In Reply to: Memories of Susan Grant posted by Max Bottomtime on September 20, 2010 at 15:17:43:

I don't usually post on this message board, so most of you who do probably don't know me (although a few of you might - I used to post on here several years ago when I was a new diver).

I just learned this tragic news, and while I didn't know Susan nearly as well as so many of you did, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some of my own (albeit limited) memories.

My husband and I used to see Susan all the time at the Sport Chalet in Thousand Oaks, which is where we go for air fills and dive sundries. She was always so cheerful and willing to answer questions, even when she was clearly busy.

Early in my diving, I'd encountered some DIR divers. While I was intrigued by the concepts, I had some pretty negative experiences with them that turned me off to DIR completely. Fortunately I shared this with Susan, and she and I had some very enlightening discussions about DIR...the ultimate outcome of which is that I am about to attend a GUE demo day, and plan to sign up for a GUE Fundamentals course in the near future. She was the first person who explained DIR to me in a non-intimidating, non-threatening way, without the condescending "you're gonna die if you don't go DIR" message. If it wasn't for her, I would never have even considered it.

When it came time for me to get certified in Nitrox, I turned to Susan. She did my Nitrox class one-on-one, which probably turned out to be way more challenging than she was anticipating, because frankly I suck at math. We had a lot of laughs over that, but she stuck to her guns and made sure I *got it* before passing me. I was about to depart on a trip to dive the Oriskany in Pensacola, and my struggles with the math meant that we had to cram in a couple of extra sessions right before my trip. She rearranged her own schedule to make sure I finished and PASSED before I left. I was so impressed with her personal attention, her dedication, and her integrity. There are many instructors who would have just passed me through to get it over with in time. Not Susan.

I'm sure I'm just one of many, many divers out here who were positively impacted by Susan. I hope her family knows that.

To all of her family, friends, and dive buddies, please accept my heartfelt condolences.