Tag: diving

Sharks: The Americans of the Seas

Published on by Noelle Poulson2 Comments

When people ask where I’m from, I usually say, “America” (unless we’ve recently done something terribly embarrassing, in which case I fall back on, “Canada”). The problem is, the moment that word leaves my lips, I can see the instant judgements, stereotypes and classifications flick into place behind the listener’s eyes.

Shark Illustrations-001

When pushed for more detail, I give my home state of Utah, which triggers questions about Mormons, polygamists and (from the more interesting stranger) land-speed records.

We all know that no matter what we call ourselves or how we choose to identify, we are thrown into a box by the person on the judging end. And none of us are plopped in a more restrictive box than sharks.

Shark Illustrations

Much like Americans looks like this in the minds of many outsiders,

Shark1

sharks are simplified to this: Continue reading “Sharks: The Americans of the Seas” →

All This Beauty

Published on by Noelle PoulsonLeave a comment

It’s a matter of getting deeper in, any way you can

~ The Weepies

In the few months since we’ve started putting our dream in action, things have started to shift. It’s amazing how many opportunities present themselves when you open yourself up to them.

This whole endeavor often feels terribly overwhelming for both of us. There is SO much to do and SO much knowledge to gain about how to run a dive centre properly – not to mention how to set up a business in a foreign country!

Recently, we broke down the steps to make them feel more manageable, but there is still a hell of a lot to do. One item, however, is starting to make some very unexpected and incredibly exciting progress: Get Some Industry Experience. Continue reading “All This Beauty” →

Mission Control

Published on by Noelle PoulsonLeave a comment

Every serious quest needs a base. You know, a big map on a table in the middle of the room where men with heavy brows inexplicably move chess pieces around to plan their next move. Last week, we built the mission control centre for our biggest quest yet: our big dream.

If you haven’t heard, we are working toward opening our own dive centre and guest house somewhere in southeast Asia. We aren’t sure where yet and we are far from knowing how.  All we know is that it is what we want more than anything, and we’re working hard on making it happen.

This weekend, we sat down and broke the mission into the biggest challenges we’ll have to conquer. For anyone else out there working on a big goal (or even a small one!), this is a really good practice for two reasons: Continue reading “Mission Control” →

Riding the Tide

Published on by Noelle PoulsonLeave a comment

There’s a great big ocean out there, and I sometimes feel like we’ve been dropped right in the middle of it.

In many ways, that’s exactly what we want. We want a sea-filled life, full of fishy wonders and underwater adventure. But attempting to turn our hobby into a business – and doing it in far-flung corners of the world, no less – can sometimes make me feel lost at sea. Continue reading “Riding the Tide” →

Our Big Dream

Published on by Noelle PoulsonLeave a comment

There’s something I’ve wanted to share with you for a long time, a story I want you to be a part of,  involved in, helping to direct. But I’ve been really freaked out that it is not that interesting for you, that it is me just talking about my life and that’s not a very exciting or meaningful thing when you’ve got all kinds of other things going on in yours.

I don’t know why I’ve cared so much, but I have.

Maybe it’s because I really want to include you in the story, make you a part of it, get your ideas and your insights, learn from you, share with you and interact with you along the way. The idea that you might not find it remotely interesting, that you will be bored to tears by it is just too much for me to handle.

I’ve finally decided to tell you anyway. Continue reading “Our Big Dream” →