July 2014 Newsletter

Hello Friends,
We can’t believe it’s already the end of July!  Time has been passing by faster than a squid evading a reef shark!  The weather has been amazing this summer so far and we have enjoyed calm seas and excellent visibility.  In this newsletter you can read about how we are living up our “have fun, do good” motto, get to know our staff a little better, see a short video about Grand Turk, and more!

New Website

We are very excited to announce the launch of our new website.  It has a new look and feel and is mobile-friendly.  We also added content, including a map of the island, information about our staff potcakes, and of course there are all of the details you need about the tours we offer.  Please check it out and let us know what you think!

Have Fun Do Good 

As you all know, we are always looking for new ways to actively live our motto, “have fun, do good,” so we are very excited about our new partnership with Pack for a Purpose.

Pack for a Purpose is an initiative which allows travelers to make a lasting impact in the community of a travel destination.  If you save just a few pounds of space in your suitcase and bring supplies for area schools or medical clinics, you’ll make a priceless impact in the lives of our local children and families.  Please click here to see what supplies are needed for our current projects on Grand Turk, and to read about how you can help pitch in.

We organized our annual World Oceans’ Day cleanup in June and had a great turnout.  Representatives from Grand Turk Diving, Oasis, Bohio, and Saltraker Inn, as well as several individuals, pitched in.  There was no shortage of willing people to get together and give back to this island that gives us all so much.  We focused on the beach area between White Sands Beach and Hawks Nest.  Thanks to all who helped and we can’t wait to see you at the next cleanup!!
New Merchandise

We are pleased to announce that we continue to bring in new retail stock to offer our customers unique items they cannot find anywhere else.  We have some cute new kids’ shirts, pocketed rash guard hoodies, and new hats.  We also have several new t-shirt designs.  Last, but not least, we have new Blue Water Diver shot glasses with our logo which say, “We go down smooth.”  Drink in style!  Feedback from our divers helps us to decide what sort of merchandise we carry, so if there is something you would like to see us stock, please don’t hesitate to let us know!

Get to Know our Team

We thought we would try out a “get to know the staff” section in our newsletter.  Therefore, we conducted a short survey for some of our staff asking about favorite sites, favorite dive memories, places they have been diving around the world, etc…

Nat Taylor – PADI Specialty Instructor

From: Kampala, Uganda.

Places Dived: Kenya, Egypt, Turks and Caicos.

Favorite Marine Creature: Spotted Eagle Ray.

Most Memorable Dive Moment: My first dive with humpback whales.

Chris Young – PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer

From: Portland OR, USA.

Places Dived: Pacific North West USA, Honduras, Egypt, Turks and Caicos.

Favorite Marine Creature: Overall, the Great Pacific Octopus, but recently I have been enjoying the much more common Sand Tilefish.

Most Memorable Dive Moment: Dive #9.  It was my first night dive, and there was a lightning storm immediately overhead.  I will always remember it!

Pierre du Toit – PADI Specialty Instructor

From: Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Places Dived: South Africa, Mozambique, Turks and Caicos.

Favorite Marine Creature: Manta Ray.

Most Memorable Dive Moment: My first dive with a Ragged Tooth Shark.

Trevor Gardner – PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor

From: Ottawa, Canada.

Places Dived: British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos.

Favorite Marine Creature: Reef Shark.

Most Memorable Dive Moment: Diving with Dolphins.

Vicky – PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer / Activities Coordinator

From: Essex, England.

Places Dived: Egypt, United Arab Emirites, Bali, Thai Land, Vietnam, Australia, Maldives, Cyprus, Cayman, Venezuela, Greece, The Philippines, England, and Turks and Caicos.  Whew!

Favorite Marine Creature: Sharp Nosed Puffer Fish.

Most Memorable Dive Moment: Having 11+ Manta Rays circling my Open Water Students on their final course dive.

Social Media

We are very proud to have received TripAdvisor’s 2014 Certificate of Excellence.  We were honored with this distinction for our high number of “five bubble” reviews on the TripAdvisor website, and so we really have you to thank.  Thank you!  We can’t tell you how much we appreciate it when people take the time to let us know that they enjoyed their time with us and to share some feedback with us.  We are also proud of having just received our 300th TripAdvisor review.  That’s a big landmark for us, and thanks for helping us get there!

Last, but not least, you can keep in touch with us on our Blue Water Divers Facebook page (now at 1369 “likes”!) at and / or on our Diving Grand Turk interest group page on Facebook.

Video Moments

Nat’s cinematography and editing skills have been good in the past, but they just keep getting better.  We think his videos provide some interesting viewpoints!  Check out Nat’s newest video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6rmql-Vqcw