Scuba diving in Colorado
Leave it to adventurous Coloradoans to explore even the depths
below the surface.
In the traditionally ocean-based sport of scuba diving, Colorado
is home to a large population of scuba-loving swimmers.
Fort Collins hosts three scuba diving shops and one
international scuba certification company, based in Fort
Collins.
Each shop rents and sells equipment to recreational divers, as
well as instructing and certifying curious customers.
High Plains Scuba Center, 1671 S. College Ave., holds
instructional dives in their pool and also requires passing a
written test to be certified. An instructor will also take the
divers on an open water dive for their final certification
test.
Mark Williamson, an advanced instructor at High Plains Scuba
Center, said about 15 to 20 new divers are certified every month,
most of who dive in lakes and reservoirs in Colorado to keep their
skill level up.
“A lot of people head down to the Caribbean for vacation and
dive there,” he said. “But the rest of the year, they dive in
Colorado.”
For the past eight years Williamson has been an avid scuba
diver, even though he lives in land-locked Colorado.
“If you look at a confirmed diver, anything bigger than a mud
puddle and we’re in it,” Williamson said.
Alpine Scuba, 1110 W. Prospect Rd., organizes trips for
customers who are interested in traveling to popular diving
spots.
Doug Donaldson, owner of Alpine Scuba, said larger groups are
able to get discounted rates on the airfare and hotels. A diving
trip to the Great Barrier Reef is being planned for June of
2005.
Spear fishing and wreck diving are also popular among Colorado
scuba divers. Scuba Colorado, 115 W. Harvard St., has organized
trips to Pruk and Palau, where World War II ships sank into the
Pacific Ocean.
Gary Clark, president of Scuba Schools International Inc., said
scuba diving is popular in Colorado because it appeals to so many
different people.
“The type of people who are outdoor oriented and like to travel
usually like to scuba dive,” he said. “They like the weightless
feeling that it gives you.”
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