13 replies to this topic

[NorCalPirate]

Hello all,
I am very new to this, but years and years ago my dad was a member. I think he even helped create some of the illustrations and graphic design in the early stages

His name was Gar Sanders

I dont know why I never got into diving as a kid, but it was always a huge passion for my dad and he took many trips with single divers.com

But, finally, here I am. I got certified and I love it. I wish I followed my dad 20 years ago.

If any of you knew my dad again Gar Sanders, from Albuquerque Id love to talk to you about him. He died some years ago

Best regards,
Daniel

[WreckWench]

Hello all,
I am very new to this, but years and years ago my dad was a member. I think he even helped create some of the illustrations and graphic design in the early stages

His name was Gar Sanders

I dont know why I never got into diving as a kid, but it was always a huge passion for my dad and he took many trips with single divers.com

But, finally, here I am. I got certified and I love it. I wish I followed my dad 20 years ago.

If any of you knew my dad again Gar Sanders, from Albuquerque Id love to talk to you about him. He died some years ago

Best regards,
Daniel

 

Dan OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOUR DAD!! In fact our logo is STILL THE ONE HE DEVELOPED FOR US!  I think of him often and was able to speak to him shortly before he died. He met Pup via our site and the two of them forever changed our group and me for the better!

 

He often spoke about you and how he wished you would try diving so he'd have a buddy so I KNOW he is thrilled that you have discovered how amazing our sport is!  We don't allow for personal info to be posted to protect our members but since I founded the joint...they make an exception for me.  You can call me at ANY time to talk about your dad. My number is in my signature line but its also the official number for the club 864-557-6079.  I can look up yours via your profile since again being part of the staff I can see that. (Otherwise its hidden to protect our members)

 

I am so excited when anyone discovers the joy of diving...but this is extra special!  I am soooooooooooooooo glad you found us. It means we must of meant something to him as he did to us. Your dad touched a lot of people on the site ...some are still active so I hope they reach out to you.

 

NOTE: If anyone knew Dan's dad Gar, call or email me and I will share his info with you so you can reach out to him privately. Of course welcome him here as well!

 

again Dan!!! 

 

p.s. LOVE THE SCREEN NAME!!! It suits any kid of Gar's well!

[NorCalPirate]

This response really meant a lot to me. I got my basic open water and most of my dives in Bocas, because i remember him speaking so fondly of it.

I feel like Im here a decade too late, but I look forward to following in his footsteps. Diving was one of the few things in life that brought him joy. I believe it can do the same for me

Edited by NorCalPirate, 22 March 2020 - 06:20 PM.

[WreckWench]

This response really meant a lot to me. I got my basic open water and most of my dives in Bocas, because i remember him speaking so fondly of it.

I feel like Im here a decade too late, but I look forward to following in his footsteps. Diving was one of the few things in life that brought him joy. I believe it can do the same for me

 

Bocas eh? We are going there in Oct of this year! VERY COOL!!

 

Even though you have sunglasses on you look a LOT like him.

 

He DID love diving and MUSIC!  His first trip with us was Fiji and it was magical. We had a total group of strangers and within a day everyone was laughing and talking and getting to know one another. Another person at the resort wanted to know how we were all related and we said we weren't and in fact we had just all met the day before. They were dumbfounded.  I remember your dad quietly helping to lead the charge talking to people . Even though he was kind of shy he still was a magnet for people to gravitate to him. And people did. And they really liked him and his stories and he could make them laugh and put them at ease.

 

He was a really cool guy and I remember in the early days he was busting on me pretty hard about not having a logo and a pretty pathetic website. I told him we were a dive club and I was just waiting for a member to step up and create something. Nothing more was said and then about a week after the trip I get several designs for a logo. The main one was 2 fish... a pink fish and a purple fish with waves and bubbles behind them. He asked me "what do you think"? I said I love it but would prefer one fish so that people did not think we were a dating site. And 'no' plenty of fish had not entered the scene yet. So of course the 'pink' fish had to go...and what remained was the purple fish against a then turquoise background which has morphed to blue because turquoise is a custom ink and too hard to print. Over the years others have offered to update or refresh or redo the logo and I've always said "no thank you, I love the one we have". It was a wonderful gift from your dad and I'll always cherish it and so could never change it. Besides your dad was brilliant! That logo so stands out in a sea of red, white, and green logos. You can see it a mile away and recognize it in a huge batch of logos. But I think he knew that when he created it. And it fits our group perfectly. He also created the tagline..."Why Dive Alone?"   It's still one of our top taglines. The other being "Our Hookups are to Tanks".

 

Oh and the original color choice happened to be my two favorite colors...purple and turquoise. And this was WAY before it exploded and has become so popular. He had a eye for things well before they were hot. When I got married my entire wedding was SingleDivers.com colors. The colors your dad picked for our group without ever knowing how much I loved them. He wanted to be at the wedding but had some other commitments. Pup played at my wedding which meant a part of your dad was there thru their music. Pup and your dad collaborated on many songs together and was the driver behind Pup getting his dream off the ground.  I'll have to tell you how they met if you don't know the story...and how Pup got the nickname!  Yeah...your dad was involved! 

[NorCalPirate]

I remember when he was working on the logo. He always took such pleasure in anything creative. He asked my opinions about the different variations, but Im colorblind so I wasnt the best judge 😂 I must have been 15 or 16 at the time... so long ago...

I saw pup a few years ago after my grandmother died, but Ive since lost touch. I think he would also be happy to hear that I got into diving.

Im abroad right now so I cant really call. Id love to hear more

there are some other folks Id like to get in touch with and just hear about the times they had with my dad.

He was never happy with his job or at home, you guys and the dive trips are one of the few things that brought him joy

I hope, too, that I can go on one of your trips someday and yall can regale me with the stories of those early trips.

I am pretty busy with work most times, though. Im a police officer, so you might say the apple fell pretty far from the tree 😂😂😂

[WreckWench]

I remember when he was working on the logo. He always took such pleasure in anything creative. He asked my opinions about the different variations, but Im colorblind so I wasnt the best judge I must have been 15 or 16 at the time... so long ago...

I saw pup a few years ago after my grandmother died, but Ive since lost touch. I think he would also be happy to hear that I got into diving.

Im abroad right now so I cant really call. Id love to hear more

there are some other folks Id like to get in touch with and just hear about the times they had with my dad.

He was never happy with his job or at home, you guys and the dive trips are one of the few things that brought him joy

I hope, too, that I can go on one of your trips someday and yall can regale me with the stories of those early trips.

I am pretty busy with work most times, though. Im a police officer, so you might say the apple fell pretty far from the tree

 

 

Whenever you get home... please call me and I will also help work to connect you with people who knew your dad! 

 

We are 16 years old so your guesstimate of your age is pretty spot on. I remember him telling me you were a police officer. I had similar thoughts at time... but he was a great person... but a saint he ain't!

 

So where are you if you don't mind my asking? If you can't say that is fine...I totally get it.  And for sure we'd love to have you on a trip sometime. Hopefully we have remained a bit timeless even if age is catching up with many of us!  We are developing a younger 'singledivers' group but you gotta do one trip with the 'tripsters your dad hung out with' and then you can do a trip with the 'hipsters' more you age. And not everyone is 'parent age' otherwise we wouldn't worry about even doing a younger group bracket.

 

I'm so glad you have found us. I hope we can give you more insight to your dad and NOW you know why your dad so loved diving...its "ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS AND MORE!!!"

[little mermaid]

  Dan and  , really enjoyed your intro and getting to know you and your dad through Kamala.  Just retired after 30 years in LE, please stay safe out there and hope to see you on a trip!!! Way to go on your OW certification.  Again welcome aboard!!

[NorCalPirate]

Im not sure if Im even using the forum correctly.

Little Mermaid,

the thing that made me fall in love with diving is that it is is the only thing where I am 100% present. I feel this zen from it. In the streets day to day Im never completely present and too busy focusing on everything around me until @!&% hits the fan. Its calming, its beautiful, its real. I dont know if your experience has been the same

[WreckWench]

Im not sure if Im even using the forum correctly.

Little Mermaid,

the thing that made me fall in love with diving is that it is is the only thing where I am 100% present. I feel this zen from it. In the streets day to day Im never completely present and too busy focusing on everything around me until @!&% hits the fan. Its calming, its beautiful, its real. I dont know if your experience has been the same

 

YES YOU ARE USING THEM CORRECTLY!   Feel free to keep posting as you were!

 

And I now return you to your ongoing responses!  And YES... diving puts EVERYONE in the moment... where only 2 things matter... 1) breathing and 2) having enough air to do #1.  That's it. Some zen is that! 

[little mermaid]

Dan, totally agree with you, it's the reason I am "little mermaid"  I am practicing for that role in my next life    I do not miss the @$#$ hitting the fan incidents, but there are aspects of it that I do miss, especially the co-workers.  Keep your head down, I have added you to the list of daily    .  Hope to see you some day on a trip when the world settles down.

[MNJoe]

Hi Dan

 

Yes, I remember your dad.  I met him on a SingleDivers Trip to the Texas Flower Gardens.  It was my first ever Bluewater Dive Trip and your dad hit his 200th dive on that trip.  He was a good guy, tragic that he passed so young.  Glad to hear you are diving.  I know that would have made your dad proud.

 

Keith  aka MNJoe

[WreckWench]

Hi Dan

 

Yes, I remember your dad.  I met him on a SingleDivers Trip to the Texas Flower Gardens.  It was my first ever Bluewater Dive Trip and your dad hit his 200th dive on that trip.  He was a good guy, tragic that he passed so young.  Glad to hear you are diving.  I know that would have made your dad proud.

 

Keith  aka MNJoe

 

OMG I forgot he was on that trip ! I remember it too! WOO! HOO!!! 

[NorCalPirate]

Dang 200! I love to find his log book. Thank you for sharing that story MNjoe!

[WreckWench]

Dang 200! I love to find his log book. Thank you for sharing that story MNjoe!

Ooooh that would be cool. I know most people do not log their lives after awhile but obviously your dad did to some extent. Good luck in finding it if you can. It 'might' be with his scuba gear if you know where that is. With him moving to Montana some things may have gone by the wayside in the downsizing. But hopefully you can find it. It would be a treasure!