Alright, I will tell you, you are the BEST! In my mind there is no doubt about it. You’re going to do the best for yourself, achieve the best that can and if you have a family; you’re going to make sure they have the best. It is and should be your natural instinct. I am reminded of this as I am talking to a future client, wearing his Submariner and looking to sign his two daughters up for Open Water. As the paperwork is being filled out, he starts to hit me up for discounts on instruction. Now, understand, I am all about trying to protect you as much as possible. That is why for your preteen daughters, I did not have you buy fins or mask and snorkel. It would have been a waste of money as the ladies will outgrow what is bought in about twelve months or so. Then try to leverage my instruction price against another instructor or shop in the area? So bear with me a moment longer and I will take you down the road with me. When he came to the shop for the first time about six months ago, it was to take a refresher class. I remember meeting him, talking with him and sharing a couple of laughs while we waited on his instructor. Hey, we are all here to have fun, remember diving is social, so have fun! Well, in that time he caught up with us a couple of more times and started to knock the rust off his diving. As we talked about his daughters, they were developing an interest in the water and SCUBA diving too. So, why not make it a family affair? My thoughts are that I and my fellow instructors were on a “try out”. Were we good enough for his daughters? HE did the right thing, without a doubt. I have told people before, find people that make you feel comfortable about diving. He did that and gave us the opportunity to prove ourselves worthy of his family. If we weren’t the right choice, he would have been down at the other shop filling out paperwork there. Please, find divers and instructors that you like and make you feel like you’re one of their friends. As a friend, we are going to watch out for you as much as we can. We are going to take care of you as much as we can but at some point, we will let you make the decision to learn from. Since you are the best and you are looking out for your family. We are going to do the best for our friends. So please, don’t sell that short; friends may be hard to come by somedays. -Mike Shea, The Scuba Shea Adventure