News
The Captain’s Blog: All ducks in a row
Another Blog from Mike Ball Dive Expedition’s Captain Trevor Jackson…
Refit on Spoilsport has to be seen to be believed. There’s so much going on at once it would make your head spin… in fact, it DOES make your head spin! Engineers are ripping stuff out and rebuilding. Welders carve chunks of metal out and tack new ones in. The crew are grinding and painting, replacing mattress’s and pillows, cleaning A/C units and replacing carpets. There’s usually someone hanging off a harness somewhere, and some really small person tucked into an even smaller hole. And DUST and HEAT!
It lasts for exactly four weeks, almost to the minute. And when it’s over, the boat looks great and the crew look… well… stuffed! Lucky for us, it’s a brand new, well-rested and fresh crew that are jumping on board for the first trip. The refit crew stand on the wharf and watch the revitalised boat steam off into the sunset and off to a new year.
The first trip out is always super busy. Because we are a ship, some things can only be finalised at sea, in ‘at sea’ conditions. So each year, just after we clear the leads, I call the crew in for a little pep talk… it goes something like this.
“You know when your down in the botanical gardens and you’re watching the ducks swim around in the lake? Those ducks just glide along so silently and peacefully, they look like they don’t have a care in the world… But, if you were to look under the duck, you’d see their little pair of legs spinning around at a hundred miles a minute…. a turmoil of activity… yet on the surface… peace and tranquillity. Well, that’s what we are gonna need this week. We are going to provide an awesome trip for our guests and I know that some of you guys are going to be busier than usual, but if any post refit issues pop up… well… YOU guys are the ducks (pointing at the dive and galley crews)… and YOU guys are the legs (pointing at the mates and engineers). Everyone got it?”
The first trip after refit is always awesome. It’s not just because the boat seems like brand new. It’s the crew: they are super excited to be back at sea after a month, and that excitement rubs off on everyone. There’s a great sense of camaraderie built from knowing they have to go the extra mile and a sense of pride in knowing, that if they do their jobs right, it won’t matter how quick those little duck legs have to spin… all anyone will ever see, is the ducks!
Find the expedition you are looking for at: www.mikeball.com/compare-expeditions
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
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