Take a plunge into scuba diving at zoo
Scuba diving in Pittsburgh? Yes, it’s possible.
The Go Dive Now pool tour is returning to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium’s Aquafest this weekend, offering anyone who brings a bathing suit and a towel to the zoo the chance to get a taste of scubadiving at no additional cost.
Interested zoogoers, ages 10 or older, can dive in from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. No prior registration is required.
Go Dive Now, based in San Diego, brings a 4-foot-deep pool, scuba gear and tanks around the country in a 32-foot-long trailer to promote scuba diving, said David “Big Wave” Reidenbach, the Go Dive Now pool coordinator. The tour, produced by the nonprofit Diving Equipment & Marketing Association, was launched in 2000 as a way to “get the pool in front of people too shy to ask questions” about it. Since then, the tour has visited nearly every state to share the scuba diving experience.
Beyond the minimum age of 10, participants must be at least 52 inches tall. This is the same age requirement for scuba lessons toward certification, Mr. Reidenbach said. Participants age 10-12 must be accompanied by an adult in the pool.
“It gives people a chance to try something new,” he said. “We’ve got the wetsuits, the tanks, the masks ... there’s no reason not to go diving.”
Mr. Reidenbach said that people who may have an interest in learning more about scuba diving are often too intimidated to go into a dive store to take steps toward certification, and he hopes that a foray into the pool will wash away all related anxiety.
A full certification includes a classroom learning portion as well as confined and open-water dives, which can take weeks. This weekend’s experience simply aims to give swimmers a taste of what it’s like to be in the water while wearing the gear and could spark an interest in pursuing a certification, said Teresa Gaspard, special events manager of the
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.
The pool will be placed under the PNC Pavilion at the zoo, which is located between the Water’s Edge complex and the sea lions exhibit in Kids Kingdom, Ms. Gaspard said. The pool arrived at the zoo on Tuesday to begin the heating process. Butler Gas donated the propane used to heat the water, which is kept at a comfortable 88 degrees.
When arriving at the Aquafest, interested divers will complete registration, which includes a consent form, before being fitted for a scuba suit, oxyg e n tank and mask. Changing rooms will be provided by the zoo. Swimmers are generally in the water for 15 to 20 minutes, during which dive instructors from local stores will swim alongside them. Given that the pool is 4 feet deep and there are many experienced divers in the pool assisting, the experience carries very low risk, Mr. Reidenbach said.
The certified dive instructors come from four local dive stores — Splash Water Sports Scuba & Snorkeling Center in Banksville, Inland Dive Center LLC in Coraopolis, All Things Aquatic Dive Center of Overbrook, and Mars Scuba LLC in Mars. While in the pool, swimmers will take an underwater picture in the gear, which will be sent to them by email for free. The full experience will take 30 to 45 minutes, Ms. Gaspard said.
The pool tour has stopped at the Pittsburgh Zoo nearly every year since 2002, she said. On average, a few hundred people participate each time.
Representatives from the Cayman Islands will be on hand at Aquafest to answer questions about diving vacations, but those seeking a diving experience closer to home often go to Lake Erie or quarries such as Guppy Gulch, in Delta, York County; or Dutch Springs in Bethlehem, Pa.
“People love [scuba diving in Pennsylvania],” Ms. Gaspard said. “A lot of people who live in Pittsburgh and are interested in diving aren’t aware of places in Pennsylvania to dive or places to get certified ... it’s something a lot of people aren’t necessarily aware of.”
General admission to the zoo is $16 for adults and $14 for children. For members, admission to the zoo, including Aquafest, is free.