Stay-Focused Conducts Fourteenth Program!

Following on the heels of our 2008 Reunion program, we welcomed a group of first-time divers to Cayman – all of whom come from the Las Vegas, NV area.

Stay-Focused Divers

Members of the group included: Brittney Bergeron, Cheyenne Leonard, Kiya Smith, and Andrew West.

Leading the Program

Joining the group were: Roger Muller, Founder/President of Stay-Focused, and Diving Instructors Marty Banks, Richard Smart, and Tony Chisholm. Jackie Cimino, a Stay-Focused alumna, served as our mentor for the first-time divers, and Ryan Chalmers assisted as well. Stay-Focused Medical Doctor, JenFu Cheng, continued to push forward on our medical research agenda, took photos, and remained vigilant in case we needed him. Thanks, JenFu!

Also, many thanks to Stay-Focused videographer, Chris Brandson, for his ongoing support in capturing the fun and magic of this and all our trips. And, thanks to the additional diving instructors who volunteered their time to help out – very much appreciated!

Responsibility Code

As part of each trip, we either create or re-visit our Responsibility Code, which simply outlines the rules of conduct we all agree to abide by during our time together. Here’s what the group agreed to:

1. Be on time
2. Respect one another, group leaders, and the environment
3. Pay attention to instructors/mentors
4. Complete tasks as assigned
5. Work as a team
6. Do your best
7. Rise to new challenges
8. Take it seriously
9. Have fun!

Overall, the group did an excellent job respecting the tenets of the Responsibility Code they crafted. Congratulations!

DIVER

On each trip we also contemplate the acronym DIVER and assign words to each letter that reflect the collective opinion of the group. Here are the words this group chose:

D Dedication
I Indescribable
V Valuable
E Extraordinary
R Rewarding

In many respects, this was a life-changing trip for the members of the group and they all were dedicated to making it a success. As first-time divers, and good ones I might add, they found the marine life and coral reefs indescribable. All aspects of the program made the experience a valuable one, and quite extraordinary. The friendships made, skills learned and fun times had made the whole trip very rewarding.

Ambassadors of the Environment

Thanks to support provided by the Ambassadors of the Environment Program (AOTE) at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, the group participated in a workshop on the marine environment hosted by Jess Leblond. And the group enhanced their understanding of the relationship between hard and soft corals while munching on chocolate covered marshmallows!

Many thanks, Jess!

Roger Muller
Founder/President
July 2008