I’d like to say Happy Holidays and New Year to all of our Salem Scuba Family and Friends and Thank You for your Support and Patience as we all tried to keep our heads and spirits up through this CRAZY YEAR!!!
So what happened this past year….. On January 1st 2020, I helped/joined Andrew Kikawa and Ben Toeldte, (Two former Linfield College Diving Students, now PADI Instructors), open a dive shop in Monterey California called Cannery Row Aquatics.
Obviously it’s been a rough start, but Ben and Andrew held the shop together and got through their first and memorable year.
A few weeks later I went on one of the best Salem Scuba Dive Trips ever, on a live aboard out of Cabo San Lucas to the Socorro Islands.
Two months after that, the world, everyone’s lives and almost everything anybody had planned, changed…..
For Salem Scuba and our warm water diving chasers….. the April trip to St. Lucia, Canceled. The June trip to Palau, Canceled.
The October trip to the Philippines, Canceled. The annual November National DEMA Convention to be held this year in New Orleans, Canceled. WOW…..
We did hit a window of opportunity and were able to take 36 people to ScubaClub Cozumel in November. The weather wasn’t perfect, but we all made the best of it. Plus we got to dive the Cenotes, which was Fantastic!!!
That being said, we owe a HUGE SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to Natalie Gibb and the whole Under the Jungle Crew!!!
You guys were Awesome!!!
Back here at the shop we had a few big changes happening as well.
First of all, we added Charline Ratcliff as our Shop Manager.
If you’ve called the shop at all this year trying to get into one of our online Open Water or Advanced Classes, she’s coordinated not only all the one on one paperwork logistics, but also the room assignments and proper spacing up at the Yellow House in Hoodsport to keep everyone safe and sound during these trying times.
She also managed to incorporate, price and add into our computer system all the extra inventory we got this past June, when we bought out the Hydrosports Dive Shop in Keizer.
Which I might add….. a lot of you benefited from at the annual Salem Scuba BBQ Sale we had in September.
Thank You again for all who attended that day and to those who helped us put it on!!!
Your the Best!!!!!
I also would like to express how much I truly appreciated all of you hanging in there with us as we all dealt with the ever changing do’s and don’ts of this past year.
To all the new faces that walked through our doors looking to put a huge check on their bucket list, that now have become new friends and family….. Thank You!!
And Especially to our old friends that continually pop their heads in just to say hi or to see how it’s going. It means everything and Thanks for the cookies!!!
As for 2021….. Even though things may never be the same, I hope our spirits are lifted and we can find the happiness and calmness of normalcy.
As always, we will keep you informed via our newsletter on anything new that comes into the shop, sales, class schedules, fun diving weekends, and of course, our International warm water destinations.
Try to stay wet and keep blowing bubbles!!!