As a PADI 5-Star IDC, SCUBA Diving International, and Technical Diving International Facility, Diver’s Den is qualified to train not only beginning divers but also divers who hold some of the most critical dive positions in the world. Those include public safety, police, and even the National Guard. In fact, the professionals at Diver’s Den wrote the first program for “standardization of training” and will train National Guard divers from all around the nation. Diver’s Den is also a National Academy of Police Divers Training Center.
Recently, world-renowned shipwreck researcher and historian Richie Kohler paid tribute to Diver’s Den by staging several offshore expeditions from their facility. Kohler, one of the principals in a major exploration of The Titanic and its sister ship The Britanic, calls Georgia’s coast “the last playground on the East coast.” As much as 86% of all shipwrecks in the world have not been recovered and, it seems, Georgia might have a good share yet to be discovered as well.
“St. Marys is so rich in maritime history,” Diver’s Den associate Whiting said. “So much so that Richie is considering hosting a shipwreck exploration special that would be filmed just off our coast. The production might be similar to the popular special hosted by Kohler that recently aired on the History Channel. The subject for that special was The Britanic. But both Whiting and Kohler agree that there is a significant possibility that a ship of even greater historical value could be discovered off our coast.
It seems that wars, accidents, and storms have sent many a vessel to a watery grave in Georgia’s waters. Kohler and his team discovered a sunken steamship during his recent expedition in St. Marys. Built in 1877, the steamship went down in 1903. For more than a century, the local waters have kept her secrets. But Kohler’s team brought up some of her treasures, including the ship’s telegraph. On another St. Marys expedition, they discovered a World War II airplane, sitting upside down at the bottom of the ocean.
For those of us who might not be up for a deep sea dive, there are numerous other opportunities to explore the world of diving. Diver’s Den professionals say that just two hours away is the best springs diving in the world. And enthusiasts would only have to travel the same distance to experience exceptional cave diving as well.
Whether its wreck diving right off our coast, river or lake diving, the caves or the springs, Diver’s Den is going somewhere every weekend, taking with them divers of all levels who have become “hooked” on that new world of the deep.
MacDougall, Whitlock and Whiting have come a long way—perhaps farther and faster than even they predicted. They are two years ahead of their business plan. They attribute much of their success to people like builder Bill Gross of WH Gross Construction and others who had the confidence to get behind them in their infancy. Gross built the building that houses Diver’s Den. It is unusual that a diving business owns its own building, and Diver’s Den partners aimed to raise the bar on diving centers when they built their new building. A visit to Diver’s Den demonstrates what a benchmark achievement it was to build such a state-of-the-art facility.
When you walk down the halls of the 6,000 square-foot building, you get a sense of the dedication, the pride, and the accomplishments that have gone into the Diver’s Den success story. Certifications and commendations line the walls. Nine instructors, four technicians, a large indoor pool, every piece of dive equipment imaginable, knowledge and experience unlimited, and a passion for the deep blues—these are the components of a one-stop dive center that has no limits. Who would think such an amazing dive shop would park itself right here in Camden County?
Carpenters, school teachers, doctors, lawyers, students and—more and more often—entire families come to Diver’s Den with a dream to explore this other world. This world of quietude and color. This world of mysteries and discovery. This world where one can go to connect with nature on a primeval level. To swim with the manatees and glide with the dolphin. To exhilarate in the freedom and wallow in the womblike softness of its “other worldness.”
And to finally understand the love affair between man and sea that has reigned for millenniums and will for millenniums to come.
For more information visit
www.diversdengeorgia.com, or call 912-882-7078. |
