Pat & Diane Blog

So you have been dreaming about getting out of the cold (you know what I mean this week) – want to chuck the uniform – make your own hours & get rich!! Live on a tropical island – being a beach bum – hey you never want to put on shoes again. NO, this is not a scam where if you send me $50 bucks I’ll make you a millionaire. And of course I am sharing this information at cost only – out of the goodness of my heart.

But this is my life – well what you fantasize what my life is. The reality is a bit more stressful & at last count I have about 75 shoes.  ( You do need different shoes for different occasions.)  You see for the last 25 years I have worked in our family business on Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas which started as a watersports company. It started on my dining room table – hey it’s still is when I’m not looking – but it certainly has taken many twist and turns. And as I think about it it has been a unique and at times strange life to some, we think it is normal. (Our daughter informed me you are not suppose to work 24 hours a day, 264 days of the year. – that was news to me)  She was two years old & her siblings were back in school for the fall when I started working for The Company(Pat & Diane Tours).  Twenty-five years ago, half of my life, I started working with my husband in his part-time snorkel business on the island where we lived.

As I look back – on that first day.  I had no idea what I was doing,  I knew how to snorkel & could speak.  In shorts & t-shirt with a swim suit under neath, I walked down a wide sandy beach in front of the hotel strip (2 hotels, Holiday Inn & Clarion).  As I think about this little white girl (me) with a clip board in hand & beach bank around my neck for money. Maybe people just felt sorry – I was young & naive – with 3 beautiful children(more than happy to talk about).  With no hat or sunglasses – for years I was known as the white lady in the straw hat.  I only needed 4 people for the trip to go out & 10 was my maximum, with 3 trips per day. It included snorkeling gear & free Bahama Mamas.  (Is that what you were dreaming about after freezing  & eking your way home in the snow?)

P.S.  Today we did have fresh organic native bananas & cherry tomatoes from our yard.

Another day in the life of a tour coordinator in the Bahamas. I Replied to request from the game show and provided two options for an “over the top” prize. One is a half-day excursion on our floating island – the fantasia. This is our custom made double-deck boat with water slide, rock climbing wall and grill. We will take the special couple about a mile out where the shallow waters of the Bahamas are truly amazing! On a calm day you can see 15ft clear to the sea floor. You have to see it and even then you don’t believe it! The couple will enjoy a private cruise where they snorkel, enjoy the waterslide and rock climbing wall and bask in the sun. While they explore the beautiful waters of the Bahamas a goument chef will make a 5 course meal with an entree of steak and fresh lobster. Mouth watering! The panoramic view from the upper deck and the sound of the water lapping against the boat makes for a  truly unforgettable prize for the winners of the Bahamas vacation. The game show expects to offer the prize a number of times, so we’ll give you some feedback from the prize winners. Such a excursion would normally cost about $4,000.00

We are also hosting another Wedding today! We normally provide a cruise on our 45ft catamran from the Pelican Bay Hotel to a romantic and decorated secluded beach where champagne on ice and a minister are waiting. The wedding pictures where gorgoeous! I’m going to try to post some next time.

25 years ago my husband (Patrick) and I (Diane), had a contagious enthusiasm for reef snorkeling. Visitors repeatedly requested to join us on our underwater adventures.  Thus, with our 20 ft. Cobia we started taking guest to the beautiful reefs off the shores of Grand Bahama. They began to tell others: “We’re going with Pat & Diane”.  Later, we changed the name to Fantasia Tours, but locals & long-time customers still call us “Pat & Diane”. So when you visit the island be sure to ask for us!