2010 Newsletter – Second Edition

Welcome to the second 2010 edition of the Blue Water Divers Newsletter.

New New New – Old!!

While it is GREAT to have new gear, new trucks, and LIKE-new boats, the best part is that for the first time in a good while I get to keep my “old” staff.  It’s official…both Jesse & Dan have signed on for a second year at Blue Water Divers, and I couldn’t be happier!  It goes way beyond just not having to put the hours and expense into training new instructors, because the second year of experience here allows them to look at the diving with a much…”deeper” perspective!  Of course the same is true for many jobs, and particularly jobs that fall into the category of being a guide.

With Audrey in the office, both Dan & Jesse staying on for another year, and the boats/gear in great shape, I look forward to this summer with a great deal of optimism.  We all have much to be grateful for, and I try to remember that every day!

New CD Release!

In response to the requests I have had regarding the release of my new CD –  Songs From The Beach – I am happy to provide the link where the physical CD can be ordered.  For the first time, my CD is also available as a digital download (album or singles) via MP3!!  You can get information and hear samples at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mitchrolling.

As you may have heard, Songs from the Beach is a compilation of original songs from my first four albums, starting way back in 1981 with the “Grand Turk Blues” (which may be familiar to some of you).  I encourage you to go have a listen, and I would be grateful to anyone who buys one if they would write and post a review on CD Baby.

I also now have a musician page on Facebook.  You can sign up for my music mailing list, or just click on as a fan!  An old friend of mine who lived on Grand Turk way back in 1982 recently sent me some old videos he had converted to digital.  It included clips of the first band I ever played in down here, and they are quite entertaining to watch…. ahhhh, the good old days!  Here is one example on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKhaFUG5dGs

Reef Check

In mid-June, Blue Water Divers had the privilege of participating in a systematic analysis of our reef here in Grand Turk and on Salt Cay called “Reef Check”.  This is part of a worldwide program that trains volunteers, dive masters, instructors, and environmental resource officers to monitor our reefs. Doing this gives marine biologists and oceanographers a more descriptive & rapid approach of evaluating reef conditions worldwide. There are more than 50 countries currently participating in Reef Check and while this programme has been carried out actively in Providenciales, this month’s event was the first one for Grand Turk and Salt Cay.  Four sites were monitored for Grand Turk and three for Salt Cay with the help of 13 volunteers.

Daniel Oselette from Blue Water Divers helped with boat transportation and scuba tanks as well as participating as a volunteer Reef Check diver on both Grand Turk and Salt Cay.  Some of our resident divers also volunteered their time to participate in the evaluation of the sites.  The Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources did an awesome job of organizing, planning, and educating every team member to successfully complete the project.  We truly hope that more people can recognize how delicate our reefs are, and how much our worldwide marine life depends on such a delicate and rapidly declining ecosystem.

See the link below to the Reef Check International website which has some detailed background info on the programme and recent monitoring in other parts of the world: http://reefcheck.org/about_RC_Reef/about_us.php

Please Don’t Feed the Fish

Blue Water Divers has joined the Fish-Friendly Business Alliance hosted by the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) in order to support the “Take a Bite Out of Fish Feeding” Education and Awareness Campaign.  Fish feeding can have disastrous effects on the health of coral reefs and reef fish.  Feeding typically has negative impacts on ‘fed’ marine life, as well as the ecosystems of which they are a part.

Just as ecological imbalance alters predator-prey relationships on land, feeding fish can push delicate coral reef ecosystems out of balance.  For instance, when grazers like surgeonfish—which normally feed on algae—are fed by tourists, the surgeonfish eat less algae.  With a reduction of grazing activity by these herbivorous fish, the algae is left to flourish and potentially smother the reefs.  Feeding has also been shown to disrupt or alter normal distribution/abundance patterns and behavior of marine fishes.  In addition, often the foods provided are not types that fishes naturally encounter or are equipped to process (why would anyone think Cheez-Whiz is good for them?).

I have also written a blog (yes, Mitch Rolling has joined the world of blogging!) on this subject which can be found at:http://www.grandturkvortex.blogspot.com/

Specials!!

SUMMERTIME OFFERS GREAT DIVING!!  I know we are all relieved to have some better weather as we move into summer, and I am happy to report that conditions have been great here!!  While it is beautiful here year-round, the months of May – September offer some of the best conditions, as well as lower hotel rates.  To help entice you to leave home and come for a visit, we have teamed up again with Jenny at the Osprey Beach Hotel for some great savings on dive/hotel packages.

SUMMER SPECIAL…20% OFF!  For new reservations made between now and the 15th of July, we are offering a 20% discount on a hotel / dive package! Stay 5 nights or more in a Beachfront King Room at the Osprey Beach Hotel and dive 4 days or more of two tank morning dives with us before 21 October 2010.  Special subject to availability and blackout dates.

Reserve your package now to lock in these great savings by emailing us at info@grandturkscuba.com.

Learn to Dive this Summer…..

Most of you know we have had a growing number of snorkelers visiting the island in the last 2-3 years.  I’m happy to say that a number of them have already booked a return trip to stay for a week and really get to see Grand Turk, and many of those have also learned to dive while here.  I want to take this opportunity to again remind all NON divers who are reading this that it has never been easier to earn a certification card for scuba diving!

Grand Turk is an ideal place to get your scuba diving certification.  We have warm clear water, where training dives are conducted in the beautiful marine park!  Our PADI instructors make learning to dive FUN, and offer individual attention make your dive course a pleasant addition to your vacation experience.

Alternatively, you can start with a PADI instructor you may know back home, and then finish the open water dives down here. We can also work with your local dive shop to arrange group trips to Grand Turk for students and/or certified divers.

Welcome Additions

You will recall from the last newsletter that we have recently upgraded our rental gear with new BCD’s and regulators. After a couple of months on line, we are happy to say that the new gear has passed the “field test” with flying colors, so we have ordered more.  Having dependable rental gear is just part of what makes our service and diving such a fun experience.

We also welcome the addition of another truck (a.k.a. “dive-o-zine”) to Blue Water Divers.  For the first time I have purchased a Ford over a Chevy (availability of vehicles is a unique challenge here), and so far have no regrets.  I picked up a F250 Super Duty with the help of a friend of mine in Provo, shipped it over to Grand Turk, and it’s been great to have a new used set of wheels!  If things go well this summer, we hope to bring in another one for next season.

Not to leave the boats out of the act, we have just put the “Twins” back in the water after a short stint on land for some maintenance.  She is all spruced up with new bottom paint, and also took care of the dings and bumps that she endured throughout the winter season (especially as this was a rough one).  It is great to have the chance to pull out all the boats one at a time and give them all a good makeover!

Blue Water Divers on Facebook

Since we set up our Blue Water Divers interest group on Facebook, over 380 members have joined!  Thanks to you all! We have recently changed the name of this group to “Diving Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands” in order to better reflect the content of the interest group.  We invite you to post stories and photos of your recent (or not so recent) trips to Grand Turk!

We have also just set up a Blue Water Divers Business Page on Facebook which will have additional features related to Blue Water Divers, such as customer reviews.  If you would like to post a review of Blue Water Divers, please go to the“reviews” tab on the Blue Water Divers Business Page.  We’d also like to get your feedback on content that you would like to see on this page, so that we can make it a useful resource for you.  Please send us your ideas!

And in conclusion…

I would like to say how much I enjoy seeing all of our friends and repeat guests who have recently come back to visit (and those who are planning to visit again soon).  As I look ahead at our bookings it pleases me a great deal to see some familiar names that I look forward to seeing again.  It is wonderful to get to catch up in person, sit and laugh over a beer or two.  I know for many of you that is a big part of what makes visiting Grand Turk so special…just as it is for me living here!

In closing, I would like to remind you all that if there are any topics you would like to see explored in these newsletters and/or our Facebook groups and pages, we love to hear to your thoughts and comments.

Your input always helps me to provide better service – SO KEEP THOSE CARDS AND LETTERS COMING!  🙂

We look forward to seeing you soon on Grand Turk!

Tomorrow’s Tanks Today –

Mitch