The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
I-X Center featuring multiple events
Dive master Mike Valentine offered matter-of-fact instructions to the firsttime scuba diver.
“The No. 1 rule of scuba diving, we don’t hold our breath,” Valentine said.
A resident of Fairview Park, Valentine was standing in the warm waters of the 15,000-gallon pool that dominates the Go Dive Now exhibit at the Progressive Mid-America Boat Show.
The show runs through Jan. 21 at the I-X Center in Cleveland.
“Breathe in, breathe out, inhale, exhale, do it slowly,” Valentine added, showing
the neophyte diver how best to use the regulator, or breathing apparatus, attached
to the air tank on the back of the diving vest.
Valentine also showed his student how to move smoothly through the water, with hands clasped across the chest to minimize arm movement so legs and feet encased in rubber fins provide propulsion.
“This is our third year at this show,” said Courtney Casper, co-owner of the Underwater Dive Center in Elyria with her husband, Brian Casper.
Underwater Dive Center operates the exhibit in concert the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association, the pool’s owner.
David Reidenbach of DEMA, aka “Big Wave Dave,” said the Go Dive Now exhibit travels to anywhere between 15 to 25 shows every year to give showgoers a chance to don a wet suit, strap on a tank and give scuba diving a try.
Courtney Casper said she expects more than 200 showgoers to avail themselves of the scuba diving experience during this year’s show. Based on past experience, she expects 15 to 20 of those people to be so intrigued that they sign up for Underwater Dive Center’s introductory open water diving course. The cost is $345.
“This show is about being on and in the water. The people who come here are water people,” she said.
Also arrayed on the exhibit floor are more than 400 boats and 100 displays of boating equipment and features. Other popular features include Fish NOW Expo and its 5,000-gallon tank as well as seminars on a range of boating and fishing topics.