Seeking adventure and a change of pace, a more robust life and less grind, Cindy Ross found what she was looking for in the world of commercial diving.
No small leap of faith for a 30-something, former car saleswoman.
“My passion is teaching, and diving is just a real cool thing to teach,” said the Auburn woman. “(Diving) has a lot of life-changing applications for people. It opens up a world that not a lot of people can go to.”
Indeed, only a tiny percentage of the world’s population ever explores the wonders of the watery world.
Today Ross helps train others, from recreational scuba divers to weekend snorkelers, to reach new depths and reach them safely.
To promote the sport and support her ambition, Ross taught classes. About a year ago, she opened a small scuba shop in Seattle. But with the high cost of doing business in the big city, Ross opted for a less costly spot in her home town.
Ross’ GirlDiver – specializing in lessons, sales and travel service – recently opened its doors in downtown Auburn. The business reaches a wide-ranging clientele through its online presence.
Ross couldn’t be more delighted.
“I have more support in Auburn than I could ever have had in Seattle,” said the 1985 Auburn High School graduate, a 10-year veteran of deep and shallow water diving all over the world.
“I feel like Auburn is about to bloom downtown,” Ross said. “I’m just excited to be a part of the regeneration.”
Ross considers herself a member of Generation X, those following hard on the heels of the baby boomers, brimming with new energy and fresh ideas, the next phase of workers in a Web-based movement.
As a certified aqua-woman, Ross excels at the thing she digs most — teaching. Newcomers, divers of all ages, those who want to advance their open-water diving careers, she’ll take ’em all.
Ross also is part of a dive team of professionals.
She conducts classes and trains others at local swimming pools, in the Puget Sound and in other nearby waters. She offers full-travel services for students, divers and non-divers. Her staff arranges group and individual trips, here and abroad, for clients.
Ross occasionally escorts her own groups on trips. She has swum with tiger sharks off the waters of Fiji, danced with the jellyfish, eyeballed wolf eels, octopi and sixgill sharks in the Puget Sound. Sea lions off coastal British Columbia have been her curious pals.
“They come and play with us as if we were bathtub toys,” Ross said of the sea lions.
More trips are in the works. A group of 15 divers will spend a Thanksgiving scuba vacation in Cozumel, an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Ross’ career has taken her and fellow divers to many great places, enriched their lives with eye-popping experiences. It has been a life-altering adventure.
“The underwater world is a place like no other,” Ross said, “and to be able to introduce new divers to that world on a daily basis? I’m truly living the dream.”
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We’re open
• Business: GirlDiver
• Owner, operator: Cindy Ross, a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and SSI (Scuba Schools International) certified diver, instructor and trainer.
• Location: 24 B St. NE, Auburn
• Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. GirlDiver opens daily, beginning in November
• Specializing: Recreational level scuba lessons for all ages, including coed and teen programs; dive training and arrangement of local, regional and international trips; gear sales for the fully-equipped diver or snorkeler. Dealer for Cressi brand and Auburn-based Seasoft equipment, suits, gloves, hoods, weights and accessories.
• Information: 253-397-4136, www.girldiver.com
