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Author Archives: Nicole Willoughby

Try it Tuesday – Nevada Boy Scout Edition

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Tuesday, January 21st was a busy day for Extreme Sports Scuba. Grady & Deb participated in the business expo going on at John Q. Hammons during the day, then Aerielle Cupp relieved Grady so that he could meet Dan La Due, Doug Lord, Mark Willoughby and Nicole Willoughby at the shop to gather up equipment and head to 5 Mile camp for a special Try it Tuesday for the Nevada Boy Scouts. Chris Parrish met us out there for extra help as well.

Grady gave the Nevada Boy Scouts a brief introduction while equipment was being set up then the boys were allowed to get in the water. Doug was the lead diver in the water with Mark and Chris as his backups.

Once all the boys were fitted for equipment they went over the basics and stayed in the shallow part of the pool to make sure no one had any questions. Continue reading→

Junior Diver Interview – Drake Weston

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One of the great things about SDI is they allow junior divers starting at the age of 10. Our first Junior Diver Interview is with Grady & Deb’s grandson or Justin and Michelle’s son, Drake. By the way, another little birdy informed me that TODAY is Drake’s birthday!!

When/how long have you been certified?

Since I was 10  that is 3 1/2 years.

What generation of diver are you?

third generation

Where is your favorite place to dive?

Bonaire or Mermet Springs Continue reading→

Try it Tuesday – January 2014

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Tuesday night was the first Try it Tuesday of 2014 and boy was there a GREAT turn out! The unofficial count was 16 who came to try scuba diving out and 18 certified divers who came refresh their diving skills.

As a reminder, a lot of people who have been invited out ask about pool conditions, don’t worry, the pool is a lovely 86 degrees. It’s very nice, especially this winter while we are all cooped up indoors. Continue reading→

Instructor Interviews – Dan La Due

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Dan’s interview started out a bit different than Grady’s interview did. After I was finished interviewing Grady at the October Dive Club Meeting I set my notes up on the counter when it was time to eat. Dan saw my notebook and was teasing me about the colors being psychedelic. Grady said that I had been interviewing him and they discussed that I was working on blog posts and I spouted off that I stumped Grady with one question. Then Grady asked Dan if he could come up with a comical dive experience. Dan said absolutely and so Dan’s interview commenced.

How did you get started diving? You know, what made you want to jump in?

I didn’t.<cue confused look on my face>My Brother-in-law had us at the lake and we were down around 15 feet and I was breathing off his regulator. I didn’t like it; I couldn’t see anything. Then he took Danielle to swim in the pool. Before we went to Hawaii Danielle wanted to get certified and Carlene said one of us would be getting certified with Danielle and she wasn’t doing it.

How long have you been diving?

10 years 5 months (certified in August 2003)

How many dives do you make in a typical year?

160. Also I have made one dive every month since I have been certified.

What led you to become an instructor? Continue reading→

Diver Dog Pete

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If you’ve ever been to Extreme Sports Scuba or been to the lake diving with Extreme Sports Scuba, more than likely you’ve met Pete. We thought it would be fun to interview Pete for the blog as well to introduce him more to you.  Below you’ll see his “answers”.

How many “dives” do you make in a typical year?

Woof Woof. (Translated: Not nearly enough.)

What does your typical day consist of?

Woof Woof Woof (Translated: Greeting visitors at Extreme Sports Scuba, Trips to the mailbox and begging for lunch with multiple naps in between.)

Continue reading→

Ringing in the New Dive Year

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First and foremost, Happy New Year from Extreme Sports Scuba! We hope that you and your family had a very Merry Christmas and here is to a great New Year! Every year on January 1, Extreme Sports Scuba loads up and heads to the lake; the goal is to start out the year with a nice dive.

On January 1st, the day started out gorgeous. The sun was out, the sky was clear; weather.com said that the temperature was 45 degrees at almost 11 am. Continue reading→

Instructor Interviews – Justin Weston

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I caught Justin a few weeks ago at work and ambushed him telling him that it was his turn to answer questions. I must admit he knew it was coming but I didn’t give him any other warning than it was coming so I think I kind of stumped him with questions but he came up with answers so it worked out great. Besides, sometimes it is fun to catch people off guard because you get fun answers… lol. So up next in the Instructor Interview sessions is Justin Weston.

How did you get started diving?

I went everywhere with dad and his dive partner and the dive instructor. I have always wanted to because I’ve always been fascinated with wrecks.

How long have you been diving?

Since I was 12 Continue reading→

Scuba Certifications – Part II – Specialty Courses

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Now that you are Scuba Certified, what can you do next?  Well, we have just the information for you!  In this post you’re going to learn about the Specialty Scuba Certifications that you can partake in.

Boat

Scuba Diving from boats is an everyday occurrence. Whether on a private vessel or one of the many charter dive boats available worldwide, divers are frequently not aware of the special procedures and etiquette used when boat diving. The SDI Boat Diver course will introduce you to some different types of boat diving and the skills needed to plan and conduct a boat dive with maximum safety. The list of skills and knowledge you will obtain during this course is long and includes Continue reading→