. As we glided over the ridge and floated down the canyon wall we could see large schools of Surgeonfish and huge Parrotfish. Sandy and Sara especially enjoyed seeing the largest Green Sea Turtle they have ever seen!

On the left side of the bay, towards Hookipa, we found my favorite part of Maliko. There are a series of ridges which are separated by fantastic lava tubes and caverns. The walls are mostly smooth curves with the sunlight entering through openings in the top, creating the most serene environment I have ever experienced.

Of course, after the great diving we were hungry and thirsty, so we went into Paia and enjoyed an Ono Fish Burger with a Mango Margarita at a nice little Mexican restaurant. Ahhh, just another wonderful day off as a PADI Course Director here at Maui Dreams. Aloha, Teri

Kasper's Philippines Review

2011-08-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

We asked Kasper to share his impressions with everyone after our recent group dive trip to the Philippines and he had a lot to say! Read on:

Kasper's 50th B-day

I am without words to describe my experience. I had my concerns before going and did not know if I was too old, had the right equipment or had the gadgets needed to benefit fully from the trip.

I learned that a 50 year old body still can dive 5 dives a day and that a massage every evening definitely helps in that department. I learned that the Dive Resorts chosen by you were better or as good as any of the 35 plus resorts I have stayed at in the Philippines in the last 15 years of my travel there. I learned that with good local dive master guidance, you get so much in the camera that you have a problem with the wealth of pictures later – so a good file system and weeding out the crab early is important.

Before the trip, I felt 60 minute dive limit was not enough for me - but found that with all the things to see and the depths we dove, we all pretty much were on empty tanks after each dive and the longest dive for me was a few minutes more than one hour. Wearing a full suit was a benefit as we sometimes had good drift current that had me bumping into things – old man style and proud of it – sorry fellow divers.

Old camera, working fine!

I had thought my old camera was in need of changing before the trip but I felt very comfortable with it as I knew it well - AND - I got to see some of all the other equipment my fellow divers had and hear their inside story to their equipment which will help me when I need new gear.

I learned that my small pen light with rechargeable battery is great to travel with as foreign batteries are not always with 60 minute lifespan and night diving without trusted batteries/lights get frustrating. I also learned that when you want to take pictures of great underwater nature, it is crucial you know a bit about what you get to see. I did not know that a Mantis shrimp could break my finger or camera lens if I got too close. And we encountered several normal and giant mantis shrimps - and I got to within 10 inches of some as I had to get a good shot while somewhat drifting. I have since the trip learned that a flamboyant cuddle fish is poisonous and I got as close as 5 inches. Boy was I nuts – but I am so ready to do it again.

Blue Ringed Octopus

I also learned that on the one dive you sit out (due to a computer that tells you that your nitrogen saturation is pretty high) can be the dive when a blue ring octopus decides to show off for 40 min and fellow divers come back to brag – and still bag today.

After the trip, my wife got a new husband home that is relaxed and ready for whatever comes and ready for the next dive adventure.

Aloha, Kaz

Sharks Are Not The Enemy!

2011-07-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Scuba instructors, no matter where they might dive, usually hear a certain question just before entering the water. The funny thing is, the same question can mean two different things, depending on how it’s asked—here are both versions:

“Are we going to see sharks on this dive?” (Excited, maybe wants to get a good picture…)

“Are we going to see SHARKS on this dive?!” (Terrified, and just sat through “Shark Week” on the Discovery Channel.)

As you might guess, the first quote is from an experienced diver, the second from one who’s never been in the water before. And let’s face it: if the only experience with sharks you have is the movie JAWS and footage of “feeding frenzies”… well, you might be a little nervous seeing one swim by. But in reality, sharks pose very little danger to SCUBA divers, provided a diver uses the same caution one would use with any wild animal, and takes no action to instigate defensive behavior. Most sharks we see are just passing by, or else (as in the case of our white tip reef shark population) resting or sleeping on the bottom. Far from being something to worry about, as divers gain more experience with them, shark encounters can become the highlight of a dive.

This is not to say we as divers should not exercise caution, and we should always be alert for aggressive or disturbed behavior from any wild animal, sharks included. But sharks are NOT the “constant danger” they’re sometimes made out to be.

In fact—now it seems the sharks are the ones in danger.

Due to practices like long lining and shark fining, worldwide shark populations are in a steep decline. Coinciding with this decline is the recent discovery that what are now called apex predators (like sharks) are absolutely necessary for a healthy ecosystem. We need our big predators, and they’re disappearing. Sharks grow slowly and reproduce slowly, and so it’s very difficult for a diminished population to recover.

As divers, we’re uniquely placed to observe and share the importance of all the life in the ocean as never before, and fortunately that’s beginning to have an effect. The Bahamas, Palau, and many other areas have now banned shark fishing all together. The Maldives and Costa Rica have established protected zones for sharks. But there’s a lot more work to be done. We want people to be asking us “Are we going to see sharks on this dive?” for a long time yet, and we want to be able to say “Yes”.

Click here to sign a petition to add you name to the list of people interested in protecting sharks.

Aloha, Jim

Divecation: Fiji

2011-06-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons why people dive, but I think it generally boils down to a simple fact. You dive because you enjoy it. The feeling you get in the alien sounding underwater world is frankly unlike anything else. I would say it is usually that feeling that urges, if not compels new and experienced divers alike to take another trip under the waves. For my experience, I have to add one more criteria to my enjoyment of diving; that is the pleasure of diving with my wife. When we dive together, everything seems to fit. Of course we have grown into the symbiosis that is our diving these days. It is lucky we had a great place to get started.

When we first set out to get certified, we came to Maui. The water where we live is too cold for either of us to give that more than a fleeting (if not chilling) thought. Besides, who wouldn’t like the idea of certifying and diving in the warm waters of Maui? It was our great fortune to meet Don, Rachel and everyone at Maui Dreams when we took that first trip to start our diving career. I cannot express how much fun we had learning to dive and feeling like we were a part of Maui Dream’s Ohana.

Over the ensuing year, my wife Tanya and I have visited Maui often to dive with Don and Rachel. While we LOVE Maui, we have also had the opportunity to dive off Oahu and the Big Island. As good as those dives have been (great really), we always seem to find our way back to Maui. A trip never goes by without at least a couple of excursions on the Maui Diamond II. I know we are not even close to diving all the places we would like to dive in Maui, or Hawaii for that matter. However, both of us were starting to think about expanding our diving horizons to include other tropical dive locations.

Coincidentally, it was about that same time that we heard some buzz around the shop regarding a Fiji trip. “Wow”, we thought. Fiji seemed like such an exotic location to dive in. Should we even consider that as our first “Divecation” location? Arguably some may contend our trips to Hawaii count as an exciting dive destination already. We like to call it home. After what was an unlikely small amount of deliberation time, we both decided that the Fiji trip was a go!

There are unworldly amounts of planning that can go into a trip to Fiji. Notice that I said “can”. I don’t think it has to be that way, but ours certainly was. I cannot say for sure, but I think Tanya either talked to or texted Rachel on a daily or every other day basis. If it seems like I am complaining, let me correct that perception right now. I have no issues with my wife’s diligence. The end result was a seamless pack job with the right amount of “stuff” to go somewhere we have never been before. Great job Tanya!

Needless to say we were excited for our first Divecation trip. If I were paying close attention, I might say it seemed like ages between our confirmation and that first airplane trip to Oahu where we would spend the night for our layover. The morning of the second leg of our trip brought the whole group together. Tanya and I met Don and Rachel at the airport, along with dive buddies Ed and Judy in preparation for our flight to Nadi, Fiji. Tanya kept looking at me and saying, “We’re going to Fiji”. A mantra she had repeated many times up to that point.

Surprisingly, less people were going to Fiji than I would have thought. The plane ride was about the same length as our trip from home (around five and half hours or so) and went by quickly from my perspective. While we knew we would have to spend the night in Nadi before flying on to Taveuni, we did not have any other expectations. The flight to Taveuni is really where I started to feel like I was not in Kansas anymore. We met the rest of our group (Mark and Jo) and embarked on the smallest airplane I have ever been on. I am not one to have issues with flying, but if I were, this plane would certainly do it for me. Faint traces of airplane fuel filled my nostrils as I watched the verdant landscape give way to a light blue ocean. Tanya and I did not get to sit together on that flight, but as I looked back at her I could see her face brighten with a smile.

I don’t know if a week is a long time for a trip like this, but it was clear that our group was going to get some dives in while we were there. After a warm and cultural welcome, we spent some time learning our way around the place and getting our dive gear down to the dive shop. Several of us couldn’t wait to get in the water. Our first “official” dives were not scheduled till the next day, but we didn’t want to waste any more time not diving.

In terms of experience, diving in Fiji was not drastically different than diving in Maui. However, what we saw in Fiji was hugely different than what we were “used” to. Most striking were the soft corals and anemone that we had never seen in person before. These were VERY evident on the “White Wall” and “Purple Wall”, which we were told are not always white or purple. We were very lucky to have excellent dive guides, chosen by Rachel of course!

"Nudi Party!"

The idea of a vacation focused on diving and when you are getting in and out of the water is amazing to me. Eating, sleeping and drinking Kava are just the things you do in between dives. Tanya and I spent this “in between” time filling out dive logs and talking with the group about what we had seen on the day’s dives. It was exciting to hear other’s perspectives, even on the same dives. Current or no current, deep or shallow; each dive had new elements to experience. For Tanya and I, the experience was unlike any of our previous trips.

I have been asked if I will do other trips like this one. For me the answer is obvious, absolutely! Doing something you enjoy with people you like is a combination that’s hard to beat. While the “what to pack” was covered by Tanya, everything else was handled beautifully by Maui Dreams and McCoy Travel. Since our trip, we have been invited to places like Cozumel, Florida Keys, Belize and other alluring dive destinations. All I can say is it’s not always where you dive, but who you dive with when you are where you are.

Thanks to Don and Rachel for being such gracious hosts on our first trip to Fiji. You made it enjoyable and memorable and we are very grateful. We were excited to bring our new friends, Ed and Judy, as well as meet new friends, Mark and Jo. Also, let me say that Tanya and I are SO excited to meet up with everyone again on a new adventure to the Philippines. We are looking forward to that trip with at least as much excitement! (Tanya sez: “We’re going to the Philippines!)

The Road to Divemaster

2011-04-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

The viz has just improved from a little over zero to perhaps five feet, just enough that I can see that my Divemaster instructor Zac Lenox has lost a fin. This is the last dive of my training and I am guiding Zac and another Divemaster student Matt back to shore at Olowalu after completing a Scuba Review skills section. Only another one hundred yards to go, but in the wind and break the bottom is stirred up and I am doing my best to keep an eye on my charges while navigating with my compass to our dive flag set just off shore.

I point to my eyes and make sure Zac and Matt will remain where we are, and set off to locate Zac’s fin. I pray this is the last challenge to my leadership on this dive. In the past hour I have retrieved a mask three times, and picked up a dumped weight, not to mention a diver drifting upward towards the surface, multiple divers wandering off, and a run of having to re-demonstrate and correct the 20 skills I am responsible to cover for the Scuba Review. These are all situations I am likely to encounter on a typical day working as a Divemaster, and I am being thrown everything but the kitchen sink to help me prepare for the inevitable.

I took my Rescue Diver course in February and then started as quickly as possible into Maui Dreams' PADI Divemaster course. I spend my winters on Maui and each year devote a large portion of my time to increasing my skills and certifications as a diver. With less then a month’s time available this winter, Teri and the instructor crew at Maui Dreams assured me we could do the necessary course work. I would ideally have wanted more time as it is a very demanding program requiring a lot of reading, diving, internships, testing, and scheduling, but I was up for giving it a go.

Along the way I developed many new skills and expanded my confidence and experience as a diver many times over. We were assigned many challenges that demanded we multi-task while always remaining alert to our own and our peer’s safety. On one dive, it was having to completely exchange all our gear with another diver underwater while sharing air. On another, it was using search and recovery principles to search for a wicker chair that was carried into a bay during the March 11 tsunami in under five feet of visibility. I practiced towing an exhausted diver 50 yards in rough seas, located a simulated unconscious diver under water and brought them to shore while delegating an emergency action plan and performing rescue breathing all the way to the beach. Along with some of the other Divemaster students we cooperatively created a dive map for Wailea Point, and on a more regular basis I was responsible for organizing the necessary equipment at the shop to outfit the day’s course as an assistant to the instructor.

My Pacific NW Dive Entry

The Divemaster training is a very demanding and exciting program. It requires commitment to push ourselves beyond where we think we can go. It is one of the hardest courses I have ever done in some 34 years of professional guiding. But it is taught in an atmosphere of support and fun by the crew at Maui Dreams. Zac was my primary instructor along with sessions led by Charlie, Donnie, and Rachel. In-shop, Teri was always available, interested in how it was going and how we could keep the schedule moving forward to meet my deadline. Two of the other shop employees, Sara and Jon were also in the Divemaster course and besides being amazing peers, also provided insight and service when I had shop needs. And finally Gabriel the tech wizard and all around great guy always addressed gear needs and helped in resolving a long standing technical issue with my dive computer I had purchased over a year previously from Maui Dreams.

All I can offer is my deep mahalo to everyone that was part of helping me succeed in earning the title “Divemaster”. I look forward to my next winter and the opportunity to work and dive together again.

-Eric

Surprise Lessons in the Rescue Course

2011-03-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Whew!!! I just finished my Rescue class and boy am I tired. Saving people requires a lot more energy than I thought. I consider myself to be in pretty good physical condition but after today I know I need to workout even more.

Rescue Diver is such a great class to take; I think all divers should take this class. I plan on keeping my skills fresh by volunteering to play the “victim” in upcoming Rescue classes so I can gain even more experience in rescue techniques.

While taking the Rescue Diver class, I was surprised to relearn some important lessons that we all know, but sometimes forget…like the possible problems of using new or unfamiliar equipment, and always having a good way to signal your dive buddies. For instance, I had just bought a new mask the day before but forgot to clean it with toothpaste. As a result, the mask was so fogged up that my Instructor had to let me use his mask. It’s kinda important to be able to see (especially if you’re searching for someone)! Also, as we were doing our search pattern and looking for the hurt/drowning victim, I realized that if I did see him, I would have no way to signal my dive buddies and that would just waste more time. Signaling devices are just as important underwater as they are on the surface.

I’m so glad I did the Rescue course and would recommend that every diver do so. You never know when you might need to help a fellow diver or when you might need to be rescued yourself.

Aloha, Jon

She was afraid to go out in the water…

2011-03-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

Please enjoy this post by guest blogger and new Master Scuba Diver, Tanya:

I have said many times “I saw Jaws at a very influential age”. Growing up, I had a fascination with critters in the water but I had no interest in joining them. It started with tadpoles. We had a ditch that ran along the front of our house, and it was there that I first discovered them wiggling around. I would go out looking for them every season, patiently watching through the algae for them to emerge. My mom took me salmon fishing, I caught my first big catch at the age of 9. I was fine as long as I was on the boat. As a teen, I would go to the river during the summer. I was usually afraid to go in to the water once I saw that the “rocks” at the bottom were moving. We would also go to the Oregon Coast and I was told “watch out for the jelly fish, they can sting you”. I played in the ocean only once or twice always fearing what might be touching me.

Then I met my husband to be. A very charming guy who loved racquetball, fish (he had multiple aquariums) and was a certified diver since the age of 15. Surely I could learn how to play racquetball. I already loved watching the fish, in the aquarium. Turns out, my hand eye coordination isn’t quite racquetball speed. On our honeymoon we cruised to the Caribbean. It was there I had my first snorkel experience. I was very nervous but the water in Grand Cayman was crystal clear, my kind of pool like water! I was one of the last off the boat. My entry was precisely timed and located with the pail of chum the crew tossed in. I’d never seen so many hungry fish and they were all headed straight for me! This was also my first introduction to using your snorkel as a salt water straw.

Over 15 happily married years later and having entered my 40’s, I wanted to prove to myself that fear wasn’t in charge of my life. We were heading to Maui on one of our regular visits. To surprise my husband, I signed us up for PADI Open Water at Maui Dreams Dive Co. It was tough, the instructors very thorough and demanding. Fortunately they were also patient, understanding and empathetic, as was my husband when day two of training ended with me in tears. Taking your mask off underwater (part of the training), snorting saltwater up your nose and then coughing into a regulator 15 feet below was HARD (not part of the training). Thanks to the expert guidance and support of both MDDC and my hubby I passed Open Water. I was now a diver!

It just so happens I really LOVE watching the critters, especially where they live. Here we are one year later, almost to the day. We just returned from a divecation in Fiji. David and I completed our Master Scuba Diver status there with new friends we’ve meet because of diving & our now extended family Maui Dreams Dive Company. Having over 50 dives and taken more than 5 specialty classes, we now hold the highest recreational dive certification with PADI. I am a Master Scuba Diver and I LOVE IT…let’s go dive!

Dive Travel is part of my J-O-B! (hee hee!)

2011-02-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

How can you not feel gleeful about something like that?

We have just returned from a recent group trip to one of our favorite (and easy to get to from Hawaii) destinations – Fiji. Though we have taken groups of as many as 33 people, this was a nice intimate group, enabling us to gather quickly for activities and all share the same boat and dives. Fiji has a lot to offer (heck, there are over 300 Fiji islands!) above and below the water where I find one word to be a fitting description for both elevations: LUSH.

Before working in a dive shop, the idea of group travel never appealed to me. I like to venture off and explore on my own. Once we started traveling with other divers however, I realized how much more fun it is to share these adventures and new experiences with dive buddies. Divers are natural explorers and like to share what they’ve seen and learned. I can be totally immersed in taking my 1200th anemone fish picture when I catch a rapid movement out of the corner of my eye. What’s that? Is it something new? It’s Jo waving me over to check out a rare little nudibranch. Nudis rock, not just because of their surprising colors and patterns, but because they move veeerrrrrry slowly, increasing my chances of getting a nice photo!

Our next group trip this year will be to the Philippines, and after scouting it out last year, I am counting down the days until I can visit again in June. Living in Maui, I interact with Filipinos on a daily basis so I experience their hospitality and tasty food regularly. When visiting the Philippines though, this experience is magnified tenfold! Everyone is friendly and helpful (and wants you to try their chicken adobo).

When you arrive in the Philippines, the first thing you can’t help but notice is their most obvious form of national transportation, the jeepney (made from left over jeeps left behind after WWII). Though I was totally transfixed by what I saw underwater in the Philippines, on land, these jeepneys continued to fascinate me. They are individually decorated and a cheap way to get around.

But back to the fish! To me, the sea life in the Philippines seems like the best mix of what you can see in Fiji, Palau, and Indonesia. From the flamboyant cuttlefish to “nemo” to a blue ringed octopus, the range of critters is unreal. I was forced, time and again, to use the “my head’s going to explode!” signal (I’m sure you can imagine this signal and it’s what I do when I’ve seen so much, I just can’t take any more). One dive in the Philippines equals several dives somewhere else.

So, that said, we’d love to have you join us. Traveling with a dive shop group enables you to let someone else worry about the details and you can just come along and enjoy the fun. We prepare our travelers with what to expect during the journey and once we arrive, often in the form of a pre-trip party. We arrange for special side trips so that we can all enjoy the culture of the location we’re visiting. We also take care of all sorts of behind-the-scenes items that our travelers rarely know about but that make the trips all the more enjoyable. The rhythm of the day once we arrive goes something like this: eat, dive, snack, dive, eat, look at pictures, dive…you get the picture. One of the best parts of dive travel is what you take back home with you: a dive log full of new dive buddies!

The Philippines trip is probably the best travel deal we’ve ever offered, so if you’re interested visit our page for more trip details or just email the shop. Though this is a two week trip, we’ve had some folks express some interest in joining us for the second week only. If a one week option interests you, just let us know!

Aloha, Rachel

p.s. Stay tuned for a recent first time traveler’s blog on his experiences in Fiji!

Call for Pizza!

2011-02-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

"Call for pizza!"

The cry rang out across Keawakapu beach in the early morning hours just before the sun crested Haleakala. Nervous sunbathers looked on as a group of scuba divers struggled in the water and quickly carried one of their fellow divers on to shore, abandoning their gear and beginning CPR on their lifeless friend. One of the divers ran to the parking lot and returned with emergency oxygen which he added to the rescue efforts. A sunbather ran over to the wetsuit-clad group and asked if she could help them by calling 911. "Didn't you hear our cries?!" one of the divers asked, "We said to call for pizza!"

The lifeless diver couldn't help but smile.

We then thanked the sunbather and reassured her that we were simulating a rescue situation for a Rescue Diver class, and that everyone was actually quite alright.

Becoming a Rescue Diver involves learning a variety skills, both to keep yourself safe and also to rescue yourself in a less serious situation (which we got to experience when one of us got a cramp). We also learned how to search for and rescue a lost diver, how to give rescue breaths while towing someone to safety, and we refreshed our First Aid, CPR and emergency oxygen skills. The wealth of knowledge that is attained in the Rescue Diver class should make it a serious consideration for anyone who enjoys spending time in our beautiful waters.

Everyone had a wonderful (but tiring!) day, but much to our dismay, no one ever did order us a pizza.

-Sara

Sister Mary Katherine Says...

2011-02-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

Working at Maui Dreams has made a huge impact on my life… probably more than I know but will find out as the weeks pass without being around my dive family!

When I started MDDC, I was a rescue diver and didn’t know a lick about the dive industry. Working in a shop that does gear repair, hydrostatic testing, visual inspections , beach bookings, boat bookings, all kinds of instruction, rentals, retail (and so much more) you have no choice but to learn the industry inside and out. It was definitely overwhelming in the beginning and STILL to this day (after nearly 2 years) I can be stumped by things that people ask for! You learn something new everyday!

Being in the shop around all these knowledgeable instructors was an invaluable gift. All through my divemaster training, I was a sponge for any information anyone wanted to share. Actually that still is true to this day… sharing stories and solutions to problems or ways to anticipate so problems never arise is something that happens in this shop on a daily basis.

Taking people diving has been a thrill for me as I LOVE LOVE LOVE to share my passion with others!! Especially those that like Nudis!! Not only is diving a joy but it’s also a great pleasure to meet folks from all around the world while introducing them to the best Maui has to offer.

I am going to miss the camaraderie at the shop and Maui Dreams will always hold a special place in my heart.

Aloha,
Katherine… AKA…..

Mary Katherine
Sister Mary Katherine
SMK
Smack
Gear b$tch

Smack the gear b$tch

Note from MDDC: We will miss the heck out of SMK! The good news is that she is eager to join us for "guest appearances" for you nudi-lovers and other fans out there. If you request to book her for a dive, we'll see if we can make it happen!

Unexpected Lessons at the IDC

2011-01-29T15:29:00.000-08:00

About the IDC, what can I say? You learn so much about yourself and where you are in the dive world when you go through it - it’s truly amazing. During these two weeks of daily, intensive training, I had the one of the most fun, stressful, crazy, and growing periods of my life. I met a lot of really cool people and got “knowed up” by some very excellent instructors. We endured a lot of struggles, misinterpretations of training standards, and huge learning curves, but in the end you know what they call me? INSTRUCTOR!!

I would like to take a moment to tell you all a little story about our Course Director whom we call Teri “Tea Bag” Leonard. Why, you ask, do we call her that? Well it was a beautiful Maui day, as usual, and we were all practicing our demonstration quality skills in the pool at the Grand Wailea. Professional level training involves a lot of role playing, which is a nice way of saying tormenting our fellow students. During these role playing scenarios, the instructors assign problems to the participants that the instructor candidates must catch and respond to. So, Teri tells me to “tea bag” John and for those of you in my generation, we have a whole different definition of “tea bagging” than what Teri was referring to. It was hilarious; the whole class started laughing - at least those who knew what I was thinking of. By the way, Teri simply meant to dunk him (rescue skill scenario)!

So, the instructor candidate Donnie and his Divemaster came up to the surface (they were under the water so they couldn’t hear what the assigned problem was going to be) and they were just looking around trying to figure out why everyone was laughing. The thing is that they are trying to figure out what was in store for them…if you haven’t had this level of anticipation, it is truly something that should be experienced.

The whole IDC is filled with fun moments like this, the kind of moments that some laugh at and others stress over. If you ever decide to give it a try, I assure you that it is a full circle kind of thing. What I mean by that is that you might be the one stressing one minute, and the next minute you are laughing at someone else who is freaking out. The fun, laughter, stress, anticipation, and growth all make it so worthwhile once you pass the two day Instructor Exam and hear those words, “Congratulations you are a Scuba Instructor.”

MDDC, YUM YUM!!

2011-01-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

Jon, the "new guy"!

Living on Maui and working at Maui Dreams really has been like a dream for me, and not just for the reasons you might think.

When I first started as “gear guy,” I thought I might also need to get a second job in a restaurant to make ends meet and hopefully get some free food perks. I could not have been more off base; the food here seems to never stop appearing. Between the leftover boat sandwiches to Don’s famous (well at least on Maui) home made pies, it would be safe to say that more than half my “diet” comes from work. Not to mention all the food our awesome customers bring in (shout out to “the Wu”!). Mahalo to everyone that has made my job at Maui Dreams Dive Co. not only fun but delicious! So feel free to stop by, say “hi” and drop off some tasty treats so my tapeworm doesn’t get cranky.
Aloha from “the NEW guy” -Jon

Charlie loves pie too!

I Heart Nudis!

2010-11-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

I admit it, I am such a nudi geek. The greatest joys I’ve had underwater have been seeing a new slithery slug friend. I almost ALWAYS have my camera with me because (of course) if you see something cool, you have to brag with pictures on facebook!!!

So let me tell you about one of my greatest days underwater. I got a tip from a fellow nudi-hugger that the holy grail of nudibranchs, the Jolly Green Giant, has been spotted a week prior just north of a well known dive site…. One that is usually accessed by a boat. I had no idea where this spot was, but my newly converted nudi-hugger boyfriend knew exactly where to look.

But let’s face it, what the heck are the chances of finding a ½”-1” slug out in the middle of god know’s where?

But we were determined!

So the plan was to surface swim out to the location then drop down and spend the maximum time searching for the holy grail. Our agreed turn around time was 1000 psi. We found the spot and dropped down – the search begins! At first I was so excited but then I started to get nervous as I saw my tank pressure drop as time went by….. 2000PSI….. 1500PSI….. 1250PSI….. dang, it was almost time to turn around. As I’m hovering over the reef and turn to look for my boyfriend to make sure he’s okay, a little green blob caught my eye! NO WAY. WHAT?! NO WAY. THERE IT IS!!!!!!!!!!

I’m not sure what I looked like as that was happening – I was quacking my noise maker like nuts and waving my arms like a mad woman. I tried to calm down so I wouldn’t waste my air, but that was impossible! I sat there and photographed this beautiful little gem of nature for about 20 minutes until I was low on air and off we went!

When I posted that picture, everyone freaked out and was so jealous – it was awesome! I gave out headings to several people but no one had any luck. I am a nudi whisperer – I think that’s what it all comes down to

Aloha!
Katherine

Christy's First UWPCC!

2010-11-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

Janine Jackson

Because I am the newest staff member at Maui Dreams, I was surprised when I was asked to write about the 11th Annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Event. Rachel, said “just be yourself, you don’t have to make it like an advertisement for Maui Dreams!”

Well, okay…I’ll try but I know my enthusiasm is STILL going to make it sound like some big promotion on my part! IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! I was most impressed by the contestants who, not only carved a pumpkin underwater, but did it in costumes; there were giant clown shoes in lieu of fins, Jennifer with the alligator hood, witches and more.

I did not know anything about carving a pumpkin underwater, but by the time the day rolled around, I had heard hints and tips to fill a couple of columns for Hint’s from Heloise. ( If Heloise ever does a column on underwater pumpkin carving!) People were coming in weeks in advance to sign up and the people who had been doing it for several years had a come up with strategies for success that were a total surprise to a newbie. It was easy to see that past participants were even more excited about the event than first timers. That told me right there that it was going to be fun.

Aaron Mark

First of all, I had no idea that pumpkins float! I knew that people in wetsuits float, but of course, they really float in shallow water. The carving takes place in only about 15 feet of water. Most experienced carvers upped the lead they normally wear and a lot of them downsized on tanks. A few wore heavier wetsuits because they had gotten a little chilly in previous years. All of our 50’s and 63’s were gone the day before the contest.

I also learned that the pumpkin carving tools sold in little packages work better than a dive knife and a lot of people had drawn their design on their pumpkin ahead of time. I didn’t know that the pumpkins could have additions put on after leaving the water and, there was some real creativity shown in that area. Do check out the photos and see some of the crazy and fun additions, like: real crab legs, big hairy fake spider legs, Jack-in-the-Box costume, etc.

I learned at the event that it is important to secure all your hoses and gauges, have a mesh bag to hold your pumpkin and make sure, with your buddy, that your air is on is before you get in the water.

I'm the one on the right!

Well, I hope that I have not given away too much, but it is clear that being prepared was helpful. What else can I say? The ocean and the weather cooperated beautifully, and the prizes were awesome! Some great ones were a trip on the Maui Diamond II, complete regulator set, wrist computer, eyeballs, brains and other frightening body parts, neat stuff from PADI, candy, scuba classes, scooter dives and more.

I think it’s so great to be working for a company that sponsors an event like this and I am looking forward to the annual underwater Easter Egg Hunt. I know there is no other dive shop on the island that puts so much into keeping diving fun and keeping the diving community connected and feeling like family. But, that is, after all, why I walked in here and asked for a job! Sorry Rachel, there goes that schmoozy ad for Maui Dreams, I just couldn’t help it!

Aloha, Christy

p.s. To see all the photos from this year's event, visit our photo gallery by clicking here.

Diving is a Humbling Sport!

2010-10-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

Throughout my diving career I have learned again and again that “diving is a humbling sport”. Teaching SCUBA Instructors provides many more opportunities to prove this mantra. While teaching the recent Instructor Development Course, the dive gods smacked me again.

Part of my job as a PADI Course Director is to ensure that new Instructors understand how to give a real-time role-model demonstration while teaching the Rescue Diver Course. Although I usually have Staff Instructors and other Course Directors to assist me, I have always chosen to personally demo the unconscious diver at the surface skill.

I have prided myself on the smooth delivery with which I execute this particular skill. However, in this fateful IDC I chose to use a brand new BCD that I had just purchased. During the equipment removal portion of this demonstration, with eight IDC Candidates, an IDC Staff Instructor Candidate, and another Course Director looking on, I got my arm stuck in the BCD and could not get out!

I had to terminate the demo, get assistance from my gear handler to get the darn thing off, and then took a few moments to practice with my gear before restarting the demo. Not exactly the real-time role-model technique I had in mind.

However, looking back on the incident I realize that the Instructor Candidates had an opportunity to learn that even when things don’t go as planned, the Instructor can just stop, breathe, think, and act as we teach all of our Rescue Divers to do.

Aloha, Teri

I am the Scooter Queeeeeeeeen!

2010-10-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I’m also the one who bestowed that title upon myself, but thankfully, many of my divers seem to agree! This morning I went scooter diving with a co-worker and it made me think about my experiences on a scooter and the store’s history with them.

"Traditional Method"

I can still remember when I did my first scooter dive almost 12 years ago. I went with a dive buddy of mine to Makena Landing. We figured that was a good place to try these things out since we knew the dive site well, it’s shallow, and we knew we wouldn’t be too far from shore if anything happened. Well, let me tell you, after this dive, I wondered why on earth anyone would ever want to do a scooter dive. At the end of the dive, my neck hurt and the next day my armpits hurt (I later learned that both of these experiences were a result of my holding the scooter incorrectly). It seemed like the batteries ran out after only about 20 minutes (we’ve since learned to top them off the night before), so we had to schlep our scooters all the way back to shore. I’m a fan of my scooter propelling me, not the other way around!

At some point, we inherited a couple of scooters for the shop and gave them a try. After remembering the errors of my first dive, things went a little better this time. My husband and I and two friends played and played on the scooters and taught ourselves how to “superman” (this is what we call it when we cruise with the scooters between our legs instead of holding them out in front of us) and a variety of other “stunts”. After that, I don’t think I dived without a scooter for about another 20 dives – it was addictive!

Since then, we have explored areas we would never dare to swim to, we’ve found “new” reefs, practiced making our scooters float mid-water (just because we could), and even scootered all the way around Molokini! We have also sheared props right off (gotta be careful of even the slightest thing dangling from your BCD), had to tow dive buddies in, and experienced low battery situations. Thankfully, the longer we’ve been scooter diving, the better we’ve become at preventing the latter list of experiences!

Anyway, these scooter experiences quickly evolved into offering scooter dives during our Advanced Open Water classes as well as taking folks for guided dives on the scooters. Diving with a buddy on a scooter is a whole different animal than being responsible for a group of people (often people who have never ridden a scooter before). If you’re looking (and going) one direction at the same time your buddy is looking (and going!) another, you can become separated in seconds! Now, add more people to the mix and the recipe for total scooter insanity is in place. As a guide, I have experienced the stress of a “runaway diver”, as well as the embarrassment of not finding a far-off dive site (doh!). Beyond those things, I have also reveled in the sheer speed and grace you can experience on a scooter. I have coaxed divers through the frustration of not mastering the superman as quickly as they’d like and the reveled in the look of sheer joy on their faces when they do.

Now, after doing this for so many years, I have really fine-tuned the “process” and have also been aided by innovations in the equipment. With the addition of a saddle on the scooters we use, the learning curve for doing the superman is down to about one minute! The batteries we use now last for two hours. My love of scooter diving has led me to perfect my briefings so that divers get the most out of the experience while also being safe and protecting the underwater environment from those huge sand storms that can occur if you don’t pick up your scooter properly before turning it on!

What really turns me on about scooter diving personally is the feeling of freedom in the water and the ability to explore for longer distances under water. And okay, I really like to twirl too! What excites me as a guide is when we pop up at the end of a dive and the first thing I hear is, “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done!”

Aloha, Rachel

Zac's First Time Guiding a Dive

2010-09-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

Woooooo Hooooo! What a blast it was to do my first guided dive as a PADI Divemaster! I had the privilege of taking a really fun and up-beat couple out to see the caves at Makena Landing. Almost immediately, as we approach the wire coral rock, bammm!!!! Here they are, FIVE spotted eagle rays! So we HAD to stop and watch them for a bit and then we continued to the first cave. As we approached the entrance, who should show up for an encore, but the five eagle rays again. They came up within 15 feet of us (on a day with 70 feet of vis) and just displayed their underwater acrobatics for all of us once again, how amazing.

After the majesty of the eagle rays, we preceded into the first cave. Stephanie wasn’t sure she wanted to go in, so I stayed at the mouth of the cave where I could see her and Cary went on in. While looking around at the entry, I saw that Stephanie had spotted a medium sized male turtle who had surfaced for air just above us - sweet. There was a six foot white tip shark resting near the right side of the cave as well as a nice big female turtle towards the back on the left. Excellent action in the first cave, so we proceeded and saw a couple eels on the way to the bubble cave. When we approached the bubble cave we were greeted by a four foot white tip reef shark at the entrance. At that point we had reached our set turn around time so we headed back.

Before the second dive I had thought to myself, “how are we going to top that last dive?” Well, the ocean being the gift that keeps on giving did just that!!! We had the eagle rays come back and say hi. We also saw two white margin nudibranches, a nice big yellow frogfish, a big flounder, and lots of turtle action. What an amazing way to start a profession. Such an awesome community the dive world, all the way from one end of the spectrum to the other. Divers just have more fun!!!

“Is This A Test?” (Using what we learn)

2010-08-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

It had been a great day at work. My two students (John and Barbara) and I had just finished the 2nd dive of our PADI National Geographic specialty, and as the conditions were ideal that day, both dives had been great. The three of us were slowly swimming back in and talking about what we’d seen. What we didn’t realize was that it was the PREVIOUS class I had taught them-Rescue Diver-that was about to become important.

“Hey! Hey! Can one of you guys help me?”

I looked quickly towards the direction of the shout to see an older man treading water (with difficulty) about 25 yards away. Once he saw he had our attention, he quickly shouted again.

“I’m tired and I…can you help me?”

Now I’ve taught quite a few Rescue Diver classes, but this was the first time that I had ever needed to use any of the skills involved, and certainly the first time that any of the Rescue Divers I’d taught had been present as well. To confuse things a bit, the gentleman in question somehow managed to sound EXACTLY like the diver in the PADI training film beginning the “Tired Diver At the Surface-assist from shore or boat” exercise…to the point where I later found out that John and Barbara weren’t sure if it was a test or not. As I turned to them both to tell them I was going to go help, Barbara showed that they’d both pass the test:

“Do you want us to go get him?”

Let me tell you, folks—that’s how you make your Instructor proud of you. Another thing we learn in Rescue training, though, is that the more experienced and trained person should do the rescuing. (I sometimes joke that Ulua beach is one of the safest places to swim that you’ll find, simply because of all of the Emergency First Response instructors that teach dive classes there every day.). So I sent John and Barbara on to shore, and swam on over to the now ever-so-slightly panicking swimmer. When I was within about 15 feet I found myself right back in the PADI training film…

“Just relax—I’m Jim, I’m trained in rescue, I can help! Be right there!”

I reached him JUST as he managed to gasp out “legs are cramping!”…and turned him on his back and pulled him up into an underarm tow, with both of us supported by my inflated BC. He was tired and hyperventilating a bit from exertion and panic.

“Just relax, no need to kick, I’ll tow us in…”

I spent some time being grateful I’d gotten to him before he’d managed to breathe any water.

“….almost there now…”

As he began to calm down, he told me he’d gone out to help his wife, who had tired herself out. He helped her in, and didn’t realize how tired he had gotten in the process...
(and there’s another lesson from Rescue Diver—don’t attempt to help in a situation where you will also need rescuing).

"Okay, we’re there! You can stand up!”

We both got to our feet, and I took off my fins and walked him ashore…to meet his grateful wife and collect a hug. I walked back over to John and Barbara (“Was that a test?”) and we all headed back up to rinse off. Just like the training video.

A great day at work.
Aloha, Jim

Plan Your Dive and Dive Your Plan: Buddy Check

2010-06-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

When I was working through my Divemaster internship I assisted my Instructor (Don) with a night dive at Five Graves here on Maui. There were several divers in the group as well as the two of us. My job was to be the last one to descend and to stay in the rear of the group so that I could keep everyone together, as well as be in a position to help if a problem occurred.

Well, we worked our way down to the water through the rocks in the dark, we all got in, put our fins on, and descended...except me. It took me a while to realize that I had forgotten my weightbelt (BTW: This is an occupational hazard for Divemasters and Instructors. We take care of everyone else and forget about ourselves:)).

Don appeared at the surface to find out what the problem was. Believe me, the last thing I wanted to happen on this dive was that I would be the one with the problem! When I told him that I had left my weightbelt in my car, he asked if I could get out by myself, retrieve my weights, and return to the dive...I said I could.

Now, he descends back to the group, I work my way back to the entry, by myself, in the dark, (of course I had my light, but it felt freaky!) crawled back up the rocks, and walked back to my car. One more little problem...I could see my weightbelt on the floor of my car, but I had placed my car keys in my Instructor's vehicle!

Now what!?! I didn't want my instructor to be wondering and worrying where I was, so I looked around and found some rocks on the ground and began filling my BCD with them. I looked pretty weird, and of course there would be no opportunity for quick release in the event of a problem during my dive, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

So I climbed back down into the water, alone, at night (I had always heard that was when sharks might be lurking about...) and luckily located the dive group by the glow of their lights. I descended to join them...er, attempted to descend! Turns out that the rocks here on Maui are volcanic, and so are porous. Not much weight to them! I struggled and finally made it down to the group, but I was very buoyant. I searched all around to find more rocks and finally found one big rock that I held onto and carried like a baby in my arms!

Of course, I would not have been much use to myself or to the other divers if a problem occurred, but at least I was down!

So, in spite of all the rocks, I was still having buoyancy problems. Any Instructor will tell you that fighting buoyancy leads to excessive air usage. Yep, I was the FIRST diver to run low on air. I was afraid to tell the Instructor, but when I finally had to do it, I could hear him shout "WHAT?" through his regulator.

He made me go to the surface and snorkel above the group until the end of the dive (I could hear that JAWS soundtrack in my mind the whole time...).

Well, no sharks showed up (Whew:)). I survived but I hated that I had been the problem and that I was of little use if someone else had a problem. I thought to myself that I did not deserve to be a Divemaster...But, after all was said and done, I learned from my many mistakes that night (No buddy check on myself before the dive? Exit and enter the water by myself? No quick release for my weight system?).

My instructor assured me that I would make a fine Divemaster regardless of my issues on this dive. Just take what I learned forward through my future experiences and try to not repeat mistakes (at least not too often :)).

Aloha, Teri

p.s. The photos in this entry are from some smart new divers, proving that they do indeed know how to do a buddy check. Thanks Jaison and Brandi!

The Check Out Dive (AKA Hell Dive)

2010-05-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

In order to finish up your Divemaster certification, you must do a check out dive or what is commonly referred to here at MDDC as the HELL DIVE! Since I suffered greatly, I don’t want to give too much away for up and coming victims… oops uh I mean divemaster candidates!!! So I’m going to keep the details to a minimum ;)

This dive consists of at least 4 pretend customers (usually MDDC staff) that you have to take on a guided dive from start to finish. The point of the whole dive is to pretty much test how you deal with problems in a stressful situation.

And let me tell you, it is stressful.

It starts the moment the "customers" walk in the door. You will experience everything from difficult names (Gibben U. Gas seems to be a favorite around here), filling out paperwork incorrectly, putting on gear wrong, divers “accidentally” forgetting gear before entering the water, buoyancy issues, wandering divers and the oh-so-fun out of air exercise!

It is true what instructors/divemasters will tell you – every problem the divemaster candidate will face is self-inflicted. So, reviewing the paperwork, making sure all the gear is there, doing a thorough briefing (but not excessive!) is critical to success! Of course, even if you do a good job in all those areas, you are not going to get away unscathed!

After I finished my hell dive, my instructor Jay told me that 90% of what I experienced that day WILL happen to me in my career and he was sooooo right. Even though I’ve only been a divemaster for 9 months, I’ve experienced almost all of it. I always know I forgot something in my briefing when I see my divers doing something “off”. For example, I sounded my “quacker” underwater once and all the divers looked around confused (I forgot to brief my sounding device)… they had no idea what that noise was or what it meant. Another favorite is forgetting to stress the “OK” sign instead of a “thumbs up” (indicating the need to surface!). Depending on the situation, I understand the diver was just excited about what they saw underwater, but there is that wave of a stress that goes through my body when I see this happen… what if it’s not an accidental signal?! I could go on and on but I think you get the point!

I love my job – every day is a new and exciting experience!

Aloha, Katherine

UW Digi Photo Part Deux!

2010-05-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

After completing the online portion of our Digital Underwater Photography course, we met with Jim from Maui Dreams to take our cameras diving and to complete the course. Jim gave us some pointers at the shop, went over both my camera and my husband's rental camera to ensure we were familiar with settings. Once at the dive site we had a few assignments such as manually setting white balance, shooting in macro mode and shooting both horizontal and vertical shots.

Now armed with these instructions and advice, we entered the water at Ulua Beach. The first test of our new skills was a nice big frog fish (you can see one of my photos of "him" in my previous post). Thank goodness for this type of fish, it is a good subject as it just sits there and looks interesting. Throughout the dive Jim would point out things of interest, a few times writing on his slate for us to try a different setting or to take a picture of something of interest (in addition to the first frog fish, we did 'stumble' upon a jet black frog fish). As you can see from the photos, we were also lucky enough to see a green lionfish.

Shooting in RAW mode uses much more space on your memory card, than JPEG. It also takes longer to view the photo before moving on to the next. At this point I was not necessarily convinced RAW mode was the way to go especially when my memory card filled up before the end of the first dive. Feeling smug, (kinda hard to feel that underwater), I pressed the button on my camera to switch to my second memory card. I was feeling clever and thinking "I've got this"...... After the first dive we discussed some additional pointers, and Jim mentioned it was good both my husband and I had good buoyancy skills which is a definite plus in taking pictures AND not damaging the reef.

We went back in for our second dive and it was during this second dive that I realized my cleverness of the additional memory card, was, well not so clever!!! I had forgotten that one of the basic rules from the online course was to prepare for your underwater photo dive; I forgot to delete pictures from a previous dive done 3 years earlier.....Oooops!!! So while diving I was furiously deleting old pix to make room for new pix because we were coming back to that black frog fish and I needed another picture!!

After both dives we went back to the shop to download our pictures. Jim was very encouraging and provided constructive comments on how a picture could have been taken differently for different results. For example I thought I had to use my strobe/flash on ALL photos. In viewing some of my reef shots, the flash just highlighted the backscatter. I now know that I don't need my flash for all shots, in particular distance shots, but to save it for those close ups to highlight the colors. All of this feedback/instruction was extremely beneficial as Jim was able to take photos I would have deleted and use Photoshop to change the color, contrast, sharpen and to remove particles in the image. Now remember I said I wasn't convinced about shooting in RAW mode??? Well it was AMAZING what a difference shooting in RAW mode made. Because I shot in RAW mode I was able to have much more creative control when using Photoshop to enhance the image and bring out the true colors. Check out the before and after results on this coral shot:

This was an amazing experience and I am amazed at of the information we learned. Two of the biggest things I learned from Jim were that underexposed is not a bad thing and easier to fix than overexposed AND how to use Photoshop to obtain the desired results. I have been playing with Photoshop every night since and I am addicted.

On a side note, we were so excited with our new-found knowledge and new dive buddy friend, that we booked a scooter dive the following day with Jim at Maui Dreams and I have to say that dive was in our top 10 favorites. Now all we need to do is continue to practice, practice, practice, which shouldn't be a problem for people like us who LOVE diving.

Today we went diving out at Honalua Bay and to our great surprise we encountered a bunch of dolphins. We had encountered dolphins a few years back and you could hardly see them in my pictures. Using the new techniques we just learned from the online course and Jim, I was able to get some fantastic shots =))).

Digital UW Photo by Kat C. (Guest Blogger!)

2010-05-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago while lazing around the house on Facebook, I happened to be online right when Maui Dreams posted a contest for a free underwater digital course. I couldn't believe my eyes, I responded and was picked ;-). My husband, not to be left out, also decided to sign up for the online course. My husband and I had discussed taking an underwater photography class, and even talked to Maui Dreams last year, but never signed up. To be honest, the thought of taking any such course was quite intimidating to me, especially since I barely knew how to turn my camera on.

Here's a brief history on me and my experience with taking photos underwater. I have been diving for nine years and have logged over 100 dives. My first camera was a point and shoot disposable; hundreds of dollars were spent on cameras and the development of film. Almost all of the pictures were fish butts, yet I kept doing the same things over and over again until my husband said 'no more' and bought me my first digital camera and underwater housing.

That camera, an Olympus 5060, paid for itself during the first trip since we no longer had to buy and process film!!! I thought that camera was the cat's meow and thought that I took good photos =). I never had the patience to learn how to really use this camera, just used default setting of "P" and off I went.

I tended to take ALOT of pictures and simply hoped that out of the hundreds taken, a few would turn out well and sometimes I got lucky! There was never anything thought out or methodical when I took these pictures, I simply swam furiously and 'snap, snap, snap'..... it was really quite spastic .... nevermind the saturated blue, out-of-focus photos that were the end result!!!!

This went on for quite a few years until I noticed that other people's underwater photos actually had color! So I complained to my husband and he bought me a strobe. That helped sometimes but not always. Complained again, and he got me Photoshop that had a nice little button to remove blue. This was better than before and I was a little more satisfied as sometimes it worked, sometimes not so much. Many times my editing job on the pictures looked, well um, photoshopped but not in a good way. (see my eel shot from early on)

We took the online Digital Underwater Photographer course offered by PADI, and did so while on vacation. I was a bit concerned that it would be too overwhelming to take both the course and enjoy my vacation, but I was proven wrong. The online course was easy to follow and provided outstanding examples of before and after photos so I could not only understand why, but I could visually see the difference (remember, I could barely turn my camera on so it was important the course provide visuals). The course also taught the different camera options out there and how important it was to know how to use your camera and locate settings PRIOR to the dive.

The MOST important thing the course taught me is that I could take fantastic underwater photos by making a few simple changes. The course taught about this little thing called 'White Balance' and shooting in 'RAW' format. Go figure, you mean there is a method to shooting underwater photos???? It was like the heavens opened up and the angels started singing.... 'white balance....raw....white balance....raw!'

Immediately after completing module two, my husband and I did a shore dive on our own so I could check out this white balance thing and guess what??? It did make a difference (check out my frogfish shot)!!! I could not wait until my next dive to practice more of what I had learned. Amid swimming, sunning, luaus and general vacation plans, my husband and I were able to complete the online course within 3 nights (1-2 hours each night). We learned more taking the online course and taking the course with Jim at Maui Dreams than we did in eight years of diving and taking photos on our own!

I had feared that this course would cater to the advanced diver with years of camera training and was pleasantly surprised that I was actually able to not only understand the course, but was able to pass the online course. We could not wait to meet with Jim at Maui Dreams to finish the next step of our training...........

...to be continued in next week's blog entry

p.s. Kat is the diver in the far right of the above photo, with her husband right next to her. We took this photo when we got to dive with her a few years ago.

A Word from "the Other" Intern

2010-05-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

Early mornings with the Queen of Caffeine.

First of all, I must say I do not consider myself computer illiterate but I have also never written a blog before, so please bear with me. I am the other intern…AKA (little one, short stuff, or commonly referred to as Katie)

I had honestly no idea what to expect when Chelsea and I made the six hour flight from Vancouver, B.C. to Maui. It’s been a place I have always wanted to travel to ever since my Opa had told me about it when I was five, but never had the chance to visit. I jumped on the bandwagon when Chelsea said she was thinking of contacting Maui Dreams to complete our university practicum. Yes, I kid you not …We got to go to school for diving!! As freshly certified instructors our 140 hours of work experience here at Maui Dreams count towards our final credit and it has been a blast so far. How cool is that ?!

The shop orientation was somewhat overwhelming…

I have been in the backrooms of dive shops before, but when it comes to available services offered, Maui Dreams has everything but the kitchen sink. Seriously, everything down to hydrostatic testing. First day I was like a kid in a candy store.

There are few things I willingly get up for in the morning, because, well let’s face it; I don’t really do mornings…I don’t really agree with them, and they hardly ever seem to agree with me (I usually look like I’ve crawled out of a ditch, or been hit by a bus…you choose) .

Like alpine skiing and coffee, scuba diving is one of those activities I am always up for. It is always something I have wanted to do and have never regretted getting into. My mainland family thinks I am certifiable, and there might be some truth to that. I don’t think it is possible for a normal person to have as much fun as I do. The fact I get to live the dream and share what I love to do with others makes it all worthwhile.

Interning at the Little Shop of Horrors!

2010-04-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever wondered what really happens behind the closed doors of the MauiDreams Dive shop? Well, allow me to introduce myself. Iʼm the intern! Well one of them anyways. Really my name is Chelsea Truscott and along with Katie Schmid (the other intern) we are new to the dive shop. Which means we finally get to see whats behind the big blue door! Are you ready?

GEAR!!!! Lots and lots of gear. Rows upon rows of tanks and wet BCDʼs. Have you ever smelled a wet wetsuit that has been hanging for a few hours!!! Let me tell you its not pretty!

After the initial shock wore off, I was put to work. Going through orientation on How To Clean Gear! I remember thinking to myself, “YES! Iʼm finally an instructor and now I get to clean gear!” I have to admit I laughed to myself which probably explains the odd looks I received from the shops manager Teri.

Even as I write this i canʼt help but smirk which has resulted in a worried “uhoh” from my new boss!! : )

Iʼd have to admit, gear cleaner may not be a glamorous job, but it is relaxing and very zen. I found myself in a calm state until I heard “CHELSEA” come from the front of the shop. I hurriedly ran out, dripping wet, to find more customers to gear up and send out to dive!

And such is the life of the intern to date! We run, we fetch, we even jump upon occasion. If anyone happens to find themselves in Kihei, Iʼve been told its entertaining to watch us sent to and fro. So come on down, introduce yourself and enjoy the show!

Earth Day Surprises 2010

2010-04-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

As you all know by now, we have a blast doing underwater clean-ups from the Maui Diamond II several times a year.

So on Earth Day, we headed to our usual area near the look-out along the West Maui Mountains and proceeded to clean, clean, clean. This time, though it felt like I was going through lots of air separating and sending up bags of line and sinkers, I didn't feel like we were sending up as much as usual. After about an hour, my cleaning crew of six (Ananda on top, two Jeffs below, plus Barbara, John and myself) reboarded the boat to have a look at what we'd sent up. Gabe's group was still down for several more minutes, but I took a sneak peek in the bucket to check out how many zillions of pounds of lead there was so far.

Um...where was all the lead? The lead bin is usually too full to lift and we have to separate it to get it off the boat at the end of the day. Today, there was just one layer of lead sinkers from both groups combined! At first, I felt a twinge of disappointment...but wait, could this mean??? Yes, after a couple of years of concentrating on this one area, we have made a recognizeable impact!! In fact, it seems that we will have to find somewhere new to clean up in September - awesome!

After celebrating this success, we surprised the generous group of divers who came along to clean with a non-clean-up dive at a second site...but I'll let them tell you about that!

Thanks to Gabe, Jenny, Don, and Chris who donated time and effort as boat crew on Thursday and big thanks to Paul for continuing to organize, coordinate, and usually lead an underwater crew. After being showed up by the E-Team so many times, he decided to give his crew to Gabe this time. Okay, really he was sick, but he still came along to help out!

See you next time, Rachel

Looking Back...

2010-04-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

A little over three years ago I moved to Maui from Atlanta, not really sure what path I might take. One thing lead to another and before I knew it I was on my way to being a dive instructor. I remember watching other instructors working during my Divemaster internship wondering if I could ever do it.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was being trained by one of the best. Any of you that have taken a class with Paul know what I am talking about. Sometimes I would say to myself “I really can’t believe he is making me do this…it’s so trivial.” No, it wasn’t trivial, it was a necessary building block to learning skills correctly so that when my turn came to teach I would do things correctly. Then there have been times when I was teaching that I would want to skip a skill to save time thinking who is really going to know. I would say to myself “would Paul skip it?” and the answer was always no. So the skill was done.

During my Divemaster training, I decided it would be a good idea to get my captains license. So five nights a week for four weeks Paul and I would drive to Kahalui to go to class. It was then over to Honolulu to complete the process. Next came the IDC (Instructor Development Course). As Paul was working for Maui Dreams at the time I of course went there for my training.

Once again I was fortunate to be trained by one of the best. Teri’s knowledge of diving is second only to the genuine care she has for her students. It was an amazing 10 days of learning and laughing. After passing the IE (the 2 day Instructor Exam) it was time to find a job. Word had it that if you hang out at Maui Dreams long enough they might just offer you a job and it worked !

That was the beginning of an amazing two years. Don and Rachel have done an incredible job cultivating an atmosphere at the store which is fun and inviting. I never really considered myself an “employee” but more like a friend helping out. It would take too long to go through all of the awesome experiences, but let’s just say, well, it’s been awesome ! I would personally like to thank Don and Rachel, all of the other “friends” that work at the store and our customers (a lot of whom have become friends) for giving me memories that will last a lifetime.

My time here on Maui is ending but new adventures await. This summer I’ll be lifeguarding in Ocean City, NJ and then be heading off to Croatia. Hopefully our paths with cross at some point. Until then I hope that I have been able to touch your life the way so many have touched mine.

Aloha and Mahalo,
Jay (Jay-Lo, Scheesh, Manta Ray Jay, Wrong Way Jay, etc.)

Note from MDDC: Jay will be leaving Maui at the end of this month, so don't miss an opportunity to catch up with him before then!

Handy Skills from Open Water Class

2010-03-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

Remember that skill you did in Open Water class where you swam around without a mask on? There's a reason we teach that skill.

I was leading a guided dive when I started having problems with my mask flooding. I kept clearing it and clearing it while thinking Dang! This mask is driving me crazy!

Then I noticed my snorkel falling away in the water column...uh...what the heck is that about? Oh, my mask strap came completely undone!

Remember, this is all happening while I am guiding divers! Well, I simply signaled stop to the group, handed my flag line to the nearest diver and proceeded to grab my snorkel, put it back on the strap, rethread the strap, put the mask back on and cleared it. The group silently applauded :)

The good training I received way back in my Open Water class paid off!

Aloha, Teri

Career Day at Baldwin High School…

2010-03-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

Part of my duties as shop manager is to create and perform Outreach projects with the community. I contact schools and youth organizations and offer to give different types of presentations such as: Marine life identification, environmental concerns, or career opportunities in the diving industry.

When I approached Kathy Knowlton, a science teacher at Baldwin High School, she requested that I incorporate both career and marine life identification into my presentation for her class. So I created a nice little PowerPoint project where I listed different aspects of careers. The slides were about dive professionals, owner/operators, boating operations, marine biology, and Emergency First Response (CPR & first aid). I also took along the REEF Fish ID program.

To get everyone’s attention, I picked up my favorite Pascal print from the shop, which you see in the photo here. I had a lot of fun carrying this across the Baldwin campus at lunchtime. There were a lot of double-takes and curious stares. When I entered the empty classroom I placed the print up on the whiteboard where it really stood out. As 34 students filled the room, there was a lot of murmuring going on. Finally I heard one ask “Where did that come from?”

This was my cue. I held it up and told them that I had purchased it from the artist, Pascal, at DEMA, a scuba convention. Pascal travels the world selling his beautiful renditions of underwater life. I pointed out that they could make a living doing exactly that. I then asked everyone what they thought of when they thought of jobs. One guy hollered out “mechanic”, a young woman suggested “travel agent”, another student said “fireman”. This opened up a lively 65 minute discussion on how these jobs and others related to the many different dive industry career opportunities right here on Maui and around the world. Many questions were asked about marine life as well, so I told them we could incorporate both of my presentations into one and away we went.

Some of my favorites moments were when I would ask specific questions such as “What endemic marine mammal is endangered?” Shouts of “whales” and “dolphins” filled the room, but when I heard “monk seal” I threw him a MDDC t-shirt! From that point on whenever I asked a question everyone yelled out in the hopes of earning another t-shirt. That was so much fun!!!

I have given these types of presentations at Maui Community College, Kamehameha High School, as well as in our own classrooms. It is always a treat for me, and I hope for the students as well! If you know of a group of kids or adults that would enjoy something like this be sure to let us know!

Instructor's Day Off

2010-02-26T17:51:00.000-08:00

What the heck do dive instructors do on their days off? Well, most of the MDDC instructors often...go DIVING!

Today Charlie and I were lucky enough to discover we both had the day off and we decided to spend our morning together underwater. We grabbed a couple of scooters (after all, I AM the Scooter Queen!) and went out to play.

If you know me, you know I absolutely LOVE to teach. Some people get tired of doing introductory dives and of "dealing with newbies" - their words, not mine. I have to say that after all these years, I am not tired of that stuff at all. I always say my three favorite things to do are Intro Dives, Scooter Dives, and Night Dives (the order varies every time I say that). Did I mention that I totally LOVE it?

When you get to take someone on their first ever anything (dive, night dive, scooter dive, salt water dive), how can you not get a rush from that? Living in Maui, we often meet people fresh out of their certification courses and many of them may have been certified in fresh water or in low visibility conditions. I feel so lucky and so honored when I realize that I am going to get to show these divers (or future divers) our underwater world for the first time!

That said, everything can't be all about work. It is soooo relaxing to get in the water with a good dive buddy and just...go! As instructors, we are always looking over our shoulders and are often swimming backwards to keep track of everyone. I know I am always doing a mental count, "one, two, three, four, one, two.....ah, there are divers three and four". We are monitoring air, bottom time distance from our intended exit, comfort level and buoyancy of our divers, preventing problems, AND we are constantly on the lookout for cool stuff to show people.

Going out on a pure pleasure dive, especially with a fellow instructor, relieves you of much of the "work" of diving. With Charlie as a dive buddy, I know we can communicate with a glance or an abbreviated hand signal. I know we have the same air consumption, and I know we will both know what to do if one of us gets a wild hair and zooms away to look at something (for those of you wondering, we will look for each other for one minute and then reunite at the surface. Yes, just like the manual says!). I know we will both be monitoring air, no deco time, and we will both be looking for cool things to show each other! I always find the really cool stuff, but at least Charlie tries.

As a matter of fact, when you've got a good dive buddy, instructor or not, that's part of the enjoyment of the dive - everything just feels eeeeeeaaasy!

Aloha, Rachel

p.s. As we explored together, Charlie humored be by climbing into this cage (without much cajoling at all!) and we also looked at the remains of many old jeeps - can you make out the steering columns in the photo?

We Divers are Gear Maniacs!

2010-02-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

One of the benefits of working in a dive shop is getting to see the latest and greatest before it even hits the shelves! Today we had a surprise presentation by the awesome guys at Aqua Lung. Some really cool products are coming out in response to the hits we have all been taking regarding weight limits when traveling. We all know about the awesome travel BCD that Aqua Lung has put out called the Zuma. Now Aqua Lung has the PERFECT light weight (and even color coordinated) regulator set to boot! Some even will match the Zuma!! In addition to being the lightest reg set to date, it has two high pressure ports - so those of us addicted to our Suunto D9's can still hook up our wireless transmitter :)

It's always fun to have an impromptu pow-wow/gear presentation in the middle of the day! We all stood around and let it soak in!! Good times!!

Aloha, Katherine

Plan Your Dive & Dive Your Plan Series: Part 1 "The Buddy System"

2010-01-27T23:32:00.000-08:00

Plan Your Dive and Dive Your Plan Series: Part 1“The Buddy System”

Why do we have a buddy system in SCUBA diving? Why do we stay in a group? Why do we discuss this in the dive briefing? In a word, safety. First and foremost, in the unlikely event that a problem occurs with a diver’s air supply, entanglement, entrapment, or a health issue, we count on assistance from our buddy.

When a diver disappears from the group or abandons their dive buddy, the dive ceases to be fun for those who must begin searching for the “lost” diver. Regardless of whether the searcher is a buddy or a professional dive leader, the stress factor is huge!

I found myself in this situation when a buddy agreed to follow my lead and then abruptly turned back to shore without signaling me. Thirty seconds later, I was shocked to find that my “buddy” had vanished.

I searched underwater for the standard minute and then went to the surface. Although the water was very clear, my buddy was nowhere in sight. I was beside myself with worry and stress. Did my buddy have a heart attack or get injured? I stayed at the surface as recommended by Safe Diving Practices and continued to look underwater and at the shore until I determined that I needed to get help to search. I headed in and when I was almost back to shore, I saw my “buddy” exit at the shoreline.

I have to say my first reaction was instant anger followed by relief. After I calmed down enough to speak, I asked why this person chose to abandon the dive, the response was “I felt tired and did not want to continue the dive.” That is a perfectly valid reason to end a dive. But what happened to communication? It is not acceptable, or safe, to leave your group or buddy without signaling. Lastly, I was left without a buddy. What if something had happened to me and I could not get help? I have chosen to never dive with this person again.

Other important concerns when diving together are nitrogen loading and decompression issues. When divers stay in a group, they are more likely to have similar dive profiles and so can have the same dive times and surface intervals. Makes sense, right?

So, remember to stay with your buddy or group and have a safe and fun dive! Aloha, Teri

Just Another Day at the "Office"

2010-01-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my previous blog entry that we instructors wear many hats. This has proven true once again.

I was teaching a class at Ulua Beach and as we were making our way back to shore I noticed a gentleman literally standing on the reef. It didn’t look like he planned to get off the reef anytime soon, so I decided to surface my class and let him know that by standing on the reef he was damaging the coral. Upon surfacing I realized that something wasn’t quite right. The man was having trouble breathing and his skin color was flushed. I asked him if everything was OK and he said he could not catch his breath. I took off my instructor hat and switched into Emergency First Response mode. I fully inflated my BC and had the man place his back on my chest. His breathing was somewhat labored, short and fast. I instructed him to try to relax, slow his breathing and take deeper breaths to which he responded “easy for you to say”. It was obvious that he was exhausted. As fate would have it Charlie from our store was on the dive for fun and was able to keep an eye on my students. I managed to get the man to shore and did a final check to make sure he would be OK. His wife was there and I felt confident that he would be fine.

This was just a small thing that fortunately didn’t turn bad. If I wasn’t there and another instructor had noticed the same thing, would they have responded ? Absolutely. If no instructors were around, would the result have been the same. Maybe, maybe not. I didn’t see any other snorkelers making a move to help this man out. The county wants to limit our access to beaches, limit our hours and in general limit our ability to do what we do. What they don’t seem to understand is that we provide a much bigger service then just teaching and guiding divers. This isn’t the only time one of us had rendered assistance to beach patrons at Ulua (or other beaches) and it won’t be the last, unless the county decides otherwise.

Meet Zac

2010-01-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Zac and I’m the new gear guy at Maui Dreams. I’m from the Wyoming prairie, which is where I was Open Water certified in the fall. The certification took place in Lake Desmit which had about ten feet vis! So when I got to Maui and first went snorkeling, you can imagine my excitement at getting to see at least 50 feet in front of me!!

Anyway, my instructor from Wyoming suggested that I meet with Rachel at MDDC, so I did. Once I assured them that I would scrub the floors, clean the toilet, be Katherine’s slave, and work for free, they said I could be their new “Gearboy”. Naturally, I lept at the opportunity.

Well, I found out that the job description was pretty accurate but also included cleaning equipment (under very stringent guidelines), filling tanks, and taking a bunch of guff from everyone in the shop. How much fun is it? It is a blast, and a very different brand of humor than what I’d previously experienced while working on the pipeline in Wyoming. I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far.

One day as I was washing gear, the boss asked me if I wanted to go diving. I was already having a good day, but my level of excitement and anticipation went through the roof as I casually said, “yeah, sure!”

So the next morning we went to Ulua Beach, geared up, and headed into the water. Mind you, all the diving I had done so far consisted of four open water dives over two days during my certification course and that’s it! This would be my first Maui and my first salt water dive. So, when we started, I didn’t even remember to breathe out during my initial descent and Rachel had to remind me. Once under water though, wow the vis was amazing (I think about 40 feet that day, which to me was like a mile!). We cruised around, looked at eels and even a turtle. On the second dive, we went to 50 feet, my deepest so far. I sat on the bottom, looked at the surface, and realized that diving is the key to a different world.

Teri's 1999 New Year's Eve Dive

2009-12-30T23:26:00.001-08:00

Sharon Ringsven’s comment on Facebook reminded me about diving on New Year’s Eve. Ten years ago (ten!?!) two dive buddies, Philip and Christa, dove with me at Ulua. We went in about 11:45PM with an unopened bottle of champagne. I was afraid we were either going to break the bottle getting in or out, or that we would drown trying to drink while underwater! The smartest one of the bunch, my future husband Jim, remained safely on the beach.

Anyway, we went to 15' deep (to make it an official training dive!) where we knelt in the sand. I counted down the last five seconds of 1999 on my watch. Philip popped the cork out of the champagne bottle. What a great sound it made! Now it was time to try to take a drink. Philip had done some research and was told that if we forced air into the bottle that the champagne would be pushed out. So I removed my reg and blew into the bottle while Philip held it over my mouth. I let liquid into my mouth but it was all saltwater! Yuck!!!

Then Philip had a great idea. He put his thumb over the bottle opening and shook it up. This time the champagne flooded my mouth. It tasted so good, and later he said that my head was surrounded by a million bubbles! We each took a good drink and toasted the year 2000. What a great memory! Thanks for reminding me Sharon

Jim Asks, Are We Taking it for Granted?

2009-12-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

This is really more a question for all you local divers...

I can still remember the moment I realized that not everybody sees the ocean the same way.

I was diving Makena Landing…this was about 5 years ago, and I think I’d been certified for about 6 months. My dive buddy and I were just coming up to one of the caves when a big, beautiful Green sea turtle came swimming right past me. I quickly turned to signal to my dive buddy, got his attention and happily pointed out our new friend. His reaction?

(shrug)

I didn’t get it. Here’s this amazing, huge marine reptile, and my dive buddy didn’t seem to care. He just went back to looking around for interesting shells. Meanwhile, I kept watching the turtle. Noticing how with the tiniest of motions this Chelonia mydas could completely change orientations in the water (sea turtles are very maneuverable), how it had a tiny claw on the front of each flipper, and how the back flippers and tail folded together for streamlining when not needed. What an incredible animal!

Later on over a post-dive breakfast, I asked my buddy about this. “So, you didn’t think the turtle was cool?” I said. He just shrugged again. “It’s only a turtle," he said. “We see them all the time.”

Hmmm. Well, that’s true I suppose—we do see a lot of turtles in our waters…but let me ask you local divers out there: how many other places in the world do you think that’s true? Chelonia m. isn’t even really “common” here—the population was last listed as “threatened”, and in some parts of the world they are considered “critically endangered”. There are millions and millions of people who will never see a sea turtle, not once in their lives. And consider this: if someday (and hopefully, this day will never come) the Green sea turtle becomes extinct, no one will ever see one again.

Ever.

(a side note: we have another turtle species out here, the Hawksbill turtle, that is sadly a lot further down the road to extinction. It can happen, all too easily. More about Hawksbills in a future posting.)

Have I made you consider looking a little more closely next time a turtle joins you on a dive?

One of the advantages of being a dive instructor is that I get to see the reef through “new eyes” every day. I’m always diving with people who are diving the reef for the first time, and the wonder and amazement they get from seeing turtles and other marine life (marine life that we are lucky enough to see as part of our daily lives) keeps me from forgetting just how special scuba diving in Hawaii really is.

And it’s not just about turtles. Hawaii is one of the most isolated land masses in the world…and because of this, many of the “common” species we see every day are not found anywhere else. Nowhere. Those black-and-white Domino damselfish that we see over coral heads all the time? The scientific name is Dascyllus albisella and you won’t find them anywhere but here. How about those “mini-puffers”, (Canthigaster jactator) the Hawaiian spotted tobys? Only in our waters. Those red urchins with the fat spines that are all over our reefs? Slate pencil urchins (Heterocentrotus mammillatus) are only common here, and everywhere else, they’re usually dark brown, instead of that incredible red color. Those are just a few examples: there are hundreds of others. The more I learn about marine life, the more I appreciate just how fortunate we are to live where we live and dive where we dive.

I want everyone we dive with to feel that fortunate, too. Aloha, Jim

Turtle Stories

2009-12-16T19:02:00.000-08:00

During the 10 years I've been teaching scuba, I have never EVER tired of seeing turtles. They are just amazing (who knew something shaped like a Volkswagen bug could be so streamlined and graceful?) and I've been lucky to witness countless interesting behaviors and turtle interactions.

I will never forget the time a turtle I called "Lefty" (no front right fin) zeroed in on me as I was kneeling in the sand. My students were wide-eyed as the turtle approached from behind (I had no idea what was going on) and came up and nudged and "purred" me! That's the best way to describe it. Lefty passed against and through my legs a couple of times and then settled down in the sand directly in front of me. I was intrigued, so I laid flat in the sand facing the turtle and waited to see what would happen next. Well, Lefty had some ideas. I saw him glance up once, twice, then he lifted his head and approached once again, clamping down on my bangs and the top of my mask. I was trying not to giggle too hard (didn't want the exhalations of bubbles to disturb him) as he seemed to process, "nope, guess that wasn't sea grass after all" and sat right back down. I wish I could find the photo someone took of this event!

If you've been in our shop, you've seen the photo of "Rascal the turtle" above our classroom door. Everyone comments that she seems to be smiling. Well, for several months during the winter in 2002, this turtle seemed to join us as an extra buddy during our dives at Ulua Beach. She would appear mid reef and would swim along very close to my face and just above my shoulder, usually a diver's blind spot. You can imagine that I was frequently surprised by her when I'd turn my head to check on divers and come face to face with "Rascal" instead!

For years I have enjoyed watching turtles use flag and mooring lines as scratching posts, rubbing their necks and fins against them to take care of that itch. I marveled at how they could do this and NEVER get tangled! Or so I thought. Just a few weeks ago, I noticed that my flag seemed to be bobbing in an unusual way and as I approached, I discovered that a turtle was hovering around it. Ah ha, I thought, I get to show my dive buddy this behavior! But as we got closer, it became obvious that the turtle was indeed tangled; she looked like someone had tried to gift wrap her and tie a bow. How on earth had she gotten THIS tangled up??? As a diver, turtle lover, naturalist, etc. seeing this type of situation really tears at your heart, and I hurried over to free her. The first thing she did was bolt and I followed her, towing the flag so that the turtle wouldn't inadvertently tighten the noose she'd fashioned. As I approached again, she seemed to sense my intentions and settled right in for the help being offered. She was untangled and freed in under a minute - whew!

Then there was the time we were doing surface skills during an Open Water class. One of the students pointed to something floating nearby and we swam over to investigate. Well, one turtle was on top of a larger turtle and they just floated together with the larger turtle struggling every few minutes to get her head to the surface for a breath. Yes, we got to see turtles "doing it"! Being the nosey buggahs we are, we tried to stay for the whole thing, but these turtles had staying power, and eventually we had to continue with our class...

Most recently, I had the extreme privilege of getting to watch the excavation of a hawksbill turtle nest right here in Kihei. Right around sunset, a small group gathered to watch the pros help the remaining hatchlings out of their nest. Mama turtles dig their nests about two feet deep - that's a lot of sand for these little critters to break through before journeying to the waterline! Some emerged and began to flop around immediately, and others still had to actually hatch from their eggs - it was so cool to see! Once all the baby honus were freed (over 60 of them that night), our group got to escort them to water and see them off on their first ocean journey!

If you want to see a hatchling video clip, you can check it out on our Maui Dreams Facebook page.

And P.S. I bet you already know this, but it is illegal to harass sea turtles. Please do not feed, chase, touch, or crowd them. Be respectful and observe sea turtles from a safe and reasonable distance.

Aloha, Rachel

New Reef at Keawakapu

2009-12-02T22:25:00.000-08:00

Did you see the barge, tug, and support vessels in front of Keawakapu today? Well, one of those was the Maui Diamond II. Several days a week, I captain the Maui Diamond II on trips to Molokini Crater, but I have got to say it was exciting to get to participate in something new. Today, I brought the Maui Diamond to the site as a safety boat to make sure that no other vessels approached within 300 yards during the deployment.

This morning at 7:30, the barge arrived from Oahu with 1500 concrete fish habitats on board - 1400 "z modules" and 100 four by four square "tubes" to create a diverse new seascape. The workers on the barge deployed 10-12 modules a minute (and these things weigh over 2000 lbs each), creating huge splashes, some of which were heard by divers at Ulua who later told me that the sound was reminiscent of slapping whale tails. One of the interesting things (and one of the reasons it was important to keep vessels, divers, etc. away) was that some of the modules would break apart on impact, spraying chunks of concrete up to 100 feet away!

By about 12:15, the concrete "Z's" were all underwater, sitting on the bottom from 50-80 feet deep. By 12:45, I was among the first to get to dive this new reef. As you can see in the photo, an urchin had already climbed on to check out the new substrate! -Don

Confessions of a Course Director

2009-11-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have gotten “lost” leading a night dive at Ulua! Although I know Ulua very well in the daylight, early in my career I felt a bit disoriented at night. So, in the beginning, I would extend my known boundaries by a little bit each dive. But one time out on the second reef I saw a squid (one of my all-time favorite night –loving animals), and got all excited and started following it, and ended up getting totally turned around!!! At one point I thought I was heading easterly into shore when another Instructor pointed out to me that I was leading us south instead! (As they say, trust your compass more than your instincts!) But of course, it all worked out. After all, you can simply go to the surface and see where the shore is (at least at Ulua... Makena can be challenging!).

Another problem with a night dive is that you see cool little things like flatworms. People tend to pile up on each other to see them, which stirs up the sand and ruins the visibility, fouls up people’s buoyancy control, etc. I have been caught in the middle of some interesting three-ring circuses when this has occurred! So I learned to add in my briefing that I will point stuff out to the person closest to me, then I will move on and that person can point it out to the next diver, then move on, etc. USUALLY this method works well.

And that's the end of today's confession! -Teri

Squid photo by James Petruzzi

Zuuuuuuuuma!

2009-10-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

The Zuma is Aqua Lung's newest travel BCD. It only weighs 4.4 lbs! And let me tell you, when I packed up my gear to go diving today, I really noticed the weight difference!!! It also rolls into a nice tight little package that would fit perfectly into a carry on. (If you want to see how crazy small the BC can roll into, just come into the shop and see the display!)

When I first saw the Zuma I noticed how low the tank strap was and how bizarre that seemed (tank strap is at the same height as the waist strap). I thought that maybe it would rest uncomfortably on my backside or just constrict my motion underwater. I was also concerned about storage space!!! Where am I going to put all my stuff?! The Zuma has a small pocket that unfolds if needed that has the capacity to carry a dive light or slate. It also comes equipped with a few plastic D rings to hook other attachments on. I was very surprised to find that this BCD had two dump valves - one on the shoulder and one at the rear. I found no problem at all finding the cord when underwater today!

This was also my first experience with a back inflate! Pretty awesome. I've never felt more free (nothing bulky at my sides)! All in all, I was very pleased with the performance of this BC. It definitely was a different sensation regarding the tank strap placement, but didn't take away from my diving experience whatsoever. A+!
-Katherine

Underwater "Olympics"

2009-10-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

I totally LOVE to throw events. It is our way of getting a bunch of divers together in one place and just being silly or creative underwater. For Maui Dreams, it is also a way to show appreciation for our customers/friends who visit us in the shop throughout the year and show us a good time!

After 10 years of doing the underwater pumpkin carving contest, last year we told folks it would be our last; it was time to do something new. Of course, this meant we were going to have to come up with something new - doh!

Well, I'd had this "Olympics" idea brewing for years, but kept putting it off, knowing it would be labor and staffing intensive. Yeah, I really just kept coming up with excuses. Announcing out loud that we would be taking a break from hosting the UWPCC for a couple of years motivated me to make this thing happen

So last week all of us MDDC-ers laid out the course and gave the event a trial run. You know what? It was a total blast. I spent more time and used more air clearing my mask than anything else. The mask clearing will not be one of the "Olympic" events, but I was just laughing so hard that my mask kept flooding.

Anyway, we have all loved the phone calls we've been getting about what size spoons you all should bring to the event - hee he he! (More on that in a few days.)

The other comments that have been filtering in have been people's concerns that they might not be "good enough" to participate in this event. To those folks I say, this will not be an event that requires any great levels of athleticism (if you can scuba dive, you are prequalified!) and that this is an event that a diver who earned their Open Water certification yesterday could participate in!!

In the middle of the week, we will send out an update newsletter with more specifics about what's going on, how it will work, etc. Stay tuned, and please plan to join us next Saturday for a heck of a good time.

Aloha, Rachel

p.s. Yes, you KNOW we will have the usual awesome event shirts available too!

I Did The Nitrox Class Online!

2009-10-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

A question that I hear often is “Why should I bother learning about Nitrox? Is it really worth it?”. I used to ask that same question until it became obvious why. This happened on a boat trip I took out to Molokini (max depth 80 feet) and then the St. Anthony’s wreck (max depth 65 feet). After a good surface interval between dives, my nitrogen load was still pretty high when I started the second dive. What ended up happening is that I approached my no decompression limit but still had 1700 PSI!!! I had to start heading to the shallows and end the dive. If I was on Nitrox, I could have stayed down longer :(

My first concern with taking this course online is what if I don’t get it and no one is around to explain? Can I repeat the current lesson/chapter until I fully understand? I was surprised to find that the online course was thorough and not as complicated as I had imagined! You can certainly repeat sections that you don’t quite get. Everything that is spoken is also written on the page so you can listen and/or read the material. Most slides also have an additional multimedia piece (video of some sort - although some of them are kind of goofy). At the end of each chapter there is an assessment which you have to pass with 100% before continuing! You can keep retaking the assessment if needed (obviously I know from experience!!). The online course ends with a final exam. Then, the only thing left is the practical portion!

The whole course took me about 2 hours, but feel like it was a bit quicker for me since some of the information is covered in the Divemaster course (which I’m nearly done with – YES!)

International Clean-Up Day

2009-09-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

One of the many hats we as Dive Instructors wear is the one that teaches our students and guided divers the importance of conserving our reefs. We mention how important it is to stay above the reef, making sure our fins or bodies don’t impact and break the coral. We stress not to touch the reef as the oil in our hands can kill the coral. If we see trash or debris we make sure we pick it up. All of these things contribute to the well-being of the reef and helps to keep the reef in good shape for many others to enjoy in years to come. This is an ongoing process which we practice every day.

Something that doesn’t happen every day, but that is just as important as the everyday clean-up, is “International Clean-Up Day”. All over the world, people engage in a clean-up of our streets, beaches, lakes, streams and oceans. On a beautiful Saturday morning on September 19th, 16 divers boarded the Maui Diamond II to head out and clean up the reef off of Scenic Lookout (The Pali). This is nothing new for the Maui Diamond II. Six to seven times per year Don Domingo donates the Maui Diamond II, the fuel to run it, the tanks for the divers and food and drinks for the trip. The crew also volunteers it’s time to make it all happen.

Once everyone was on board, the boat headed out for the ½ hour ride to the cleanup site. There were three teams of 4-5 divers each with a snorkeler for each team to shuttle the lift bag full of debris from the divers to the boat. One diver would stay next to the flag in 45-60 feet of water while the other divers on the team spread out and collected the goods. They would bring their loot back to the flag where it would be separated and put into cloth bags. Once the bags were full a lift bag would send them to the surface.

This was my second time to this location and I am still amazed at the amount of fishing line, hooks, leaders and weights that are down there. I had envisioned having to search diligently for stuff, but that is not the case. As soon as we reached the bottom we found massive amounts of fishing debris. The divers probably didn’t travel more than 50 feet from the flag and never ran out of stuff to pick up. We did two dives in approximately the same spot and picked up an estimated 250 lbs. of weight, line and leaders. The weights and leaders go to a local sporting goods store to be recycled. The truly amazing part is that the Maui Diamond has probably done this same thing in the same spot more than 10 times and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Don estimates that over 2500 lbs. has been picked up over the past two years.

The cool part of all this is that we can make a difference. We were just a small part of the bigger picture, but if there were no small parts, there would be no bigger picture. You can also be one of those parts. Whether walking down the street, on the beach or diving, if you see a piece of trash, pick it up. Imagine if everyone in the world picked up one piece of trash a day. How big would the picture be then ??

Aloha, Jay

Sneak-Attacked by Maui County

2009-08-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

Discrimination, seediness, back-room cowardice: these words come to mind when I consider the outrageous, sneaky, out of the public view, actions taken by the Maui Parks & Recreation Department and the Mayor regarding the Commercial Ocean Recreational Activity (CORA) “Practices & Procedures for CORA Permits” signed by Mayor Tavares on August 12th, 2009.

Currently regulated commercial operators have been attempting to work with the county on these issues for years. Although many people testified against the passage of these new rules due to various illogical, and quite possibly illegal, points in the rules (I will go into much detail in a couple of days after I have calmed down and digested the reality of this outrageous action the Mayor has taken) the Parks Director and the Mayor decided to go ahead and enact the rules without advising ANY of the commercial operators that these rules would go into effect on September 1, 2009.

Although someone found the ruling on the county’s website on their own, at this late date, it is likely that every commercial operator will be in noncompliance on that date. This could result in all operators immediately and permanently losing their permits.

Okay, so we no longer have scuba diving instructors, surfing instructors, windsurfing instructors, snorkel guides, etc. on Maui…who cares???

-Teri

My Viewpoint in the Maui News

2009-08-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

Although most of my daily activities revolve around the day-to-day operations of Maui Dreams, occasionally I become involved with broader issues. For many years commercial operators within the ocean recreational activity industry on Maui have worked with Maui County to create a sustainable balance between public and commercial use of beach access. Some misunderstandings have occurred in the community regarding these issues, so I wrote this Viewpoint which was printed recently in The Maui News.

I have been fortunate in my life to have followed the path to become a teacher of scuba instructors. My job at Maui Dreams Dive Co. began 10 years ago, and I have loved every moment.

I have introduced hundreds, probably thousands, of people - locals and visitors alike -
to the magical beauty of Maui's underwater world. I believe that without the exposure to the ocean that scuba diving provides, society would not appreciate the need to protect and safeguard our precious water world.

Yes, I make my living off the beauty of the resources. Life would be simpler if I could perform these services as a volunteer. However, my bill collectors insist that I pay for my food, water, power, rent, and everything else necessary for existence in this modern world. Consequently, I work for a living.

I am a commercial operator. I charge a fee for my time and services just as every other working person on Maui must do to survive. Many working citizens of Maui may not realize that their jobs are also dependent on the reefs, the beautiful views, the excellent climate and everything special about Maui. We're all in this together.

Long before Maui County suggested it, the standards of our training methods included teaching understanding and respect for the reef environment. My employer, Donovan Domingo, is a co-founder of the Maui Reef Fund. This group of commercial operators organizes underwater cleanups and has removed thousands of pounds of fishing lines, lures, weights, plastic bags, bottles, cans, golf balls, etc., from the coral reef. Mr. Domingo was awarded the Living Reef Award for his continuing efforts with the Maui Reef Fund to establish and maintain moorings that alleviate the need for anchors and help keep the reefs safe.

I am surprised to read recent letters to the editor suggesting that current Maui County administrators are revolutionary in their plans to regulate commercial ocean activities. Our industry is heavily, and expensively, regulated by Maui County and has been for years. Anyone with knowledge of county government is well aware of this. They are also well aware that a moratorium on the issuance of commercial ocean activities permits has been in effect for years.
Our community has been led to believe that Maui County is having a rush of new, untrained, ill-equipped and uncaring commercial operators. This is not the truth.

The current Commercial Ocean Recreational Activity (CORA) regulations were well thought-out and have been effective in restricting commercial activities. To add further intensive restrictions as put forth by the Department of Parks and Recreation will place an undue burden on all commercial operators and cause many of them to go out of business.

With fewer commercial operators, the end result will be more unsupervised, untrained, ill-equipped and uncaring recreational users of Maui's reefs. I hope the county will recognize that adding more restrictive regulations on commercial operators will not create healthier reefs.
I suggest we put our efforts toward re-establishing sustainable reefs by re-using our water instead of injecting it into the ocean, recreate natural wetlands to filter runoff properly and design and manage an effective watershed program.

* Teri Leonard is manager for Maui Dreams Dive Co. and a course director certified by the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI). She lives in Kihei.

3 Hours on a Tuesday

2009-07-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

I like this picture because I know that this is what some people envision as a regular day in the dive business!

But here’s a three hour slice from today:

6:30-ish I arrive around this time to allow myself time to figure out and prepare for the daily chaos that is sure to break loose when we open the doors at 7:AM. I check the compressor log to see if today is the day I will have to wheedle one of the guys into changing the oil and to see if it is time to change the filter (that one, I’ll do myself). I count the cash drawer, read the communications book, poke fun at Charlie if he’s available, check the phone for messages, hassle Charlie some more, turn on computers, waterfall, music and then when everyone’s ready…

7:00 We fling open the door and welcome whoever is waiting to come in. This morning we are met with a couple of groups of introductory divers, folks arriving for the first day of their open water class, and an Advanced Open Water class. Two minutes later, several other regulars file in to get tanks for morning dives. At one point, I count five co-workers and 14 customers. I love the morning rush!! People are nervous, excited, and inevitably there will be someone asking the usual shark questions. Sorry folks, we will probably NOT get to see a shark on your intro dive today!

7:45 Where did everybody go??! Yep, by this time most folks have cleared out. After the morning rush, Teri and I put away the wetsuits from yesterday, hook up the next rack of tanks to be pumped and…

8:20 Holy moly, the phone has been going like mad. Did I say phone? I meant phones, plural. Now where was I? Oh yeah, calling a vendor about a ripped customer wetsuit in hopes of securing a replacement. I reach out to dial the phone and just then, it rings. Just for fun, I made a list of calls I get between 8 & 9AM. Carrie called to ask about an Open Water class (10 minute call, signed ‘em up), someone else about dive conditions along the south shore (so far, so good – go diving!), a guy called to ask how late we’re open (til 6, but your gear is due in by 5 if you want to bring it back today), another 2 calls about introductory dives (book ‘em, Danno!), one call from a civics club wanting a donation (oooh, twist my arm!), PADI called with a question about our order, and I am sorry to say, I missed a couple of calls while on the phone with the above-mentioned folks! I say out loud “we have missed calls!” to remind myself or Teri to get to them.

9:AM Now where was I again? Oh, the compressor has turned off by now, so we run back to switch tanks around and then the phone rings. Teri wears the cordless on her belt, so she takes this one, while I continue to sling tanks. In the middle of this, I hear the front door beep and run up there to greet folks and rent them gear. After her call, Teri helps and off go the divers to check out Makena Landing. Ummmmm…we look at each other and I start to ask Teri a scheduling question as we head back to move MORE tanks around.

9:30 I re- remember to make that call about the ripped wetsuit (who am I fooling? I have a LIST – I can’t remember all this stuff!) and woo hoo, they said they will ship a replacement today.

And this is just what I can REMEMBER of what happened during those first three hours today. Whew! We work in 11+ hour shifts, so that was three down, eight to go! I love my job! -Rachel

The Best Customer EVER!

2009-07-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don’t know, my unofficial name is Sister Mary Katherine. I am NOT a sister by any means, but this is what happens when you have a super Catholic name such as mine. Anyway, so part of my job is to wash gear. Gear is typically turned in by 4pm by most folks (they are just DONE diving for the day at that point). We don’t harass visitors about this, but instructors that come in and rent gear on a regular basis definitely know that we greatly appreciate it when gear is turned in before 5pm. We close at 6pm. For me, this means not only do I have gear to do at the end of the day (which gear typically takes about 2 hours), but also about 45 minutes of “other “ closing items I need to take care of. Our gear, depending on the piece, is washed in different cleaners. So for instance, if someone were to turn in a reg set and a wetsuit – I would have to fill the sink twice in two separate cleaners and would have to clean those pieces individually.

Today, one of our favorite customers/instructors Paul Crossman came in at 5:20pm with 4 buckets of gear containing about 4 sets total. I asked Paul if he was aware of MY policy, which is (as an instructor here on Maui) if you come in after 5pm you owe the “Gear Bitch” 1 beer per set. I feel this is a very good deal. After jokingly telling Paul about my new smack down policy, he was such a sweetie and went out and purchased a 12 pack of one of my favorite beers (Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA). He is now my favorite customer :) Thanks Paul, you rock!!!

A Good Day at Work

2009-07-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

People choose to try SCUBA diving for many reasons. Sometimes, it’s been a dream since childhood, sometimes it’s just something fun to try on vacation instead of snorkeling. But every once in a while as an instructor, you meet someone who wants to dive in order to confront their fears.

That makes for both the most difficult and most rewarding days on the job.

Cheri was afraid of the water, and wasn’t shy about telling us. I knew she had a lot of trouble feeling comfortable near the water, never mind under it, but I also knew she had already done one underwater session with another instructor (my co-worker, Charlie) and that meant she wanted to dive. So on a nice, calm day and in a one-on-one situation, down to Ulua beach we went.

As I was assembling the gear, I spoke with Cheri about her first experience. My first question to a repeat diver tends to be “What sort of exciting and cool things did you see?” As it turns out, it took Cheri so long to feel comfortable on that first dive, she didn’t get to see much…a goat fish was about it. I immediately told her we were going to do better today—I wanted to show her the reef, so she’d know what she was working towards.

After we’d assembled the gear and gotten down to the waters edge, we did our pre-dive safety check and headed on in. Out to about 6 feet of water, set the flag, and we were ready for our descent. Or, rather I was ready—Cheri was nervous. Of course, everyone is nervous the first few times…as instructors we all remember what that’s like. I could see that Cheri’s breathing was a bit fast and a bit shallow, and that her shoulders were tense. A little bit of time just floating, and a few long, slow breaths to calm everything down, and we were ready.

Regulators in…
Hoses up…
Ready to equalize on the way down…
Descent…and down to sandy bottom we go.

We got down there, and I signaled to Cheri to relax and breathe…which she did, for almost 10 seconds before signaling “up. up. up. “ Okay, up to the surface we go—that’s the advantage of being in just a few feet of water to start things off. When we got to the surface, Cheri said:

“I’ll be fine down there—it’s just that initial feeling I have trouble with!”

(Ah, yes—I sometimes feel like that should be an official part of the training course, with capitol letters and everything: That Initial Feeling. It’s almost like it’s unnatural to breathe underwater….)

I’d seen this before.

“Cheri,” I said “It’ll be hard to get by that Initial Feeling if we keep coming to the surface…then you just have to deal with the Initial Feeling all over again. (laughter) This time, when we go down, when you get that Feeling, instead of heading to the surface, what I want you to do is just concentrate on breathing long and slow in, then long and slow out. Keep doing that, and keep looking at me, until that Feeling goes away, ok?”

“Ok”.

Take two, and down we go! This time, success with step 1—we stayed down. So far so good. Now, the usual next step on an intro dive is to do a few simple skills—clearing the regulator of water, recovering the reg when it comes out of your mouth, and clearing your mask of a small amount of water. We talked about it quickly under water:

(Hand signal) “OK?”
(Hand signal back) “OK”
(Demonstrate first skill—remove reg, replace, clear, hand signal) “Ok, your turn”
(Hand signal) “up. up.”

Whoops! Not quite ready for skills yet! But there is a plan “B”—I pulled out my slate and wrote:

“Let’s not go up just yet---want to swim for just a tiny bit?”

(Hand signal) “Ok”

See, I knew Cheri wanted to dive, and I knew she’d get comfortable….sometimes all it takes is a little time to adapt, and something to distract your attention from how odd it all feels at first. So I took my frightened but determined student by the hand…and I must admit I played a trick on her. We did swim for a little bit. And a little bit further. And then made it over to the reef. After the first few butterfly fish, the tight, tight grip on my hand relaxed just a little bit. By the time we got to 15 feet deep and were surrounded by Hawaiian sergeants, coronet fish, and Moorish idols, I’m pretty sure Cheri had forgotten we were only swimming for “a little bit”. And at 20’ (our maximum allowed depth for the dive, since we hadn’t done skills) when a nice big Green sea turtle paid us a visit, I saw Cheri’s eyes light up behind her mask and a hint of a smile appear around her reg.

(Almost there….)

So back around the reef we went, got back to about 10 feet of water, and Cheri seemed MUCH more comfortable. I signaled to go up to the surface so we could talk, and a soon as we got there…

“Oh my god that was so much fun I’ve never seen a turtle swimming like that that was great how cool…”

(Okay that’s better, and she wants to dive so…)

“Want to go down and try some skills now, maybe dive a bit more, we’ve got some air left….?”

“Sure!”

Down we go…no problems on descent….reg out, and clear, good! Toss reg away and recover…good! Clear mask….1st try, good! We headed off to the reef again…but this time she wasn’t holding my hand.

Mission accomplished.

I spoke with Cheri a few days ago, and now she’s planning on becoming a certified diver.

That, my friends, is a good day at work.

Jim Petruzzi

Jay Does a PADI Video

2009-06-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Every day at the “office” is an adventure…

When Rachel asked if I would be interested in being involved in an upcoming PADI video shoot I had to think all of a few seconds before saying “sure, sounds like fun”. She didn’t really know what the video was for or what it involved. All I knew was that I was to show up at the Grand Wailea scuba pool with gear in hand.

Upon arrival I met the crew, which consisted of 2 cameramen, a sound operator, director and production assistant. There were also 3 others that were to be “talent”, which was the category I fell into. We were told the video was going to be used in IDC’s (Instructor Development Courses) all over the world and that we would be role playing - alternating between instructor, divemaster and student.

In the first scenario I was the instructor teaching regulator recovery and replace to Open Water students. The catch was I was supposed to leave some things out of my briefing. Well, when your Rescue and Divemaster courses were taught by Paul, and your Instructor Class taught by Teri, you don’t leave things out J. I really had to try hard not to do it right !

The students watching the video than have to pick up on what I was doing wrong. The day consisted of participating in these types of scenarios, both in the ocean and the pool. We wrapped around 2:30pm and as we were all very hungry headed to Eskimo Candy for some Fish ‘n Chips. All in all a very fun day !

IDC Stories...by Teri

2009-06-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

As I prepared this posting, I began to realize how much the IDCs mirror our personal lives whether we are the students or the teachers (or in my case, usually both as I am always learning in these courses). For those of you who are not familiar with the process, for the IDC Candidate, the IDC and the two-day Instructor Exam (IE) are the culmination of much commitment and hard work, as well as extensive time and monetary investment. Most Candidates must schedule time off from their work and families to attend. Along with other prerequisites, to be accepted into this intensive two-week program the Candidate must prove their professionalism by achieving the highly-respected level of Divemaster.

Because the IE occurs only on specific dates and in specific places each year, the IDC is scheduled to happen right before the IE, so the Candidates are fresh and properly prepared for the Exam. Consequently, the Course Director and staff, nor the Candidates have much wiggle room to fulfill the many standards which must take place during the IDC before the IE. Most of these standards are associated with learning how to teach knowledge development, confined water and open water. Many times our personal lives must be put on hold. Bad water conditions, other weather issues, illness, and personal problems must be held at bay.

The first major problem I remember was having a bout with kidney stones right before an IDC. My physician gave me Vicodin to relieve the pain. Fortunately, another wonderful Course Director, Eddie Maiwa, was there to help with the water work, but four years later the Candidates from that IDC still comment about the fun they had while I was under the influence.

The next event was when my beloved husband, Jim died suddenly. This sad moment in life occurred just a couple of weeks before a scheduled IDC. Thank goodness for Paul who was a Staff Instructor at the time. I am not sure how he got us all through it, but he managed beautifully.

None of us will forget the IDC when the power went out for two-three days and the shop was flooded. We ended up using scooter batteries to hook up electricity in the shop. However, the flooding caused problems with the classroom carpet and we moved the IDC into one of our student’s hotel room!

We had another bout with Mother Nature during a different IDC. I had vacationed on a live-aboard at the Saccorro Islands off Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. Afterward I had planned to visit family and friends in San Francisco. Once there, the weather turned nasty all up and down the West Coast. My flight home was cancelled which meant we could not start the IDC on time!

During a recent IDC I became very ill with a severe upper respiratory infection. Many people, including Paul, Jim, Kris, and Chaz, came together to make sure the Candidates received exemplary training.

I have been writing about the tribulations of teaching the IDCs, however, the joys are innumerable. Describing the thrill of seeing Candidates fulfill their dreams by becoming PADI Instructors is beyond words. Most of my personal tribulations have been minor compared to the pressure, doubts, and hardships these people have overcome to reach this outstanding achievement. Some have had family illness or accidents enter their lives during IDCs. Others have had financial and homeless hardships which they overcame.

As a PADI Course Director, I am so proud to be invited to be a part of the lives of these committed and professional divers. I look forward to meeting many more of them in IDCs to come. Whether Mother Nature, illness, accidents, or economic difficulties try to intervene, I have no doubt that they will succeed. It will be interesting to see what the future unfolds.

Introducing Katherine!

2009-05-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

I now have a tremendous amount of respect for anyone that works in retail!!!! Who knew?? I went from wearing suits and working a desk job to schlepping tanks and cleaning gear – but I’m very proud to be Maui Dream’s new Gear Bitch and just general shop bitch!!! In every industry, you have to start somewhere :) It’s amazing how the shop will sometimes be sooooo quiet then BAM! There are 4,000 people in the shop and your head is spinning!! Once everyone is taken care of you kind of just look around, see that 2 hours has gone by and are wondering what the heck just happened! I’m soaking it up like a sponge and am enjoying getting the inside scoop on one of the biggest passions of my life!!

Aloha, Katherine

Roatan, Baby!

2009-05-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

I'll keep this one short since it will be impossible to write about this trip without the whole thing sounding like a BRAG session! One of the best things about my job is getting to lead group travel with other divers (read: adventurous people!).

People who know us know that we have a long love of Fiji, but we do guide trips to other places every now and then, including places in the Atlantic. Eleven of us met in Roatan last week coming from Maui, California, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, and Texas! We arrived in Roatan right at the beginning of the swine flu stuff going on and were greeted by officials in face masks - what a way to be welcomed!

Before we knew it, we were at Anthony's Key Resort enjoying welcome cocktails and getting our room assignments, and gleefully chatting about when we'd get to meet the resident dolphins and start our underwater adventures.

My personal highlights were diving with the dolphins (duh!), and hearing that Don C. was having a great time and wants to do this more often (he can be a tough cookie!).

Teri's and Rachel's Excellent Adventure...in Tacoma!

2009-04-29T01:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, last Friday night we took the red eye to Seattle to attend the Northwest Dive & Travel Expo in Tacoma.

Before I get too into this, let me just say that we flew Delta non-stop from Maui and that our tickets were only $347 - awesome!! Northwest divers should take advantage of this new route since they are running it on a trial basis and then reevaluating in September. The service was excellent.

After experiencing lots of "rough air" on the way (when did they start calling it that?) and arriving at 5:45 AM, we were beat but knew we'd have to get to work at our booth soon. The fabulous Hotel Murano let us check in early (bless the girl from Lanai who was working the front desk) and we were able to sleep for exactly an hour.

As we approached the convention center, we saw long lines around the building. Though we could dream that those were all divers waiting in line for hours to get into the show, we knew it wouldn't be. We were right. America's Got Talent auditions were also being held at the convention center all weekend - too funny.

Anyway, our day started on a high note when, as we entered the convention center, we heard our names being hollered and were greeted with hugs from longtime customers (friends!) Cliff and Joan. WOW!!

We spent the next eight hours meeting lots and lots of people and have to say, Northwest Divers ROCK! We got to visit with several divers we see regularly here in Maui and meet new divers, many of whom took the time to share their adventurous stories of diving in the Puget Sound. Next year, we will make sure we have enough time to get a dive in while we're there.

After the show closed for the day at 6, we headed back to the host hotel to enjoy the film festival and the diver's social - good fun! Maybe a little too much fun, in fact, but we did manage to enjoy our second day too.

I would have to say that the most fun part of each day was drawing and contacting the prize winners. People were soooooo excited and appreciative, even humoring us by jumping up and down at our request :-). We partnered with Hawaiian Rafting Adventures out of Lahaina to give away a guided shore dive, a scooter dive, a night dive, a Molokini trip aboard the Maui Diamond II and a Lanai trip with Hawaiian Rafting.

Well, I could go on and on, but in the interest of time, I'll stop now and just post this one with a couple of photos. Thanks to all the NW divers who welcomed us in Tacoma. We hope to see you here in Maui!

A day in the life of...

2009-04-22T21:51:00.001-07:00

We are so lucky! "Lucky we live Maui", lucky we get to do what we love for a living!

That said, folks are always asking us what life is like here on Maui, what it's like to be a dive instructor, and all sorts of other more personal questions. Well, here's our spot to ramble on and share some of our thoughts on diving, working at the shop, and life in general with you all. You can expect to hear from all of us here, but I get to start, so here goes.

Today, Earth Day, we did an underwater clean-up on the Maui Diamond II. Just so you know, when we do these things, the boat crew and the team leaders from Maui Dreams all donate our time - none of us are "on the clock" for these events. Yep, these activities are truely for the love of diving, the planet, and for our fellow divers who come along to help us with the clean-up efforts.

So back to today. I and my fellow "E Team" (E stands for Exemplary, by the way!) members managed to "pre-board" the boat. It was a riot. Let me just say that we're not competitive or anything, oooooh no! But, there is a little rivalry between team leaders and their teams to see which group will recover the most lines and weights during these underwater clean-ups and who the topside crew says did the best in terms of how neatly divided the stuff we sent up was. I hate to admit that for the first time ever, the E Team did not come in first place. Not to worry though, we are SURE that Paul's team cheated. No doubt about it :-)

During these underwater clean-ups, we typically work in groups of five. We have one person on the surface to catch the lift bags full of trash and transport stuff to the boat and four people underwater finding, freeing and separating the trash before sending it to the surface. I have to admit that this sounded pretty mundane to me before I participated in a clean-up, but now I am addicted - it is FUN!!!

As an added benefit today, John Wilson was along to take video which he tells us will be featured on tonight's Channel 4 News!

By the way, since this is the first post and since it is mine, I feel totally fine about mentioning names. Thank you to fellow E Team members Tau Over, Bobby Baker, Katherine Jordan, and Mike Elam. Oooooookay, and thank you to EVERYONE else who joined us this afternoon. And Paul? We will get you next time and reclaim our title!!

Aloha, Rachel