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Remembrances of our dear friend Tulio Gomez 4 July, 1972 - 21 June, 2005 |
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"Are we there yet?"
 
Tulio Gomez 4 July, 1972 - 21 June, 2005
photos by Tim Blanton, CCV guest Janice D, cross donated by Jim & Pam J
On the 21st of June, 2005, Tulio Gomez, loving husband and father, Divemaster extraordinaire, great friend and genuinely wonderful man, was taken from us as the result of a dive accident at Pirate's Point, on the south shore of Roatan.
Donations to assist Tulio's Family may be made payable to Patty Grier and sent to:
Tulio Fund
P.O.B. 877
San Antonio, FL., 33576
A PayPal account has also been set up to accept donations of cash and credit cards. If you have a PayPal account, go to https://www.paypal.com/ and then direct your donation to CCVTulio@aol.com (with no spaces!) This fund will be supported by Roatan Charter and the Trustee will be Patty Grier, Tulio's original PADI Instructor, owner of DockSide Dive Center. 100% of the donations will get to his family.
Dockside Dive Center would like to remember all the wonderful things about Tulio that made him an extremely special man. This page is our ongoing tribute to Tulio, and we welcome your stories, your photos and your memories of our dear friend. He will be missed, but he is loved and remembered.
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Click the 'play' button to watch Tulio at work... Video submitted by CoCo View guest Lee-Anne S.
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video by Lee-Anne S. |
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Patty G ~ Dockside Dive Center
I remember when I was first teaching Tulio to dive. He was about 20, and the class had to that point been all in the shallow water off-shore. This was to be his first boat dive. We waited for the guests to descend, then I helped Tulio gear up & got him all set to go on the rear platform. I told him to wait for a minute while I geared up. He said OK, and I turned my back to grab my gear, and SPLASH - just couldn't wait to be in the water.. |
photo by DeeH.
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Tim B ~ Tim Blanton Photo Video, Dockside
One week a while ago I was shooting a custom video on one of the boats. My boat docked at about the same time as Tulio's, and in passing I asked him "Well, how was the dive today?" His response, which quickly became a long-running joke - "It was GREAT!! I ALMOST saw a whale shark!" In subsequent weeks, Tulio & I "almost" saw dolphins & hammerheads & killer whales & manta rays just about every day. |
photo by DeeH. |
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Barb B ~ Tim Blanton Photo Video, Dockside
Tulio was such a gentleman. He was helpful to everyone; not just to the guests but an honest gentleman who would always open a door or extend a hand to help someone in need. As a divemaster and co-worker he was always gracious, respectful, reliable and funny. The world is poorer for his passing. |
photo by Bruce Z |
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Ellen D ~ Former Dockside Staff
Soon after starting work at Dockside, I was in the lunch line next to Tulio. I think the menu that day was grouper. Tulio turned to me with a straight face, pointed to the food & told me "great iguana today - try some." After that, it didn't matter what was on the menu. Whenever we saw each other around lunchtime, one of us would ask "what's for lunch?" and the answers just kept getting stranger., |
photo by Dave |
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Julian S ~ Former Dockside Staff
What I appreciate most about Tulio is the way he always went out of his way to smile, greet people, and make you laugh. |
photo from Deanna & Charlie |
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Ellen B ~ CoCo View Guest
We couldn't have asked for a better DM than Tulio. A friendly, funny, knowledgeable guy who went out of his way to help everyone out. He even retrieved my camera when it was floating away. "Get off my boat." How could anyone forget that? Another Tulio funny, I had a scrape on my leg and he said to me "Did you touch my reef?" |
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photo by Jackie |
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Jeff & Jackie K ~ CoCo View Guests
We will always remember Tulio as a great divemaster, and always willing to help with anything. He was one of the bright spots in a recent stay at CCV. In our hearts he will always be there! We miss you man, be at peace. |
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Ellen B ~ CoCo View Guest
When we were there, there seemed to be a shortage of nitrox tanks. Tulio would always make sure there were tanks in my son's and my locker before every dive. My son, Josh, said to me, in exasperation one day "Someone keeps putting tanks in our lockers!!" I just died laughing. I told him that Tulio was taking care of us. Like he always did, I might add. |
photo by Mary Parker |
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Bruce Z ~ CCV Guest
My memories; I took this shot of him clearing his mask, because I'd never seen anyone just take it off, open his eyes, rub the mask and put it back on. So calm, like he belonged underwater. He was by far one of the best dive masters and friendliest people I've met while diving. A true representative of the uniqueness of CCV.
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photo by Bruce Z |
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Dee H ~ CCV Guest
One of the things we'll always remember is Tulio showing us his birthmarks. He had a large one of his upper back that was in the shape of Roatan. There was also one on his upper right arm roughly the shape of an Angel fish. He always said it was proof he was meant to be born in Roatan and to spend his life in the water, that Angel fish were looking out for him. He also wore a black coral and gold pendant around his neck. Now, whenever we see Angelfish, we'll know Tulio is with us. Fair winds, My Friend. |
photo by Jackie |
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swimswithsharks ~ CCV Guest
http://www.swimswithsharks.com/tulio.exe I hope that it is worthy of the man who inspired it.
The attached link is to a slide show created by swimswithsharks in honor of Tulio. It is an incredible tribute! Thank you Jim for sharing it with us all! |
photo by swimswithsharks |
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photo by Ellen B. |
photo by John S. |
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photo by Denny C. |
photo by Denny C. |
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Tammy M ~ CCV Guest
I first met Tulio last June and immediately loved being around him. He and Gringo made a great team on the yellow boat. Their senses of humor were legendary. I loved how all the dive sites were Tulio's "favorite dive site" or "almost my favorite dive site" and all the boat rides were exactly "seven minutes and 32 seconds" long. Tulio was exemplary of everything a dive professional should be--always happy to see each and every guest, anxious to point out the smallest creatures to the newest divers, and very protective of the ocean and its inhabitants. He absolutely loved his job, which few people can only imagine. He is representative of all the CoCoView staff, which is why so many people return there year after year. He patiently tried to teach me how to blow bubble rings--I will always think of him when I achieve those perfect rings. He was well aware of my love for mangos and made the effort to bring me a large bag from the grocery store to share amongst our group. (You just can't get good mangos in Maryland!) When I visited Roatan in March 2005, staying at a private residence in Sandy Bay, it would have been very easy to dive at Anthony's Key or West End, but I chose to make the long haul to CoCoView several times, mostly due to the opportunity to hang out with Tulio and Gringo. Tulio was my dive buddy on all the boat dives and I had a blast. There were a few teen-aged boys diving on the boat, and they adored Tulio so much, they stuck to him like glue during some of the dives. I said, "Tulio, you had some remoras following you!" Tulio, you have made me laugh many times and shown me many small wonders I may have missed on my own. Godspeed, Tulio. Good-bye to my Honduran friend. You will be with us in spirit on all our dives. Vaya con Dios. Thanks for the mangos. |
photo by Tammy M. |
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collage by Denny C. |
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| NOTE: This page is a work in progress. We will continue to add stories and photos in honor of Tulio as they come in. Please share yours.. Send to: patty@docksidedivecenter.com |
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