NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Dana Drake is not afraid to swim with sharks; she has taken pictures of poisonous fish underwater.
However, when it came to opening a business, Drake was terrified. She had quit her position at the Department of Human Services not long after her father lost his battle with cancer.
The stress of her job became overwhelming at times; Drake wanted a change of pace and, more than ever, to follow her passion for adventure. She knew she had to take a leap of faith but was uncertain where she would land.
“After my dad died, I was, like, ’I can’t do this anymore,’ so I just jumped,” Drake said of her former position. “I felt like I just jumped.’”
Drake, who considers herself part mermaid, had long ago fallen in love with the idea of owning a live aboard boat, a small vessel that offers passengers to stay on board for one or more nights.
“That’s been my dream for a very long time,” Drake said. “I want to own a live aboard dive boat - float around the Caribbean and go scuba diving. That’s really where my heart is.”
Her passengers would be her fellow divers and shark-chasers. When they docked, she wanted to take them on tours exploring the Mayan ruins in the Yucatán jungles in Mexico - places that have drawn her back again and again. But, when realizing her passengers had to find her first, she decided to become a certified traveled agent and form her own agency.
“I wanted to be able to book the trip and book the experience for them,” she said. “Being able to have a little control was really appealing to me. I wanted to give people a taste of where they’re going.”
Propelled to live life to the fullest and her dream to someday own a boat of her own, Drake opened Sea Shanty Adventure Tours in Norman.
“This is what I love doing, and life is too short. I did jump. And I do get scared; it is scary going into business by yourself because you’re placing a bet on yourself that you’re going to succeed. It’s almost like stacking your chips that it’s going to work out,” she said.
To her pleasant surprise, it started working out as soon as she saw that a space in downtown Norman had become available. Drake spotted the vacancy while riding her bicycle down the street, and her dog-walking friends also pointed it out to her.
With her partner, Michael, by her side, she received the keys in October, The Norman Transcript (https://bit.ly/1BXB4ti ) reports.
It was perfect, Drake said. The location enabled Drake, a life-long Norman resident, to be part of the community and participate in the community. She has plans to join the monthly Second Friday Art Walks.
“Everything is kind of coming together on Main Street with all the festivals and music,” Drake said, “and I thought, ’I really want to be a part of that.’”
In addition to booking tours, Sea Shanty offers scuba diving classes in partnership with certified divers. Drake also sells a wide array of scuba diving gear and swim wear, and her forthcoming collection of paddle boats will be available for rent or for purchase.
“The boards are something that I’m really excited about,” Drake said. “They’re the kind that have the inflatable and have a hard top. You can check them with the airport and take them with you; you can fit them in your vehicle.”
They also can fit in the Sea Shanty rental trailer, which is equipped to carry several paddle boards at once. It’s just one of many things Drake has planned for Sea Shanty.
Her business has become something of a hub - she’s met many other explorers. Sometimes she finds it’s a bit of a role reversal: the people she meets make her want to dive in waters where she’s never been - like the time she heard about scuba diving in the unbelievably beautiful Turks and Caicos.
“I started looking it up, and I almost had my finger on the button to book it for my birthday. Somebody came in here and basically sold me a tour,” Drake said. “I’m supposed to be selling tours, but I’m, like, ’OK! That sounds great; let’s do it.’”
Every traveler has a story, Drake said, and she delights in hearing them.
“I want to know everything about people’s travels,” she said. “They’re so excited about it. People come in here all the time to tell me where they’ve been. That’s what we want to give to people. They get so excited about, and I’ve never even heard about some of these places, so it’s like free education for me.”
She’s been following a course into unchartered territory with her new business venture, but so far, it’s been exciting.
“It’s a different kind of adventure,” Drake said. “Having a business is an adventure.”
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Information from: The Norman Transcript, https://www.normantranscript.com
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