Tobago Trip - May 1999

First Impressions From a New Member

First I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the trip and my overall impression was that it was well organized, had lovely accomodations and any unexpected surprises, like the food, are to be expected and fun to remember.

The beautiful dives more than made up for the food. I loved it!! The first couple I met was Hank and Sharon who are so motivated to dive with USA Divers that they drive down from Tequesta! Their relationship was refreshing. It is not often that you see marriage partners be such good friends. Steve and Kathi were a real treat since they like to dive and hike. Kathi's not afraid to jump under a waterfall with Gary. Steve, like a boy scout, always has his backpack! Somehow he managed to have ice in that backpack and we were a long way from an ice machine.

Speaking of Gary. Now there is an interesting fellow. He got lost constantly when he wasn't diving and Ronnie, like a good trip leader, was trying to reel him in. He just found out that he was allergic to wheat products which made him an interesting student to Betty, the nutritionist, who knows everything about wheat products. Betty was the only one who really knew what we were eating. Betty could make distilled water in her room. She was a real wizard!

Carl blasted Betty for two days after she unintentionally ordered white rice for all of us. Carl is the man with a thousand stories. He is incredibly loveable in spite of the fact that he says whatever he wants, like, "what kind of a dive boat is this?" or something about women were meant to serve which would normally send me over the edge!

Nils had alot of gadgets hanging from his dive gear and when he was out of the water, he was taking apart gadgets. Actually, I think Steve, Jim and Nils were dissecting a variety of equipment. They were the repair team. Larry and Chary reminded me of good friends and seemed very comfortable with each other. Sally and Jim are an inspiration to the entire group. It was quite obvious that they are held in high esteem and loved by their fellow divers. Larry was trying to educate me about the uniqueness of this dive club. But that was not necessary. I do not think that I have been in such a diverse group of people that showed so much kindness and consideration towards each other. It was truly a privilege to travel and meet these exceptional people. I look forward to meeting more of the same.

Eunice Hamblen
New Member