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Hi Brian. My moving to Florida is a relatively temporary excursion.
Like Arnold said...."I'll be back !"
I want to dive in Florida for a while, chasing some sharks near New Smyrna
Beach, and visiting the Florida Keys on the coral reefs. I hope that
launching the sub in the warmer waters and the increased visibility will be
more pleasant when I'm in scuba gear. My home will always be Santa Cruz.
The Monterey Bay is the best place I've found and maybe my other two daughters
will start giving me grand children soon. Gotta be back here for that !
After I've finished the sub in Florida and worked all the "bugs" out
I'm planning on traveling some with the sub. Although it's permanent "home base"
will be here in Santa Cruz I'm very interested in diving the Sea of Cortez
down in Baja, the California Channel Islands, and maybe even the waters near
Seattle and Vancouver. They have some really huge octopi up there I'd love to
see. Who knows, maybe I'll find the KRAKEN up there.
My wife has ( finally ) agreed to live in Florida for a couple of
years so knowing her the way I do, if I want to get her back there I better
do it now ! The timing isn't the best, for sure. Moving the whole "sub shop"
back there in the middle of the build is inconvenient to say the least but
there's other things to consider and she's anxious to move on with retirement so
now's my chance.
There are some financial incentives here too. Florida has no state income
tax and generally the cost of living is a little cheaper there. That and I
already have a furnished house on the beach back there that's just "going to
hell" sitting empty. The mortgage is "under water" so I may as well live in it
as I can't sell it anyway. Daytona is a fun town and will make a good base for
diving the east coast plus like I said, the water is warm and the beer is cold.
I'm thinking maybe I'll be able to spend time diving along the eastern coastal
waters in some of the historic places, visiting ship wrecks and such. My main
focus for the sub has always been video filming and there's lots to see back
there. Once I get established and sea trials are done maybe you could bring
the family out for a visit. We're close to Disney World and there's lots of
stuff for the kids to do.
There's a place called Vero Beach that has a lot of treasure hunters diving
the shallow waters. Who knows, might find some "doubloons" out there.
It's all a guess right now but I'm looking at probably two years in Florida
before I haul the sub back to Monterey Bay. I've made some friends down at MBARI
and in the local harbors and smaller research stations so I'll be looking
forward to working with these folks when I return. I have way more "dream
dives" than I'll ever get to, but it's time to "git kraken" on this adventure
and there's no time like the present !
My sub is more than just a "hobby" to me....it's part of the adventure I
want the rest of my life to be. Having sailed in various parts of the world like
Greece, BVI, Calif. coast, and the Florida Keys I'm always excited about going
to new places and seeing new things. Dragging the sub around will just be a part
of it all.
Frank D.
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