Asian scuba divers train in Jackson County

From JCFloridian.com: Asian scuba divers train in Jackson County
Divers from all over the world converged on Jackson County this week to take part in some specialized training or to dive on their own.

Three men from Korea and three from China were here to receive instruction on how to teach others how to use side-mount air tanks once they get back home.

Edd Sorenson, owner of Cave Adventurers in Marianna, and Jim Charles of Mobile, Ala., established the training program for their organization, the Professional Scuba Association International, and are the only two certified by the organization to train scuba instructors on side-mount tank training techniques.

Sorenson said side-mount tanks are different in several ways from traditional double-tanks which are carried on the back. Although side-mount tanks have been available for several years, they are gaining in popularity and more trainers are needed to meet the demand. Sorrenson said they allow divers greater freedom of movement and are less cumbersome, more versatile and more comfortable than traditional tanks.

Marianna Fire Chief Byron Bennett agrees. He started diving about four years ago, and is the only certified cave diver on the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office dive team.

He said side tanks allow him to maneuver in tighter spaces than the traditional tanks, an important advantage when on cave search mission s .

Bennett came to Sorrenson’s session Thursday, and said he hopes one day to train people himself.

Other divers were here on a side trip as they headed to their various homes on the way back from a scuba convention in Orlando.

More than 30 divers were here from Brazil, Switzerland, Poland, Canada, and various points in the United States.

Jackson County Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Hatcher said some would be here three to four days, while others might stay for more than a week. Many of them are staying in local motels, eating in local restaurants and visiting area merchants in their time out of the water.

He said diving venues like Blue Springs continues to make an increasingly important impact on the local economy.

When Hatcher took over the parks department a few years ago, the county was making an estimated $12,500 a year in dive fees. Hatcher successfully proposed a change in the fee structure to make diving here more attractive to divers as he sought to increase that aspect of tourism into Jackson County. Now divers can buy one daily pass for $25 and get all their consecutive days for $10 each, making it more feasible for them to stay a few extra days. They can also buy an annual pass for $150, rather than $300 as they had to do before the schedule changed.

Now, the county realizes between $25,000 and $30,000 in annual fees, Hatcher estimates. Lowering the fees helped increased use and, as word of mouth about the venue grew, the effect re-doubled, he thinks. In addition to straight revenue, diving boosts the economy of many local businesses, like motels and eateries.

Last year, 2,000 divers from 40 states and 20 countries visited here, and Blue Springs is considered a premier training spot because of the clarity of the water.