"I'm his first passion...diving comes second." This is the answer Dottie Walker of Lehigh Valley Dive Center gives when asked about husband and business partner Steve's feelings about diving. She smiles but you get the feeling she's serious nonetheless. For his part Steve holds his tongue and smiles. "But," Dottie continues, "We are very passionate about what we do."

Lehigh Valley Dive Center located in Bethlehem, PA has been around since 2005. The Walkers bought out the other partner last year and are now approaching their one year anniversary. It is clear that they are right where they should be. "I wanted to learn to dive first," explains Dottie. "In fact he (Steve) wanted nothing to do with it but I told him that I was going to get certified and then I'd have to find me another good-looking man to be my dive partner. He gave in and learned too and now he loves it as much as I do. We are really enjoying every minute."

A fifth career for Dottie and a second for Steve, the Walkers offer everything they can in a dive shop. A full-service shop they offer classes, certification, warranty work on equipment and everything in-between. "We have 14 instructors on staff," says Dottie. "We teach a variety of classes because we have a variety of instructors. They are all great and they all work hard to teach the divers we have coming through." LVDC trains divers at a local quarry, Dutch Springs and Dottie says they are very pleased with what Dutch Springs offers their divers as well as their business. "They are a great group of people," Dottie says. "They run a nice clean place and they are always there to support our divers and instructors. We will send people to them and they send folks to us...we have a great working relationship."

Currently LVDC has nine employees, down 14 due to the off season however Dottie says that she couldn't ask for a better staff. "This is a great group of people who care about our customers," Dottie says. "I am very proud of the work they do and how far they will go to make sure that everyone who comes in has a good experience. We all have the customers' needs in mind." Steve adds that they also do what they can for the customer even if it means changing things up. "We will customize your dive classes for you if that's what you need," Steve says. "Every diver is different so we always want to provide what the individual needs."

So next time you find yourself looking for a dive shop and you are near Bethlehem, stop in and see Dottie and Steve; they promise that you will feel right at home. For more info on Lehigh Valley Dive Center visit www.lvdive.com/scuba. ■

By Jamie Farris

These days longevity in any kind of business is a rarity. Economics and our ever changing society often dictate how long a business is viable; the norm is 15 years. Still some businesses dig their feet in and take root in a community...this is certainly the case with Eugene Skin Divers Supply (ESDS) in Eugene, Oregon.

ESDS has bested that business average by another 40 years. First opened in 1956 by Don Hollingshead the family owned dive shop not only planted its roots in Eugene but has since become one of its' business icons. Although at first there were a lot of people who questioned opening a dive shop so far inland, nowadays customers regularly come from 45 miles away just to do business with ESDS. Don has since passed away and in his stead his son Michael has stepped to the plate. "My dad opened this store in the back room of an appliance store," Michael says. "But now, look at us, in our own building offering more services than he could have imagined. I know he would be proud."

Recently ESDS was honored with an award. They were recognized by PADI as the "Outstanding Dive Business in the NW. They were also nominated for two others, placing in the top three for the region for the Project Aware Environmental Award and the Instructor Development Award. Michael says that they are both proud and humbled. "We have a great staff here," Michael says. "Most of these people are like family to us and they all work hard to make Eugene Skin Divers Supply what it is today. We have some employees who have been with us over 30 years...what business can say that these days? We are very proud to have been recognized for these awards." Michael says that he was shocked when he received the e-mail saying they had won. He had no idea they had even been nominated. "It was quite a shock but in a good way," Michael says. "This staff has heart though and they deserve the recognition.

Barry Dunford, the NW regional manager for PADI agrees wholeheartedly that the staff and Michael deserve the award they have won. "I think that it is an important recognition because they are one of our oldest stores but also one of our more progressive stores," Dunford says. "It is easy to see someone win an award when they truly deserve it as Eugene Skin Divers Supply does."

As another testament to ESDS's reach, Michael was also recently asked to give a presentation at the PADI Go Pro conference. "I gave a presentation in front of 1200 people," Michael says. "I was nervous but I was also humbled that they chose me to do it. It was an honor."

Remember those roots we talked about earlier? Well not only has ESDS dug the roots in deep but they water that community they are a part of with their very own involvement. ESDS is the founder of Dive for a Cure, a yearly event that brings divers and dive clubs together to raise money for breast cancer research. "We identify with this cause and it is one that is close to the hearts of the people in this community," Michael says. "It has brought a lot of attention to Eugene Skin Divers Supply but it has also raised a lot of awareness and money to fight this illness. This years' event was great. We had over 200 divers participate and we brought in over $42 thousand dollars to fight breast cancer; that's important."

Michael says that it is important to him and his staff that the community sees them involved. He hopes that his involvement will spur on others to get involved in the community. "Dive for a Cure brings divers together and helps the community to see what a great sport it is and how great the people who do it are," Michael says. "My hope is that our involvement will show other dive shops what they can do. I think every dive shop should take a stance and do something to give back to their community. It's just the right thing to do." For more information on Dive for a Cure or Eugene Skin Diver Supply visit www.eugeneskindivers.com or www.diveforacure.org. ■

By Jamie Farris
Writer, Dive News Network

You couldn't get much farther north in the United States in search of a dive shop, but as far as divers in the Bellingham, Wash., area are concerned that's just fine with them because Gone Diving is all they need.

Gone Diving was formed in October 2005 when owner Charlynn Sutton found herself in need of a career change. "The shop I was working for closed and I had gone as far as I could in my field so I started exploring my options," Sutton says. "I decided that maybe the area needed a family friendly dive shop so we opened Gone Diving." The retail shop was opened in December 2005 and from there it has been about building a great foundation within the local dive community.

Gone Diving is woman-owned and operated, lending a unique business sense in terms of how Sutton runs her shop. "We run a very clean shop and we keep it stocked with everything that a diver needs," Sutton says. "We started from scratch but began purchasing all the inventory, filling the building retail space and marketing to the new clientele. Now we are well known in the area as a good place to get equipment and to get involved in diving in general." Sutton says when she began she kept taking classes because she wanted to keep diving. "There weren't a lot of dive activities to do but I wanted to keep diving so I just kept taking classes, getting certified and then I started teaching."

Sutton is now a TDI/SDI technical trainer and she loves to teach. Gone Diving specializes in family training and last year Sutton began a summer dive camp that caters to kids. "We train kids age 8 for the PADI's Bubblemaker class and certify 10-year-olds for the Junior Open Water rating," Sutton says. "We also offer the PADI Seal Team for ages 8 and up. It is a lot of fun watching the kids take to the water and learn. When we first began we had to collect the dive equipment for kids but now we have enough sets that we can teach a nice size class."

Gone Diving is a PADI dive shop and offers almost all of the PADI specialties. They have a reputation for being the go to shop in the north, in fact so much so they recently won second place in the KING 5 News/Evening Magazine's Best of Northwest Escapes 2010 Contest. "It was a real thrill to be recognized," Sutton says. "Coming in second to Underwater Sports, who has multiple locations and is based in Seattle, is like pulling a first place for our shop. We really enjoy what we do and it is the customers that make Gone Diving, fun.

For more info on Gone Diving or their many programs visit www.gonediving.org. ■

By Jamie Farris, Staff Writer

Usually when you go on a dive trip you have to go to one company for your travel arrangements, another for your charter service and still yet another for any dive equipment or services you need. Not so in Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada, where you can get it all at the Pacific Pro Dive Shop.

Owner Bill Coltart, his wife Sharon Morgan and their band of dive and travel experts pride themselves on providing the most comprehensive dive experience possible. Besides being a great guy, Coltart is an IANTD, SDI and TDI instructor trainer at the recreational and technical levels, including gas blending, closed circuit and SCR rebreather, trimix as well as Divers Alert Network IT and PADI master scuba diver trainer. He has a passion for underwater photography, and also works as lead cinematographer for Aqua Cinema Studios. He loves to travel the world with his video camera.

Teaching others to dive is also a passion for Coltart. Pacific Pro Dive is a five-star SCUBA career development center, meaning you can make travel arrangements and book charters in addition to learning how to dive. The Marine Diving and Science College teaches everything from sport diving to nautical training. Classrooms are laid out like a full service dive center and feature state-of-the-art multi media equipment. Training vessels are also available.

If it's travel you seek, check out PPD's Sea the World Travel Associates. Trips all over the world are planned each year. Tropical destinations are always popular, and Coltart says they're working up winter itineraries featuring dive trips to Campbell River/Quadra Island.

Do you feel the need to charter a boat and head into the incredible waters off Vancouver? PPD offers full service charters through Oceans Group Charters. The crews pride themselves on being the most professional, friendly and adventurous on the coast.

Last but not least, Coltart prides himself on providing a full service dive shop, where his passion is reflected by the many services he provides. Divers can find specialized diving products, including a sophisticated air fill and mixed gas blending station. "Our goal is simple," Coltart says, "to provide divers with the best products, the most professional dive training and memorable experiences to last a lifetime. I have been very fortunate over the years to have made some great friends in the diving industry." Coltart adds, "The most fun thing is the diversity and every day is different. Some days I am in the shop servicing regulators, other days teaching diving and then the next it's off in the boat for a day of dive charters."

For more information on Pacific Pro Dive Shop, visit www.scubashark.com. ■