Every year at this time the dive community in the greater northeast U.S. gathers for a special three day event, the Beneath the Sea show and expo. Seminars, training opportunities, destinations, dive manufacturers, and of course, everyone;s favorite dive shop, Indian Valley Scuba, is there for all to see.
This is our third year exhibiting at this consumer event, and our biggest yet, with three booths dedicated to bringing the IVS message to the masses. As the audience continues to take notice, so do the manufacturers – so much in fact, that this year Cochran, Armor, Halcyon, Pterydactyl, and Bottom Crawlers all opted to not have their own booth, but to bring thier products and representatives to staff the IVS booth.
And this year we had an even more special guest – the new Poseidon Rebreather!! Indian Valley Scuba is honored to be the only stocking dealer of the Poseidon rebreather in the Northeast US! And, our Puerto Rico IVS location is also the Poseidon dstributor for the entire Carribean region! Want to dive one? Call us!
On Saturday we had 26 members of Team IVS in the booth, spreading the message, sharing the joy, and inviting others to get on board the IVS train. From training to travel to great gear deals, there was something for everyone at the IVS booths. This year we released our sixteen page training catalog to a very receptive audience, along with the IVS “sign up / show up” guarantee. This is our exclusive commitment to program scheduling, where we truly stand behind our word by ensuring that even if only one student signs up for a class, we will run that class! Crazy? Maybe. Committed? Yes!!
After the show closed on Saturday evening, our own Frank Gabriel took us out to dinner at a fantabulous Portuguese restaurant right in downtown Newark. What a treat to see a table of two dozen members of the IVS family laughing, joking, & eating to our hearts content! And after that dinner, half of us caravaned over to Frank & Isabel’s home where we were treated to dessert, after-dinner libations, and a chance to play in Frank’s ultimate toy room – his garage! “Drivemaster” Dave West lead us back to our hotel, OK, tried to lead us back, but finally we all made it back to catch a few zzz’s before sunrise.
Sunday morning kicked off to an even stronger start, and the crowd never thinned out. We were honored to have six of the eight IVS locations represented at the show over the weekend, and were amazed at the number of old friends visiting and new friends made over the two and a half days! As always, our fresh hot Philadelphia soft pretzels were a hit, and we gave over a thousand of them away during the show! In addition to our regulars, we especially want to thank Joe Garvin for his continued support, working hard to spread the word about Indian Valley Scuba to so many – it’s great to know we have such a warm place in his heart!
Look for an even bigger presence at next year’s BTS show – we already put our reservations in for four booths!
Filed under: Adaptive Sports, Dive Gear, IAHD, Indian Valley Scuba, International Association for Handicapped Divers, IVS North, IVS South | Tagged: Beneath the Sea, Dive Expo, Dive Shows, IVS - Puerto Rico, IVS - St. Louis, Secaucus | Leave a comment »