Lobster Pot Dive Center Covid-19 relief

Let me begin by saying that I know the crew at The Lobster Pot Dive Center are hesitant with the idea of a GoFundMe being set up for them. They realize that there are much more important places to donate money to such as the health care workers, but at the end of the day, they do need our help.

My name is Vincent Posterli, and I’ve had the great fortune to travel to Grand Cayman almost every summer since I was born. When I was ten years old I received my Junior Open Water certification from Nick Buckley (one of the owners of the LPDC) and I dreamed of working in Grand Cayman as a Divemaster. Luckily for me,  life came full circle.  I reached out to the crew and there was an opening. I was fortunate enough to do my Divemaster course with the Lobster Pot and for five short months, I was able to call myself part of the crew, made memories of a lifetime, and most importantly, I made friends who made me feel at home. 

 

During this worldwide pandemic, they are facing an unprecedented challenge. Grand Cayman has effectively closed with the government stating that tourism is unlikely to start up again until 2021. While the airports stay shut, many small businesses are unfortunately having to close their doors. Everyone in the dive industry saw their business disappear overnight. The Lobster Pot Dive Center is a well-run operation;however like all small businesses, they could not have conceived nor planned for the outbreak of COVID-19. We want to make sure that they will not have to close their doors forever.

 

I am certain that everyone who has spent time in this dive center has had an experience to remember, and we want to make sure that they will still be there for us when we are able to return! We can’t wait to see Mike and Peg at the front desk to greet us as we walk through the door, and jumping on the boat to hear more of Captain Steve’s stories, or learning something new from their excellent instructors Charlotte, John and Charlie.

 

The Lobster Pot Dive Center is not only the home for the Lobster Pot crew, but it's also a hub for a number of Cayman’s premier dive operations – Deep Blue Divers, Wall To Wall Diving, and Off The Wall Divers. They are a family and make us feel like part of the family with every visit. 

 

The crew has promise that 100% of your donations will go to The Lobster Pot Dive Center Corporate Bank Account and will be used towards staff payroll and health insurance, necessary boat and operating expenses and getting the crew members that had to leave back home to Cayman once operations resume. The fund will also cover any work permit renewals that need to be made. Any money donated that is not used will be donated to good causes.

 

Once all of this mess is over and the world returns to normal, I hope that you will call the dive center up and book a course or get on the dive boat. At the same time, the parents of another 10 year old child may do the same thing. Your donations will allow this crew to inspire many more generations of divers – and one day those children will grow up to become dive professionals just like I did.