Steve Slattery returned February 19th after taking a group of Bluewater travelers to Fiji for scuba diving and to enjoy the beauty of this Southwest Pacific paradise and the Lalati Resort in Beqa, Fiji.

Known for the aquarium-like diving, the beautiful soft corals and the unparalleled colors and varieties of fish, Fiji lived up to all their highest expectations.

For many it was their first experience seeing the exotic clown triggerfish, blue ribbon eels, striped angelfish, guinea fowl puffer, coral hawkfish and the cutest clown anemone fish.

In addition to the incredible diving the group was treated to a beautiful resort with spacious and comfortable villas, delicious culinary delights prepared by Iron Chef Trained Salome’, and the top notch resort spa and staff.

When not diving, the group explored other parts of Fiji, visiting a local boarding school where they were entertained by thirty or so kids representing several villages, with song and dance. Meki, a local minister led them on a hike to a waterfall and the Village of Beqa where they purchased local handmade crafts.

The culmination of their visit was getting to visit the Lalati Village where they were led on a tour by the village leaders, then taken to the Chief who welcomed them with a traditional kava ceremony. Kava, a pepper-like root is dried, crushed and mixed with water similar to a tea, then served in a half-coconut bowl, to be consumed in one shot after the requisite clapping and chanting.

After the ceremony, Josaia, their boat captain and the future village chief, explained that the Bluewater group had been blessed by the village and now were officially members of the village. Josaia told them the village had been without power for approximately nine months since their generator had broken down and they had been unable to raise the money for repairs. He asked if the group might like to make a donation to the village towards their generator fund. Little discussion was needed before there was a unanimous decision that the group would donate the necessary $2,750.00 needed to make the repairs to the generator. It was a touching a proud moment that our travelers, who recognized how fortunate they are to have so much compared to the people of Lalati Village, were able to make such a generous offering and help such a deserving people.

The Bluewater group consisted of both experienced travelers and divers as well as some brand new to the Scuba experience. But all seemed to agree that it was probably one of the absolutely best trips any of yet experienced in both the land based and diving adventures and the incredible cultural experience.

Next time you are in the shop, get Steve to show off some of his photos, but remember, he gets so excited talking about his trip you should plan on staying a while.

Simple question, right? Simple answer: you do it with Bluewater Scuba!

We offer two basic formats. You can do PRIVATE INSTRUCTION where we can work with your schedule and provide one on one instruction with one of our professional instructors. This format covers the same amount of material but takes a fraction of the time because there aren't 8 other students in class with you. We can do one on one or build a class that's just for you if you've got a group of friends or family that would like to train together. And since we're the only PADI 5 Star IDC in Nashville with it's own pool, we can do all the training under one roof. Call today to book your private class!

Or you can train with a group. This format is a lot of fun. You get to meet new people with a similar interest in scuba diving. Who knows? You might even meet your new dive buddy in class. Bluewater Scuba's group class structure is as follows:

• Home Study - Students purchase a student kit prior to class sessions at BWS. Home study is self-paced and includes watching the PADI Open Water DVD, reading the Open Water Manual and completing chapter review questions. There is also the PADI Electronic Dive Planner calculator in the student kit that has an instructional booklet with sample problems that are worked on prior to class. Most people can complete the home study in 10-12 hours.
• Session 1: Thursday - Orientation. 6-10pm. Offered every other Thursday. Students can attend any orientation prior to their Saturday/Sunday session. Classroom and pool work.
• Session 2: Saturday - 8am-5pm (Working lunch). Classroom/Pool work.
• Session 3: Sunday - 1pm- 6pm. Classroom/Pool work.

After completing the weekend class, you have six months to complete your 4 Open Water Training Certification Dives at a real dive site. This trips are scheduled at local dive sites from May-October, and in Florida year-round. You can also be referred to a PADI instructor anywhere in the world if you have a trip planned.

Under the guidance of a professional Bluewater Scuba instructor, you will develop the comfort, knowledge, and skills necessary to safely enjoy diving for years to come. Our goal is to provide you with the level of training and practice at our pool so that you are safe, comfortable, and ready for your diving adventures.  We provide unlimited practice time in our on-site indoor, heated pool at no additional charge.  NO other program offers this level of value and commitment to you.  You will be well prepared for your diving experience when you leave us.

Knowledge: Bluewater Scuba is a PADI diver training facility as such we use PADI scuba training materials. Each student receives a textbook and DVD which they study at their own pace in a home study format. This minimizes time in the classroom while allowing you to develop real comfort with the material.

Skills: In multiple pool and open water sessions, you will practice scuba skills with PADI's teaching method. That means we provide a comfortable environment without unnecessary risks or stress. All of the skills we teach are real life applicable, not a test of super-athlete endurance. Some of the skills include: Moving in the water with ease, Breathing normally underwater, Controlling buoyancy so you neither descend nor ascend, Easy methods for entering and exiting the water, Getting water our of your mask, Setting up your equipment, and more!

Equipment: You can't scuba dive without equipment and better quality equipment along with a comfortable working knowledge of your equipment dramatically improves both your enjoyment and your level of safety. For that reason our course delivers extensive information about dive equipment.

So what are you waiting for?? Call us today and get started with your Open Water Scuba Certification with Bluewater Scuba: "Where Nashville Learns To Dive."

Guest Blogger,
Kevin Sage