UNDERWATER IN THE MIDWEST

Scuba diving allows participants to explore the depths of the earth in an unparelleled way.

And, the basics of the scuba diving can be learned right here in Iowa.

JGP Dive Adventures LLC, of Creston, offers private and group scuba instruction to students ages 10 and over right here in the local area.

Grant Plowman, JGP Dive Adventures LLC owner and National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI)-certified scuba instructor, has been around diving since his early childhood.

“It started back in the ‘70s,” said Plowman, “when my dad used to dive for Union County as a rescue diver. And I always thought it’d be cool. Back then, you had to be 18 years old to do it so I was too young, but I had a close friend and we got certified to be skin divers through a YMCA camp back in Okoboji.

“So we hung with it for a while,” said Plowman, “and then we got older and then, you know, things happen and all of a sudden in 2004 there was a scuba diving class in Creston. So I took it and started helping out my instructor. I kind of worked my way up through the chain, and eventually spent five years student-teaching before becoming an instructor and doing the instruction end of my business.”

JGP Dive Adventures LLC was started in 2008 as a travel planning agency. After receiving his NAUI scuba instruction certification, Plowman decided to add full service dive training to his business’ offerings.

The student’s experience

Beginner scuba divers can expect a flexible lesson plan to meet the student’s needs.

A combination of studying from a textbook, enclosed water (swimming pool) training time, a final test and opportunity to earn an open-waters diving certification are included in the first-time diver’s instruction.

“A student gets a better understanding of problem solving,” said Plowman. “You grow up being able to problem solve on land without a problem. But now you’re doing it in an environment that’s unnatural to us — which is underwater.

“And I’ve worked with kids,” said Plowman, “where they come in and they hated each other as the worst of enemies. And you pair them up, and by the end of their training they’re the best of friends. Because they’ve had this sense of camaraderie, and they’ve had to rely on each other. So you develop a brotherhood. I may not dive with you all the time, but we’re a big family. It’s just something you experience.”

Plowman teaches and certifies his students with the help of assistant instructor Troy Schroeder and divemaster Troy Vandekreeke. The trio has been training and certifying students for five years.

“I’ve hand-picked who I teach with,” said Plowman, “because I’m very protective of my students. I don’t want any accidents, I don’t want anything to happen. We do a small class to ensure a more one-on-one with people. I’ll do one person, and I’ll do up to four in a class. I will not do 10. It gives more instruction on what’s going on. And if there’s four people, two of us (instructors) will be in the water during the confined pool time just in case somebody slips or maybe is having problems with a skill.”

Why Scuba?

Scuba is an underwater diving sport, requiring the use of a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA). Divers wear or carry their own supply of air, and swim in underwater environments in a variety of recreational or professional settings.

Vandekreeke began scuba diving 10 years ago during a trip to the Australian Great Barrier Reef. After getting certified, Vandekreeke went on to receive specialized rescue training as part of his divemaster certification.

“I think it’s a new experience,” said Vandekreeke. “It’s a challenge for a lot of people. It’s something most people have never done anything like before, and it can be exciting. It’s relaxing — and it’s always a new experience.”

Plowman has been diving since 2005. He has dove coral reefs in the Caribbean, Mexico and WWII shipwrecks off the cost of North Carolina, as well as several fresh water locations throughout the Midwest.

“I try not to get people to push to do it,” said Plowman. “I’d prefer, ‘Let’s try it first.’ We’ll throw you in the gear and try it before doing a full-blown class. Scuba’s you either like it or you don’t. You don’t force people to do it. You got to make that commitment yourself; that this is something where you want to explore the most unexplored part of our planet.”

Mermet Springs

Plowman regularly makes diving trips to Mermet Springs, a submerged quarry in southern Illinois established as “not your typical dive site.”

The 8.5-acre spring-fed quarry provides for dives from 15 to 120 feet in depth, and features a plethora of sunken vehicles, treasures and even jet airplanes for visitors to explore.

Mermet Springs owner Glen Faith has been operating for 21 years.

“Our goal was to raise the bar, and set the standard for what diving could be in the Midwest,” said Faith. “I think diving draws and attracts a certain type of person, and challenges them and takes them to a whole other level.”

Mermet Springs is one of the most popular dive facilities in the Midwest, and famously features the submerged body of the Boeing 727 airplane destroyed in the 1998 action movie “U.S. Marshalls.”

Divers enjoy numerous amenities, including covered gear pavilions with electricity and fans, hot showers, flush toilets, camping facilities, staff instructors, a full-service dive shop and scuba gear repair facilities and experts.

Plowman conducts open-water scuba certifications at Mermet Springs, and recently completed such a trip in early August. Plowman describes diving at Mermet and other locations as borderline surreal.

“Even the stuff here at Mermet Springs,” said Plowman. “How often are you going to see a fish, right up in your face, in its natural environment?”

But the most important aspect of diving for Plowman?

“It’s that kinship and bond for a sport that you love. So that’s what people get out of it, on top of being able to see stuff that you’re never going to see in everyday life. How many people from Iowa get to go see stuff to that nature? That’s why I got my kids involved.

“When I was a kid, said Plowman, “you’d see that stuff on TV and think, ‘Oh, that’s so neat.’ But now, here I am actually being one-on-one with marine life, and it’s phenomenal.”

Those interested in learning more about diving may contact Plowman and JGP Dive Adventures LLC by phone at 641-344-0217, or email at scubediver@live.com.