Why are we called 3rd Reef Divers?
Midway Atoll is considered one of the most remote places on Earth. This historical landmark shares many wonders and yet, still holds on many secrets above and below the surface.
On October 31, 1996, the Department of Defense transferred administration duties and care over to the U.S. Deptartment of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Services. Due to the Atolls remote location, the funding to continue operating some of the infrastructure presented a challenge.The idea of opening Midway Atoll to the public was proposed and we were offered the opportunity to be the first dive operation on Midway Atoll offering scuba to the public. Now, besides us, there were two other contractors on the island, Deep-Sea Fishing Outfit and an eco-tourism group. We arrived in June of 1995 and began work on building the dive shop. 5 months later our Full-Service Scuba Center was complete. The fishing people were ready to fish and the tourism group was ready to tour!
Now this is where it really gets interesting!
The plan was for the divers to go out and grab some lobsters, the Fish People go catch some fish, and the Eco-Tourism group go get the drinks.
We leave the harbor on one of the fishing boats and we were directing the Captain to 3 reefs that we had explored earlier. We’re setting-up our gear and on the way to the 1st reef when the Captain yells out, “Shark!” I quickly look up to where the Captain was pointing and I see the dark figure of a large ray.
I tell the Captain “No, that was a ray!”
Captain says, “It was a shark” …“It was a ray”…“It was a shark” I ask the Captain to turn the boat around and as we get back to the area and look about I see the ray. “There, do you see it? It’s a ray!”
The Captain says to me, “Aye, you’re right, it is a ray. But there’s the shark!” What I saw was one of the biggest tiger sharks I have ever seen! At least 20-foot-long and as big around as a cargo van! In fact, it was so big that we believed we discovered a new species and named it, Maximus Colossus Giganticus King Tiger!
The Captain smiles and asks, “Whatcha wanna do?" I reply, “Let’s continue on to the 1st reef.”
We get to the 1st reef, we’re about to put our gear on when the Capt. shouts, “Shark!” This tiger shark has followed us! The Captain smiles and again asks, “Whatcha wanna do?” I reply, “Could you take us to the 2nd reef?”
We arrive at the 2nd reef. “Shark!” The Captain, now laughing, asks me, “So, whatcha wanna do?”
“Take us to the 3rd Reef!”
We arrive at the 3rd Reef and we’re finalizing our dive plan, about to enter the water when Maximus Colossus Giganticus the King Tiger Shark emerges from the depths and starts circling the boat. I look at my dive buddy and best-friend and ask, “What do you want to do bro?” He responds without hesitation, “Brother, if you go, I go!” We give each other a high five, enter the water at the 3rd Reef, grab some very large lobsters, and have a great party that night!
Now, you may be saying to yourself, “You guys are crazy” or “What were you thinking?” Please allow me to explain.
We had confidence in our training and experiences.
We had confidence in our equipment
We had confidence in each other as dive-buddies.
We had confidence in our abilities to assess the environment.
Whichever reef you dream to explore, we can help get you there!
We may have gone by several names in the past since 1987 but our motto has never changed…
Divers Taking Care of Divers!
Come down to 3rd Reef Divers and experience award-winning customer service with a full-service dive center, supporting the dive communities of Nevada, California, Arizona, and Utah!
