Teach
Your
Children
Well
T e x t a n d p h o t o s b y
S t e p h e n F r i n k
FROM THE SAFETY STOP
//
P U B L I S H E R ’ S N O T E
O
ne of my favorite
sections in Alert Diver
is the next couple of
pages: our “Letters”
section. DAN has traditionally been
very engaged with all manner of member communication,
and with Alert Diver, the letters we get from our readers are
likewise critically important. From this we learn what you
like and don’t like about the magazine and gain significant
insight about what you are experiencing in the real world of
recreational diving. We get story ideas and inspiration from
these letters. We read and try to respond to every one. This is
definitely one of my favorites so far:
“I am 16 years old and have been diving for three years
now. I just wanted to say that I disagree with a letter in the
summer issue saying Alert Diver is written for adults. It’s my
absolute favorite magazine, and I LOVE every issue. Every
article is packed with information and beautiful dive sites.
It’s really fun giving my parents future vacation ideas. Your
lightning article was really interesting to read; I’ve always
wondered how deep and far lightning travels after it hits
the ocean surface. I also especially enjoy seeing your cover
pictures for each issue; every one is absolutely breathtaking.
Thanks for a great magazine, written for divers of all ages.
You’re the best!”— Erin Straube, via email
That particular letter was especially poignant, for in late
August my wife and I drove our only child, Alexa, to college
to help her move into the dorm. As we made that long
drive north, we felt the anxiety of an empty nest weighing
on us and the vacuum of our best friend moving on to a
new chapter in her life. Yet in retrospect, all parents will go
through this phase, and perhaps the best you can do is feel
you’ve prepared your children for whatever comes next in
their lives. We feel we’ve taught her well (that sound you
hear is me knocking on wood), particularly in the context of
fostering an appreciation for the ocean, just as Erin’s parents
have obviously done. Educating our children on the value
the ocean holds for both recreation and the sustenance of
the planet cannot be overstated.
Growing up in Key Largo, Fla., Alexa had a lot of
opportunity to immerse in the ocean culture. At only 3
months old, she went to Cayman Brac with us for the
Nikonos Shootout event where I was an instructor and
judge. When she was 3 years old, I got what still may be one
of my all-time favorite wide-angle shots as she snorkeled
with a dolphin off Freeport, Grand Bahama. Like the other
Keys Kids she hung out with, she got scuba certified at 10,
but her travel horizons were no doubt a bit wider given what
we do for a living. She has been with us on dive trips all
10
|
FALL 2011
Above: Alexa Frink
snorkels with a
bottlenose dolphin
from UNEXSO’s Dolphin
Experience in the open
ocean off Freeport,
Grand Bahama. Alexa
was 3 at the time,
and this was her first
encounter with a large
marine mammal.
Right: Stephen and
Alexa Frink hold a
Nikonos RS, circa
1993, on Cayman
Brac for the Nikonos
Shootout.
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