Dear DUI,

Hi from Puget Sound in Washington State! (That's the one that keeps Oregon and Canada from bumping into each other and where we have the best temperate water diving in the world, according to Jacques Cousteau) I've been certified for over 22 years and have worked in the dive industry for the last four years now, working up from shop slave to Service Manager and Instructor. I'd been a wetsuit diver for 18 years, and proud of it, as I kicked around the dive sites like a torpedo, hoovering up all my air. As soon as I started diving with people from the shop and other experienced divers, and saw how rewarding slowing down and smelling the sea cucumbers could be, I realized I'd be a lot more comfortable in a drysuit. So I went dry, went DUI, and took my diving to a whole new level.

I've volunteered at the DUI Dog Days for the last four years now and have enjoyed every minute of it. I've led a lot of people on their first drysuit dive and many on their first cold water dive as well! I remember one such lady who gripped my hand as we descended to begin the dive and though I assumed she would let go when she got oriented, she kept a firm grip on me the entire dive! But she did great on her first cold water dive in a drysuit, and I could see that it was an experience that she wouldn't soon forget (in a good way). Sure, some people struggle with their buoyancy a little, some aren't used to cold water garb of boots, gloves, hood, and more weight, but all surface from the dive with big, goofy smiles on their faces, and exclaim that they aren't cold after a dive anymore!

Big kudos to DUI for keeping this event going for all these years. The staff are great about taking input from divers and volunteers and making each year better than the next. I don't know of any other company that goes to these lengths to get people out trying their product in real-world environments.

So what keeps me coming back each year? The faces of the people coming out of the water after their dive and knowing that I can help people experience a great diving environment that they might not otherwise plunge into.

Gordon Hendrickson
AKA Gordy "Utilikilt" Hendrickson
Seattle, WA

At the DUI DOG Rally & Demo Tour, Tacoma, WA September 6-7, 2008


Here's a cute little side note:

I did something cool this past Sunday. The Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia is prepping another old Canadian destroyer (the HMCS Annapolis) to be sunk as an artificial reef and dive attraction right in Howe Sound off Vancouver, BC. A bunch of us who were at Dog Days went up to help. We got to tear out any hazards and recyclable stuff and get a tour of the ship while she is still floating. It was so cool to be walking through all the different levels and imagine myself swimming around through those same passages. The Canadians really know what they're doing with these wrecks; I wish we could get with the program here in Washington and sink some ships. Although the Canadian Customs official wasn't happy with me when I rolled through the border crossing at 7 in the morning, telling her I was on my way to dismantle a Canadian Destroyer. I didn't realize it, but I was wearing my DUI TEST DIVER hat from Dog Days, and she glared at me and said "Why does your hat say that!" I managed to avoid the strip search. Rats!

Side side note:

Gordy said we could edit his quote as we saw fit but we liked it just the way it was. He actually said, "Feel free to gloss up and edit as needed. I relinquish all artistic control, as long as I can play myself in the movie version." You're a good man, Gordy! Love the Utilikilt!