Timing is everything!
I have been contemplating that sentence hard for a couple of weeks now. It certainly applies in small little ways: You’re short on time and you pull into the drive thru because you’re starving and there’s nobody in line. By the time you pull away with your food there are six cars in line now. Or you’re at the buffet (remember those?) contemplating whether you want to try the dry, crusty looking chicken and the attendant walks up and replaces that tray with a fresh tray of delicious juicy chicken. Both of those are examples of ‘good timing’ and the list is endless. Like when you head out to dive the Kidd, the Bubba, the Swamp, the Blue Hole, the R-tower, etc. and have fantastic conditions and visibility. So, you tell your friends and they head out to the same spot the very next day. However, everything has changed and the visibility is pea soup. That’s not just an example of timing, it’s also how phrases like ‘You should’ve been here yesterday’ originate! My deep thought on timing is; the timing of my life in relation to the existence of earth. My generation has impeccable timing in that regard! In human evolution I believe that most previous generations felt like the prospect for life on earth becoming better with time was pretty standard. The future looked bright! Maybe I’m jaded because the sunset through my front window is closer than the sunrise in the rearview mirror, but I really think that’s not the consensus any longer.
That saddens me, but I am ultimately appreciative of when my life spanned in relation to the earth's span! My generation has completely reaped the benefits of advancements in technology, automation, communication, transportation, industrialization, medicine and that list goes on. I have never had the prospect of being drafted into a war. I’ve never lacked food, water, shelter, or clothing. I received immunizations as a child against multiple dreaded diseases that killed many humans. I’ve been down here in South Florida since 1973 and I’ve never lacked air conditioning. Shoot, we’ve even managed to kill most of the mosquitoes down here during my tenure. I’m trying to stay focused in appreciation because my life has been filled with blessings! Had I been born 100 years earlier I would’ve missed all of those wonderful human innovations. If I were born 200 years ago I would have rode around on a horse and buggy (if I were lucky). No cars, No TV’s, No AC, No Neosporin, No running water, and perhaps the hardest one for millennials to contemplate; No phones! The Who sang; ‘Talking Bout My Generation’... yes we had superlative timing! I’m not saying things for humans won’t improve moving into the future. I hope and pray that they do, but based on recent developments, if I were a betting man...
So after four weeks of rapidfire cold fronts, mother nature cooperated and we were able to run dive trips over four consecutive days last weekend! Visibility was a steady 25 feet about 6 miles offshore. My D.C.W.I.'s (Designated Cold-Water Instructors) John and Melody report marine life is in abundance! Jackknife fish and Atlantic spadefish have been prevalent. Melody was down with Rock and Mike, a father and son who have dived with us a 2 or 3 times a year for at least a decade. As Rock recalls the story to me… "Instructor Melody was repeatedly pointing at this huge boulder”. He thought to himself, ‘Why is she continuing to point at that big rock’?? Then the big rock slowly swam away! It was a massive logger-head!! Rock (the diver) now knows the hand signal for turtle.
So I was left momentarily speechless by a customer's remarks yesterday. He was shopping, or maybe just kicking tires for information on regulators and computers. He had previously owned a couple of brands that weren’t Scubapro that he was somewhat fond of. Do not get sentimental about your old scuba gear! So I was pointing out various Scubapro features and improvements over what he previously owned. After a couple of minutes he asked me why I like Scubapro so much. Besides the obvious, which is they make an outstanding product with stellar customer service and dealer support, I told him how environmentally conscious they were for being a big business. I said they are constantly making earth friendly decisions about everything from packaging and shipping right down to the core components of their products. He looked right at me and sternly said “Well I am a Trump supporter so I don’t care about any of that!” I really didn’t know what to say but my first thought was; ‘Well you’re obviously not a parent’. Then I thought, 'Oh My God, do all Trump supporters not care about the environment'? It leads me to ask you this parting question: is being a Trump supporter and caring about the environment mutually exclusive?? His statement and people with that mindset is what gives me little optimism about human life on earth moving forward. Seems like all we can do is go diving!! That’s another reason my generation's timing on this planet was awesome… Thank you Jacques Cousteau!!
Until we meet (underwater preferably) again... Live, Love, Dive! --Jeff
Wendy McClure
February 01, 2021
That customer whether he realized or not was in the middle of a teachable moment. Maybe he will think about how much being a good Stewart of the environment is if he a Diver especially The Ocean! I remember when I took my very first dive with Jeff at my side, we picked what trash we found. Can’t wait to be set free of Covid and get back to traveling