Located in Glen Ellyn, Illinois the IID has been around for over 50 years. According to local records it is the oldest dive center in the Chicago-land area but six years ago when the Perhays bought the shop, they set out to ensure that the oldest dive shop around was also the most active. "I bought the dive shop because my friends and I always said that we could do it better than anyone else," John Perhay says. "What better way to find out if that's true than to jump in. I got the opportunity to do it and see what happens. It was scary when we first made the move and some days it still is, but I really love it."
John Perhay, who owns the shop along with his partner Ione, has learned a lot from experience. He wanted to train new scuba divers and have fun at the same time. So he set the tone with the rest of his staff to ensure that they, as a shop, offered all that they could to the local divers. "During the spring and summer months we enjoy the Aqua Zoo," Perhay says. "The 'Aqua Zoo' is my favorite dive in South Florida. It's a 171 ft barge tuned upside down that has created a great home for a lot of critters. Southern Stingrays, Nurse Sharks, Goliath Grouper, Moray Eels, Jacks, Barracuda, and hundreds of fish. If you want excitement, this dive is a must and it is just the beginning of what we offer."
Perhay has been associated with IID since he learned to dive in 1978. He became a NAUI instructor in 1980, and has since become a NAUI Instructor Trainer as well as PADI instructor. He is also certified as an ice diver and a cave/cavern diver, as well as holding certifications in advanced nitrox and tri-mix. Perhay sports a dive log with more than 4,000 dives throughout the Midwest, Florida, and the Caribbean. To say that Perhay loves the underwater, world would be at best an understatement.
Ione, co-owner and John's partner at IID was certified in 1986 and began assisting with classes, OW training and several trips to the Caribbean. She became a NAUI Assistant Instructor in 1988. Ione shares John's love of the ocean. If you want to know the name of what you saw while diving, Ione is the one to ask. She is a biology teacher who can identify creatures, coral and fish like no one else.
IID is a full service dive shop offering sales, service, and air fills for everything from air to Trimix. "We service everything, even if it is out of warranty," Perhay says. As for instruction, IID offers all levels of instruction and even offers...well...instruction for instructors.
"We want to get divers diving," says Perhay. "Our dive shop is special because not only do we want to train you but we want to give you every opportunity to get back into the water as much as possible. We create opportunities for divers to go diving whether it is a trip or a weekend dive. We want to keep divers diving. It really is what we are all about." For more info on IID visit www.iidscuba.com. ■
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