2009 Newsletter – Third Edition

Hello everyone!!

We are happy to report many new exciting things in this 3^rd edition of our Blue Water Divers newsletter for 2009.

We have been going over a lot of old files, old records, and old contacts, as we begin the process of updating and consolidating them into one “clean” system. Hurricane Ike, PC crashes, and other events have conspired to create havoc with our customer information and we are now starting to get the data organized. Please forgive us if you do not wish to be on our mailing list or receive this newsletter, and simply let us know by reply email if you wish to be removed, or if we reached you in error. Once again we do apologize…

For those of you who like to receive this newsletter 3-4 times a  year… READ ON!

WELCOME!
After visiting and diving on Grand Turk for over 10 years, Audrey Harrell is no stranger to the island. Originally from Pensacola, Florida, Audrey has graciously agreed on very short notice to help us out for awhile and take on the task of trying to keep myself and the guys busy by booking divers in these challenging economic times.  She’s starting to get things organized in the office and is bringing order to our records and files, which look like they have gone through a hurricane…wait a minute, they HAVE gone through a hurricane!  Audrey is available to take your calls and answer your emails, and I know you will enjoy meeting her on your next visit to Grand Turk!

MOVING AHEAD
You hear from everyone all over… things are …. SLOW!!  It has certainly been a tough year for Grand Turk, recovering from the huge impact of hurricane Ike, while enduring these tight economic times….  But even though things have been slower than ever, we try to keep in mind that Sept and Oct are always less busy months here. We are very pleased to say that we have at least a couple of divers booked for most days in Nov… Dec is still fairly slow, but we hope that will improve as well.  We are getting more emails all the time, and look forward to having a good winter season!

NEW FACEBOOK PAGE
Many of you are avid users of Facebook already. I have been a late comer, but Audrey and Dan have gotten me on Facebook (where you can even opt to become a “fan” of my music if you go to the “My Band” tab on my Facebook page) and also have established a Blue Water Divers interest group page. We update the Blue Water Divers interest group page periodically from Grand Turk, and of course we love hearing from all of our diving friends about the great times they have had diving here in Grand Turk and other destinations. It is an awesome technology, and we invite you all to come have a look!

ATTENTION ALL ARTISTS AND CREATIVE PEOPLE
Logo Contest!  I am looking for a new logo for Blue Water Divers… Something I can use for the website, business cards, letterhead, t- shirts etc…. Something simple and eye-catching…. If you are so inclined, please email or send me your entry by Dec 1^st 2009 and the winner will receive a five day two tank morning dive package!!  Get those creative juices flowing!!

NEW WEB PAGE FOR AIR TURKS & CAICOS
Air Turks & Caicos, the local air carrier who services the flights between Provo and Grand Turk, has finally redone their web page to take bookings and make reservations online.  We can still help those folks who need assistance, but I have heard good things about the new website, and that it…WORKS to make a booking from the States… Congratulations to Air Turks & Caicos!

NEW DIVE BOAT SAFETY GEAR
Many of you who have been here before may recall that there have never been any laws regarding professional boat operator requirements. That has all changed now, and we are fully upgraded on all boats with Coast Guard regulation safety gear.  I have always had a first aid kit, a DAN Oxygen kit and drinking water on our boats…. But now we are proud to also have Type 1 personal floatation devices for adults and children, fire extinguisher, flares, VHF radios…the whole works!  It was not a small investment to outfit our three boats, but obviously a great idea, and one which we are happy to comply with…

FAREWELL
Many of you remember the good dives and friendly help that Monica provided during her 3 years working at Blue Water Divers.  She is a one of a kind and was always ready to help divers during their visit to Grand Turk, both on and off the dive boat. She has relocated to Oregon to help her sister Vicky move in and renovate a new house and has plans to stay active in diving with some underwater photography courses. We wish her all the best in her new adventures in Oregon!

SALT RAKER INN REOPENS
At long last the Salt Raker Inn has reopened!! Ericka has been working night and day and the place really looks great!! She has four rooms completely redone and the Salt Raker is back on track to once again be one of those special little beach front hotels!  Our band High Tide played there the last two Friday nights and we were definitely rocking and rolling and raking and scraping!!  Congratulations Ericka, and we look forward to many more good times!

HOME AT LAST!!
Many of you know I completely lost my house on West Road during Hurricane Ike last year… But the good news is I was able to start rebuilding last April, and as of mid-Sept., Audrey and I have MOVED IN!!  Granted, we are sleeping on a mattress on the floor, and don’t have a kitchen yet or furniture or small things like that… but we DO have a bathroom and fridge (plugged into power at the post on the corner via extension cord) that keeps beer very cold!! We go for swims almost every day and I have to admit – I absolutely love being back there… It is almost hard to believe I lived in the old house that was here before for over 20 years!! There is NO PLACE like HOME!!

Well that wraps it up for this edition. Thanks again for staying on our list, and we look forward to seeing you down in Grand Turk soon to once again be….. “Blissfully suspended in the cobalt blue of the abyssal depths!!

See you next time!!!!   Mitch