A very special proposal

It’s February, and love is in the air. And, in the water at Diventures!

Ian Pierson had a train wreck of a blind date. His matchmaking friend did a favor to make amends and set him up with our very own swim teacher, scuba instructor, lifeguard, trip guide, and marketing specialist out of Atlanta, Tori Motteler.

“We dated for eight years,” Tori says, laughing. “He knows diving is a passion of mine, and at the time, I was going through Dive Master training with Terri Broome, another Atlanta-based scuba instructor for Diventures. Between work and spending so much time training and in the pool, I was burnt out and tired!”

Little did Tori know that her dive crew was in on the surprise of a lifetime for her. “Terri called me up on a Sunday and asked me to come in and help her practice skills for our Divemaster test. I thought it was odd because I’ve seen her do the skills well a million times!” Tori laughed.

“I was exhausted and looking forward to a day off, but Ian kept encouraging me to do the right thing and help her out. So, of course, I went in to help her, but to be honest, I was a little annoyed and just wanted to stay home!”

“Once we got there, Terri positioned herself at the back of the pool facing the shallow end, so I couldn’t see anyone getting into the pool from the shallow end. We started practicing our skills, and Terri kept flubbing basic skills like clearing her mask! I was trying to help her, but at the same time thinking this was ridiculous!”

On the pool deck, her friends and colleagues, Chelsea Foster, Michael Drago, and Harrison Barnfield-Jones secretly prepped Ian to sneak into the pool behind her. Ian is new to diving, so Chelsea was there to help get him in the water and find his balance. Above the surface, Drago cued Terri that they were on their way.

“All of a sudden, Terri started waving at me to turn around. I was completely confused by what she was doing! Tori says, “I turned around, and there is Ian with Chelsea holding him by the arm. They’re both swimming toward me. I still had no idea what was happening.”

Ian made his way over to Tori, and with the help of Chelsea, got the ring out of his pocket. “All of a sudden, it clicked, and I couldn’t believe it. He pulled the ring out of a pocket and held up the slate.”

Ian scored big points in planning such a romantic proposal and had written out before entering the pool, “Will you marry me?” on the diver’s slate for the love of his life.

“Of course, I said yes!”

The couple even managed an underwater kiss after Ian’s special proposal. Ian and Tori were happily married, surrounded by friends and family on their special day this year. We’re wishing them much love and happiness (and scuba adventures!) in the years to come!

Are you thinking about a special proposal for the love of your life? Then, consider one of our magical dive trips for a proposal that will guarantee a yes!