Students dive into local scuba supply shop

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Purchasing books for class at MSU inspires a diverse spectrum of emotions in students. Some feel excited, some feel shocked and even more feel outraged.

There is one class on campus, however, where your supplies will not be found on a bookshelf or even an electronics store, but run more along the lines of fins, masks and air tanks.

The things you learn in class at MSU will undoubtedly help you later in life, but a class taught by the members of ZZ Underwater World, 2016 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing, probably is the only class on campus that can boast that students walk out knowing how to breathe underwater, said Michael Nichols, senior scuba instructor.

ZZ Underwater World has been providing the Mid-Michigan diving community with supplies, lessons and opportunities since they opened their doors 30 years ago, Nichols said.

He said their location in the relatively dry Lansing locale made a lot of sense when you think about the shape of Michigan.

The shop is centrally located among three different types of diving venues, including in-land lakes, shipwrecks in the Great Lakes and an airport
with access to exotic dive sites all over the world, he said.

“The Great Lakes are home to the largest collection of shipwrecks on the planet,” Nichols said. “The water is cold, so they’re preserved almost exactly like they were when they sunk.”

The store arranges diving trips to many popular destinations.

Dave Thompson, a senior instructor, started working with ZZ Underwater World after he retired from the Navy and has enjoyed traveling to dive ever since.

Nichols recent destinations have included Egypt — to experience the Red Sea — and Fiji.

But traveling to dive isn’t necessary for Michigan-based divers, Nichols said.

Although the waters in Michigan get extremely cold during the winter, Nichols said diving is still possible with the use of a dry suit.

Nichols said he went on many dives in January.

“Diving in Michigan is a 12-month sport,” he said. “I was diving in 34 degree water for most of the winter.”

ZZ Underwater World offers scuba diving classes through MSU, Lansing Community College and other continuing education programs, Thompson said.

Nichols said teaching the classes offered him a great thrill and an opportunity to pass on his passion to other new divers.

“It’s fun introducing anybody to the neatest part of the world,” he said.

Samantha Collins, a veterinary technology senior, took a scuba diving class through MSU and said she got involved because of an interest in seeing aquatic life up close.

Collins said the experience of walking into the store to purchase her equipment for class was thrilling and a little intimidating.

“You see firsthand what you’re getting into when you walk into the store,” she said. “You’re trying on wet suits and masks and you think, ‘Wow, I’m going scuba diving.’”

ZZ Underwater World recently started stocking triathlon suits because of the growing community of triathletes in Lansing.

The store helped sponsor the third annual Hawk Island Triathlon this year and has gotten a positive response from the new members of their store’s community.

Ultimately, Nichols said the mission of ZZ Underwater World is to get as many
people as possible into the water.

“We’re dedicated to not letting people live most of their lives without seeing the 60-something percent of the world that’s underwater,” he said.

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