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Tim McCall Dives For Adventure And Inspires Student Sue Loughlin
Article & Photo By Jack McNeel Tim McCall owns a dive shop, teaches scuba diving, and explores under the water in North Idaho and beyond. From a life owning a body shop in California, Tim and his wife took off in 1991for a couple of months to enjoy the wilderness. “I fell in love with Coeur d’Alene after three days. My wife said that’s really cool because I am too.” They’ve been here ever since. Tim eventually got into a tow truck business, and through scuba diving became well acquainted with Tom, of Tom’s Diving, and they talked casually of Tim’s buying the business. Then one day in 2004 when Tom
and Tim were driving to Sandpoint towing a Chevy for restoration it happened. “He started talking on the way up, and before we got back to Coeur d’Alene I owned a dive shop.” Tom had owned it for 24 years and had steady clients so Tim decided to keep the name for a year. “In February this year it’s been 10 years – and it’s still called Tom’s Diving,” Tim says with a laugh. Asked about diving in northern Idaho waters, Tim is enthusiastic. “Coeur d’Alene has been here over 100 years. There’s a lot of stuff on the bottom – old steam ships and things that really interest me. In that area under the boardwalk, there are at least nine big boats that I know of. There’s a Hudson and a Packard lying underneath there too. That area is 90 to 100 feet deep.” Tim started mapping exact coordinates of some of the wrecked boats, and he thought he was doing well until a man came in his shop and asked how Tim was doing with his mapping. The man said, “When you get over 60 let me know. That’s what I’ve got.” Tim laughs and says the man never told him where they all were. Tim has an old slot machine on display that came from Coeur d’Alene Lake. Over 40 were recovered years ago and a few still remain on the bottom, but are not worth recovering. According to Tim, these were likely dumped by a passenger boat many years ago. On the lawn in front of his home, Tim also has an old buckboard that he found on the north end in about 84 feet of water. He says that wood can last almost indefinitely, because “that mud and water are very preserving.” (Continued on page 28)