New England Aquarium Dive

Back when I owned the dive shop I got involved with all the local dive clubs. We volunteered at their events, held meetings at the shop, and kept on top of all club goings-on. One of the first things we did when we bought the shop was to host the Frozen Fin Dive on New Year's Day. We provided a free heated tent, free chowder, burgers and coffee, and blared tunes all day long. We gave out free T-shirts, we held a raffle. We entered the RI dive world with a splash.

We ended up selling the shop, but we still help out the New England Aquarium Dive Club, which operates out of Boston. Every fall they run an event at which divers can hunt for rare fish species and donate them to the Aquarium. The Club runs the event, they do the food and raffle thing too.

Last fall Todd and I attended the event, and put down a bid for a dive in the New England Aquarium in Boston. We bid prohibitively high, figuring that we'd either win or we'd help the club raise money for the Aquarium. We managed to accomplish both.

On Saturday we went on the dive.

We dove with a 450 lb sea turtle named Myrtle the Turtle. There were also sand sharks, moray eels, and a nurse shark. But what was particularly great about diving the NE Aquarium was that we were given permission to touch the animals. I scratched the back of Myrtle's neck. I ran my hands down the sides of the sharks as they swam by. I played with Myrtle's fins. I pet the big nurse shark as it dozed on the bottom. I looked out at the little kids who stood with their mouths hanging open watching us.

I've dove the tank at Epcot. I've dove the tank at the Georgia Aquarium too. But this dive, in this little 200,000 gallon tank, was the best of them.

This is Todd, making his dream of diving the tank come true.

This is me, the monkey in the zoo, flirting with the audience.

Thug in Training

When I used to have my dive shop, a neighborhood kid used to come in all the time to hang out. He must have been 10 or 11 years old, he had an earring, and had this thug-in-training air about him.

He was a good kid though. He used to help me fill tanks, and just hang out and crack me up. He came in one day, and we had this conversation:

Thug: Hey Beej? Is there beer in root beer?
Beej: You mean, is there alcohol in it?
Thug: Yeah.
Beej: No, there isn't.
Thug: If there's no beer in it, then why is it called root beer.
Beej: I don't know. But then, why is it called shampoo when there's no poo in it.
Thug: Ugh! You're so gross!