Hey,
As we sit home, watch videos and look at pictures...

We came to the conclusion that OZ is a "must see" dive and travel
destination for Americans.
Can't be beat for the diving or THE PEOPLE!

I know you've heard this before...
As we planned our trip
we were trying to hit some of the real "ground zeros" of diving.
We did this, sort of.
{We now have more places we want to go -- rather than fewer.}
We talked a lot about cool destinations and simple one stop island dive
trips, but in the end, the experiences we had down under with you guys were
great.

We are now ready to go to work for the Australia travel advisory dept - or
whatever. we are sold on the place!


> From:    David Strike <[log in to unmask]>
> Good to see that you've made it back home after what has to be one of the
> most interesting diving Odyssey's that have made it's way to the list.
:-)

Thanks.
I mean really THANKS.
I must tell everyone that the "Strikes Reef Dive Club" is a big part of the
Great Aussie Diving Experience.
{My God, the guy found a sea horse on a totally muddy dive!}

> It was so good to meet you both
Back at ya.
To say the least.
You too, Birdo and the rest of the gang.

> As for Monterey?  It remains one of my favorite, "must dive some day when
> the water's warmer" places to go
Praying for global warming???
The water can get to almost 62/16 deg in October - our big secret. What was
Sydney again???
My log says 72/22deg - that's close enough. They are about the same, "I
reckon."
You just might want a thicker suit, though.


> Andy Johnson wrote:
> > Wotcha boys and girls, I'm back (wiv mrs. tart). Had a fantastic time,
> > couldn't believe how good the diving was in Bali, perhaps I just wasn't
> > expecting much.
Hey Andy,
This is spot we wanted to fit in -- maybe next time. Yes, we have envy too.


 >Russ wrote:
> From here on out, I think that you're going to find that the biggest
> difference in the quality of diving will be in the company you keep.
> :-)  For 22 years (of marriage) my diving has continued to improve
> beyond my imagination.  Having a 'forever' dive buddy and having the
> opportunity to raise a little one is a joy beyond compare.  For me there
> are now so many more ways to enjoy a dive trip.

You said it!
We have been here before, but a great buddy makes the trip.
The dive company is important, yes.
Great vis, good weather, great sites, big number of critters -- all these
add to the mix.
It is not often that you get them all together, so you might as well control
the aspects that you can - the buddy.

Vicky and I started our trip with our Dive Master cards.
But that is just a class and a name until you add enough experience to make
it worth something.

This is not meant to brag, but I must say that diving started to get a bit
more serious when we started to "out perform" our supposed guides. I know,
in theory, we were supposed to be responsible to ourselves all along. But,
you really notice how much authority you'd been handing away to strangers
when you get a little more diving experience.
And then, if you take a moment to think about all the beginners who totally
rely on a bad divemaster, that gets scary.

Side Note: To me, dive count does not indicate future performance. We dove
with very good divers that had less than 30 dives logged. Also, we dove with
very poor divers who had more than 100 dives. Luckily, no one was hurt. {We
tent to get very conservative if the quality of the group seems to drop.}

Also,
I think we should all mail Viv post cards to locations all around the world
to see if she gets them - eventually.
Maybe she is the only person in the world to have her name.

The sun is coming out, so it's time to go to the beach. It IS summer here!

Cheers all,
John