Even though the Summer Solstice won’t arrive in the Northern Hemisphere until June 20 (or June 21, depending on where you are), temperatures in South Florida have already been driving up into the 90s.

As one broker quipped at last month’s Triton networking soirée, forecasters are predicting one more cool day this year – in October.

Good thing the AC was running at the Downtowner Saloon, keeping everyone who made it out cool.

So if you’re in South Florida, join us on the first Wednesday in June at the remodeled Lauderdale Diver store at 1334 S.E. 17th St. from 6-8 p.m. and catch up with old friends. The first Wednesday falls on June 4 this month. In the meantime, find out more about June’s sponsor, Lauderdale Diver, as we chat with former yacht stew Chrissy Beck.

Q. Tell us about your new Web site.

We hired the Corporate Creative Group to work with producing our new Web site and we have spent the past six months producing lots of data and incredible photographs and ideas to come up with a beautiful, visual, informative Web site. It really helped to work with such great, inspired young professional designers with fresh new ideas and I would highly recommend them. Take a look at their work at www.lauderdalediver.com.

We wanted a professional site with a crisp, clean logo so we could portray not only a professional image but show that we offer customers lots of options and information from local dive and wreck sites, weather conditions, dive travel, compressors, gear, lessons and equipment servicing to our online store and many other goods and services.

Q. Tell us about your expanded classroom and training schedules.

When we started, the classroom was almost non-existent. We wanted a professional and functional space dedicated to instruction. We created a smart-looking area that doubles as storage but has the feel of an intimate classroom with ample teaching equipment. Whether the student is sipping a latte between lessons or being grilled on dive table problems, they’ll be in comfortable surroundings. We have had independent instructors ask if they can rent our classroom. We have beefed up training since our student load has grown and it seems like the seats in the classroom never get a chance to cool off. When we have periods at the end of the typical yachting summer or winter, we experience a higher number of crew desiring additional certifications.

Q. How experienced is your staff and who can folks expect to meet?

Our instructors are well-qualified to assess skill levels and advise on training times and student aptitude. Jose Negroni and Rob Davis, our full-time instructors, have been diving for more than 20 years and are extremely passionate about the sport they love to teach. We wanted the staff to "feel" like crew with a very friendly and service-oriented disposition while maintaining a professional outlook. It’s as if the dive shop is another boat, with the same professionally minded people you might find on any well-managed yacht.

Q. What made you decide to add beachy clothes and shoes to your lineup?

We added resort wear since not everyone comes into the shop looking for a mask or snorkel. We get a lot of tourists – walk-in cruise ship traffic – during the season with at least seven large ships based at Port Everglades. We also have found that many local customers are interested in the clothing lines we now offer.

Q. About how much of your business is related to megayachts?

About 50 percent of our business comes from the yachting sector. Since we took over the business last year, our yacht customer base has steadily grown through our industry contacts and we continue to see more yacht equipment, dive training and compressor systems inquiries. For years my husband, Capt. Len Beck, fielded questions from captains whose itineraries were taking them through the Pacific and Asia about logistical support, places not to miss, and dive areas. Now we have a lot of those same successful captains and crew contacting us for quotes.

Q. What is your most favorite diving spot (or spots) and why?

We have been extremely fortunate to have traveled extensively aboard the M/Y Battered Bull but I think that the best place for large pelagics and big current would have to be the Toumoto Atolls in French Polynesia. There is always an abundance of sharks, giant manta rays, and big tuna, marlin and sailfish. It is pretty awesome to see three or four sailfish "balling up bait" just above you while a school of white-tip sharks barrels past. The current in the Atoll cuts can be in excess of 6 knots so that’s a real thrill but not without challenges.