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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Orem, Utah, is approximately 600 miles from the nearest ocean, but business at Absolute Scuba, which is located there, couldn't be better. Kim Chivers, who co-owns the store with her husband Clay, told me enrollment in their certification courses continues to grow. She said one reason is that more people are traveling to exotic destinations where scuba diving is part of the fun.
Absolute Scuba opened on State Street in Orem in 1993. Clay Chivers, who is an instructor with Utah Valley State College, opened the shop mainly to facilitate the college program. Clay took on a partner, Kim Taylor, who later became his wife, and the two worked together to build the store into a recognized place for scuba instruction and equipment.
Absolute Scuba prospered at the State Street location for seven years before moving to a new location on Geneva Road. There, Clay and Kim built an onsite pool to offer the convenience of a "scuba-on-demand" opportunity. The pool also allows them to teach swimming and kayaking lessons as well as water aerobics. And in their store, they sell a variety of scuba and snorkeling equipment for all levels and abilities.
These days, Absolute Scuba offers scuba classes on weeknights for groups up to 12 people; on weekends for those who don't have time in the week; private lessons; and Scuba Ranger courses for youngsters. It takes up to three weeks to certify, students get unlimited practice time in the pool and the cost is about $260. Kim said anyone can enroll in the courses, and students have ranged in age from 10 to 70 years old.
In addition to the instruction courses taught in the pool, students experience diving in some of Utah's lakes. And the store plans trips to the coast and other warm water destinations around the world several times a year. In fact, many students of Absolute Scuba have become what Kim calls "travel groupies" because they continually enjoy going on the trips.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
