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Mesa school’s students dive into these studies
MELODY BIRKETT Tribune Contributor
Freediving training, technical training and even mermaid training are among the classes taught at the El Mar Diving Center in Mesa.
Tonia Foster runs the business with her father, Gene Foster, who started it in 1963. “I joined the business in 1972, the year I was born,” said Tonia. “It’s kind of a running joke.”
It’s no joke what the school does.
“We take students from entry-level, which is called open water diving, all the way up to instructor,” Tonia said. “In between, there are different specialties a diver can get after they achieve their open-water certification so they can grow in their skill set.” New divers first sign-up for classes on the school’s premises – a 24-hour program between classroom and pool training with an additional four hours of prestudy plus homework.
“What they learn at the class and pool training is physiology, what’s affecting the body when you’re diving with compressed air,” Tonia explained. “It’s like the air we’re breathing right now but it does get affected by partial pressure and depth. Students learn more about that and how to stay safe underwater.
“Then the two skill sets they learn in the pool – comfort through repetition. They are really a diver by the last pool session so when they go out to the lake for their certification dive, it’s really second nature, putting them in that environment.” The certification weekend dive is at Lake Pleasant and lasts five hours per day.
“We are dealing with a life support system,” Tonia said. “You are underwater. You’re breathing underwater. There are a lot of things that go along with that, inThe El Mar Diving Center staff includes, from left, David Hayes, assistant manager/service tech in Mesa; Tonia Foster, Joanna Rios, Gene Foster and Mexico location manager Feliza
Rios. (Special to the Tribune)
cluding making sure people feel comfortable from the simplest thing of clearing a mask, achieving buoyancy, emergency skills if they’re out of air or low on air, how to communicate with your buddy, and how to get to the surface safely. You want those skillsets to be second nature.”
The school also conducts training and certification at San Carlos, Mexico. Getting certified allows you to go out to a dive destination. You can’t rent gear and go on a scuba diving boat without a certification card. Divers of all ages can also fulfill their dream of becoming a Mermaid. Foster said tails are made with nylon material but some are made out of silicone.
“The fabric ones weigh from 50-200 lbs. and the silicone weigh from 150-300 lbs.,” said Foster. “We teach students how to put the tail on safely, proper technique with the extension of the tail because your legs are together. It’s really interesting.”
Only girls 15 and over can train as mermaids. “A lot of these gals who are coming to take the course haven’t had any prior training,” explained Foster. “They’ve learned on their own. So now they’re learning techniques to be safer when they’re working in aquariums or when doing a photoshoot or working in the ocean.
“A mermaid tail can be a little cumbersome.”
The majority of El Mar’s customers are there for recreational purposes.
“They want to explore the underwater world,” said Foster, adding that many students are influenced by TV shows or documentaries. “Or they went on a cruise, they went snorkeling and really wanted to stay longer underwater. It’s people who are already doing these adventurestyle trips, going to the Caribbean or Indonesia, who want to explore the underwater world.”
Since Foster grew up between San Carlos, San Cortez and San Diego, that triangle tends to be her favorite place to scuba dive, even though she’s been all over the world.
One of her “coolest trips” has been to Indonesia’s Forgotten Islands.
The cost varies, depending on the program, but it starts at $469 per person for a beginner that includes the certification dive at Lake Pleasant and rental gear for the pool training.
Divers must provide personal equipment such as masks, fins and safety shoes. That ranges in from $190-$275 on average. Equipment for advanced training costs $1,000-$1,500. El Mar’s website lists scheduled dates for classes, which are limited to four people per program. Custom dates with private one-on-one instruction are also available.
Information: Elmar.com, 480-833-
2971. ■
