Like the ebb and flow of a good Carolina tide, that's how I managed to always return to the shorelines and life on the water. I vividly recall living on the shores of Carolina Beach, NC, while my dad was in the Air Force and having a beach as my playground. Watching mom and dad doff and don their old Mike Nelson SCUBA gear and walk straight into the surf still to this day terrifies me because I couldn't grasp the concept. That ranks up there thinking a tractor had just driven into the ocean as the sand marks were clearly visible and resembled grandad's tractor tracks... but I soon learned it was a huge sea turtle.
Captain Terry "T" Geitner
Yes, the intravenous therapy had started and the salt was now deep in my veins. Though I'd ebb and flow a few more times, ultimately I always ended up back on the coast. Compliments of the United States Marine Corps that was the first of many moves to Beaufort. The gravitational pull to the water continued to be strong, so I began honing my skills in other areas of the marine industry and a career in diving led me to various islands in the Carribean, Hawaii and Florida. Later, compliments of the United States Coast Guard, my boating skills were finally being tested and further honed. So, as an "over forty victim of fate", I completed the "full circle". I had immersed myself in the diving industry, yacht deliveries, yacht brokerage, and ultimately became a fishing guide in various locales around the globe.
Whether wading in a mountain stream, sitting on the bank of grandad’s pond, cruising on the open ocean or stalking the flats of the Florida Keys, the water always called me home. The bend of a rod or the vanishing act of a bobber clearly finds me in my place of most content, not to mention just flat out excited! To experience the reaction of others enjoying and appreciating those same moments are most rewarding. As new generations take to our waters, may they do so with an appreciation and knowledge that my generation and those before me didn’t fully understand. So preserve, protect and respect our waters so they will be enjoyed by future generations. Tight Lines to All!