Lee Ann Hires
International Sales, Dive Rite, Inc.
In 1986, I was spending my weekends boating off of West Palm Beach and the Florida Keys. A friend suggested that I learn to dive; I never thought it would be the start of an adventure quite like the one I encountered.
Living in North Florida, I signed up for a local scuba course that was taught in the nearby springs. I walked into class on the first day and met my instructor, Lamar Hires. I knew right then there was something very special about him…and less than a year later my scuba instructor would become my husband.
At the time, Lamar, was teaching a great deal of open water classes as well as cave classes. He took our class to Key West to do our check-out dives. To see the beauty of the ocean underwater in a place where I had spent so much time boating on top of the waves was simply thrilling
Since I lived nearby the freshwater springs, I was soon curious to try cave diving. By this time, Lamar and I were dating, so of course, dating a cave explorer certainly helped fuel my interest. Lamar was quite busy working at Dive Rite, exploring and teaching, so on the weekends he asked his dive buddies to take me diving. Yet unknown to him, they were taking me cave diving! Lamar was shocked to find out I was diving the Peacock Springs system quite blissfully within a few weeks of receiving my open water certification. So I began my cave training with Lamar and in January of 1987, we ventured on our first trip to Mexico to complete my certification. Mexico at the time was rugged and remote. We hiked our gear into the systems and certainly did not have the luxury of wooden steps and footpaths that are present today. I must have done well, because the day I finished my class Lamar asked me to marry him.
In six short months, my life had completely changed to focus around diving. At the age of twenty-five I was already an independent business owner of two companies and now found myself gravitating toward greater involvement in the dive community. I was elected to the board of directors of the NSS Cave Diving Section and spent the next four years as the CDS Secretary Treasurer. On the weekends, our home was filled with cave students coming and going. Florida cave exploration was in its hey-day and explorations were being planned and mapped on our very own dining room table. Meanwhile, Lamar worked tirelessly at Dive Rite, so you could say we were quite busy as newlyweds. After our son was born, I would take him to the springs where daddy was teaching and swim and play with the baby while Lamar taught dive classes.
In 1997, Lamar and I bought Dive Rite and I sold my company to work at Dive Rite full time. My primary responsibility is International Sales, which has grown to representation in 45 countries. I find it exciting and rewarding to work with clients all over the world. I continue my work in the community as a Board Member of the Chamber of Commerce and with the Itchetucknee Work Group.
Of course, while cave diving has been centric to our lives, it is not the only adventure our family enjoys. My most memorable dives include two trips to the Red Sea in Egypt. This past year, we dived the fjords of Norway hunting for King Crab. And each year, we continue to dive in Mexico, back to the place where my future began.