(LAKE OKOBOJI, Iowa) — NEWS: Scuba divers from Canada, Mexico, and the USA joined International Scuba’s 6th Annual Ice Hole Festival. The week started off with pro level scuba diving training. There were several people to help gear up. As soon as you are out of the water, our hospitality team takes over, with a cup of hot soup, drinks and more food. All while other divers help take your kit off.
Once you are warmed up you rotate into a support position. This is the secret that brings everyone together. The amount of coordinated teamwork is nonnegotiable, and everyone takes their job seriously.
Instructors and even a course director got their certifications on site. International Scuba showed how training agencies can work well together with PADI and SSI both sharing the hole to create new ice diving professionals. With our new instructors and the group’s experience, they had things running smoothly all week.
PADI, one of our title sponsors has stepped up big for several years. On loan for the weekend is Charles Dupont, ice diving expert and PADI Rep for much of Canada. SSI also showed up to represent. Mark R Scott III has been a large portion of our program. It took a year to fully embrace this PADI and SSI effort, but it works, and all of us are winners for it. Fourth Element was our first sponsor and a serious asset to the Ice Hole Festival. International Scuba also welcomed Boji Divers. They conducted most of the salvage on the lake by cutting the hole. Cutting ice is no easy chore.
“Our mission was to create ice divers from the top down, and I believe this festival has a very strong group of Instructors and Course Directors, ready to take us forward every year,” says Rich Thomas, Owner and Operator of International Scuba.
Next year’s event is already in the books. Save the date: February 8 through 11, 2024. Lake Okoboji, Iowa.
Dive Shops: reach out to receive promotional materials. Early bird shops will benefit with links to sign up in our ice hole shop locater, posters, and a minimum of one industry wide press release.
If you are interested in getting involved with shops that want to build scuba, visit International Scuba here: https://internationalscuba.com/. Or call 972-416-8400.
Related link: https://internationalscuba.com/
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