Treasure hunt??

[dwashbur]

The original plan was "get a golf ball, get a prize." The problem came when well over 150 prizes that vendors promised didn't show up. Things would have gone according to plan if the vendors had come through, but a bunch of them left Rick and the others flat-footed, with no explanation, no alternative, or anything else. In that situation, we did the best we could (I was one of the volunteers).

I can appreciate people's frustration, but all you can do is all you can do. The whole thing, from the treasure hunt to the expo itself to everything else, is a work in progress. I did the treasure hunt two years ago, and after the fourth time I got bowled over by other divers who didn't give a damn who else was in the water, I said "I'm not doing this again." I have much more fun volunteering at the expo, so I do that every year. It's exhausting and by the end of the weekend my feet were NOT happy with me. And I had the time of my life.

Your mileage may vary. But that's the reason there weren't enough prizes to go around. They were promised, and announcements were made based on those promises, but then some vendors went back on their word. Not much the management can do about that.

Don't ask me about the t-shirts because I don't know. That whole thing seemed a little weird to me, too, for whatever that's worth.

[Joshua Smith]

I'm always amazed at the bitter, angry feelings that the treasure hunt generates every year. I think they should get rid of it. The expo is always a fun time for me. I get to see all my friends in the same place, make new friends, and oggle new dive gear. Hard to see anything negative about that.

[Winter]

I heard that the guy who won the cash had binoculars on the bluff. ALTHOUGH I CAN NOT CONFIRM. But he was in a team of 3, which gave them a better chance of finding it too. It was in roughly the same area as last year I hear. How about some originality and hiding it, like at 60 ft in the far corner and not in the middle of the madness?

I won a men's small WET SUIT, it's too big:(

I had fun, and didn't get assulted but I was on the end. Putting out balls and not needing them to win a prize is stupid. Why did they say only take one then? They should have different colored balls that represent different types of prizes.

[dwashbur]

I'm always amazed at the bitter, angry feelings that the treasure hunt generates every year. I think they should get rid of it. The expo is always a fun time for me. I get to see all my friends in the same place, make new friends, and oggle new dive gear. Hard to see anything negative about that.

I couldn't agree more. The one time I tried it, I thought it was a really bad idea. Then there was that incident last year, and if that wasn't enough to demonstrate that it's a really bad idea, I don't know what is.

Winter, the reason the balls are all the same is to make it a fair and random drawing. I suppose they could just find a way to label each ball corresponding to a certain prize, but then you'd have people fighting over this or that ball/prize, people hoarding the balls until they knew which had the best prize, that sort of thing. There's no getting around human greed. Most go out there just to have fun and get wet and maybe win something, but there are always those who go with the intention of getting something, and if they don't, they're bitter.

Josh has the right idea: get rid of it. If vendors are donating prizes, find a better way to distribute them.

[Tom Nic]

If vendors are donating prizes, find a better way to distribute them.

+1 on this idea.

Don't know if it would fly with Rick or if he would even consider it, but raffles / drawings like they're already doing except more would pull more people into the exhibition hall and certainly create some buzz, then you don't have the cluster that is scores of divers all "hurrying" toward underwater prizes.

[Gdog]

Just remember, hard to top a "Treasure Hunt" being advertised to generate interest in the general diving public. And that is really what it is all about, drawing interest to the Dive Expo. It does a nice job of that. The vendors who bailed hurt it but one thing is for certain, and that is that something will go wrong and someone will flake out. I think from an advertising standpoint it is a great idea. The logistics of it all like dusty said are a work in progress. Unless someone comes up with a better idea to generate interest, Id say keep working and refining this one.
As far as the vendors, id hope next year there is some kind of accountability due. Lets not be to hard on the hunt, and if you dont like diving it, then dont. But do attend the expo anyway!

[airsix]

I think they should play it up. Promote it as a wild scuba rodeo. Expect to get pushed around, climbed on, fin-faced. It's an adventure. Whiners not invited.

Use Shackleton's 1901 newspaper ad as a basis. It just needs a few tweaks (no gender discrimination and no wages)

"MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. LOW WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG HOURS
OF COMPLETE DARKNESS. SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOUR AND RECOGNITION IN
EVENT OF SUCCESS."

[Lonestar]

I thought the Ft Lewis Dive Club did a great job down there.

[wallyc72]

I'm always amazed at the bitter, angry feelings that the treasure hunt generates every year. I think they should get rid of it. The expo is always a fun time for me. I get to see all my friends in the same place, make new friends, and oggle new dive gear. Hard to see anything negative about that.

I'm with Josh the Treasure should go away. The expo is a good "idea". If you guys have every been to one of big show, Like Long beach, or Our World Underwater. You would see how the show should go. Rick has a start to something good. It NEEDS to be fine tuned quickly. I had way to many people asking me what I had for "FREE" or whats the "SHOW SPECIAL"? The rules for the vendors prohibits cash and carry of most "BIG TICKET" items. This is a "GOOD" thing, especially for those of use who have shops close to the expo. A big show allowing swap meet type sale's could really put the hurt on the three Tacoma stores. Putting the expo more north might draw more people also. It looked like the amount of people at the show was WAY down from last year. $20 bucks to get in might of had something to do with that also.

[pogiguy05]

Well to create a safer environment instead of a heard of divers in a demolition derby type race. They should limit the number of divers to a safe amount. To be fair everyone who signs up understands that it does not mean they have a sure ticket to dive. When a diver registers he/she gets a ticket knowing that it is the luck of the draw to get to dive the treasure hunt. Golf balls dont need to be a certain color since they could be implanted with a smart chip device and hopefully with what prize the ball comes with. As for Vendors I think it is very tacky to promise something and not come thru in the end. Those vendors should be brought to light so that one can make their own choice about their not coming thru on a promise.Either that or vendors should have to donate something before they can have a BOOTH at the event.

Just my two cents

[Gdog]

airsix, I like it!

[Grateful Diver]

I'm always amazed at the bitter, angry feelings that the treasure hunt generates every year. I think they should get rid of it. The expo is always a fun time for me. I get to see all my friends in the same place, make new friends, and oggle new dive gear. Hard to see anything negative about that.

Yeah ... me too ... every year the Treasure Hunt generates more complaints than compliments. The rest of the show pretty much gets rave reviews ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)