Phi Kappa Scuba.......

Kirstin and I are not "joiners". Some people like to be part of things.........fraternities, service organizations (Elks, Rotary, etc.), even sports leagues. We look at affiliations with great suspicion......."what does the United Way REALLY want from me ?"

Along these same lines, groups try to attract members by creating a brand.........a way everyone acts or looks to attract members. Take bikers, for instance. Leather clothes, chrome german army helmets, tattoos...................their brand is quite specific and attracts a very diverse group of white, midwestern, 50-60 year old males and (I think, females). Your rap sheet determines position in the hierarchy and you can ride any bike you want as long as it says Harley Davidson on the side.

Surfers are the same way, although they've got better clothes, a younger look............oh, and better looking women involved. They walk around and act like they don't care about anything (because they don't.......mom and dad do that for them). Pot smoking and guitars complete the brand.

Being in Bonaire and not scuba-ing (if that's a word) is like going to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower (which I actually did in 1982). We've cautiously walked around this group, eyeing them carefully. The scuba industrial complex is kind of like a high-tech surfer's union. The equipment is intimidating........there's a lot of crunch factor with the people...........and the form fitting suits are so 90s. But EVERYONE does it here. We decided to see if we could join just one "club".

Our teacher for our first class, Carlos, was typical of Phi Kappa Scuba.........utterly cool........very foreign (from Madrid)........and into nature. He quickly demystified the gadgetry, took us into the pool for a "safe dive", where we got to study small children urinating underwater..........and finally into the ocean. We stayed very shallow (21 ft) and I have to say, this scuba thing is really quite the shit. Seeing fish on their level is fun. We've signed up for more lessons, and I'm sure that thousands of dollars in equipment will follow.