Blogs

Snorkeling With… Bill Oestreich, Bird’s Underwater Dive Center, Florida

Published

3 years ago

on

In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run snorkel centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the snorkeling they have to offer…

What is your name?

Bill Oestreich “Bird”

What is the name of your business?

Bird’s Underwater Dive Center

What is your role within the business?

Owner, Tech Instructor

How long has the business operated for?

30 Years

How long have you snorkeled for, and what do you enjoy most about it?

50 years

I love to be in the water!

If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?

Best place in the world to snorkel with manatees!

What is your favourite snorkel spot and why?

Three Sisters Springs on a cold winter morning! Watch the sun come up over crystal clear springs and get greeted by a baby manatee!

What is the main focus of your snorkeling trips? i.e. photography, training, marine life etc.

Manatee Snorkel Tours

What do you find most rewarding about your current role?

I love seeing people’s reactions to meeting a manatee for the first time.

What is your favorite underwater creature?

Manatee

As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?

We are missing our foreign travellers and school groups.

Is your center involved in any environmental work?

We support the efforts of Kings Bay Restoration Project. They have done a great job cleaning out spring vents, removing invasive species, and planting eel grass that helps improve water quality and provide food for manatees.

Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?

Check with our dive shop on the latest regulations on Three Sisters Springs

How do you see the Snorkeling / Freediving / SCUBA industry overall? What changes would you make?

It’s exciting to see so many people getting out and being active in the water! Hopefully things will settle down soon, so we can start traveling and supporting dive shops around the world!

Finally, what would you say to our visitors to promote the snorkeling you have to offer?

Manatee season 2020 is off to a great start! Several cold fronts have brought lots of manatees into the springs, making for great viewing opportunities.

Where can our visitors find out more about your business?

Related Topics:
Comments

Popular