BY Marek Warszawski

Five years ago, Brian Deter wandered into Bob's Dive Shop practically on a whim. Not because he was interested in scuba diving, but because he was looking for an obscure piece of equipment for his job as an agriculture researcher.

One thing led to another, and the 52-year-old Auberry resident has since logged 200 dives.

"I got to talking with the guy behind the counter," Deter said, "and the next day my daughters and I were taking dive lessons."

Carol Avigliano never gave scuba diving a second thought. That is, until she began dating an expert diver.

Last week, the 50-year-old Fresnan experienced breathing underwater for the first time in an open-water diving course.

"He said, 'I'll take you to Fiji if you get certified,' " Avigliano said. "That's a good enough reason for me. If he's diving, I don't want to be stuck in the boat."

There are many reasons why people try scuba diving, the act of swimming underwater while using a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. (Yes, that's where the word "scuba" comes from.)

Mary Tostenson, owner of Bob's Dive Shop in Fresno, said the two largest groups of prospective divers are baby boomers seeking new experiences while they're still physically able and people that are planning vacations to Hawaii or other diving destinations. Others are simply drawn to a mysterious and beautiful underwater world that most folks rarely see.

"It's a total escape," said Tostenson, whose late husband founded the store in 1972. "There are no cell phones or FAX machines. Just you and the ocean -- and it's spectacular."

Because breathing underwater is not a natural act, scuba divers must learn certain safety parameters and how to operate technical equipment before they are ready for the ocean.

Although recreational scuba diving has no centralized regulatory agency, there are dozens of organizations that train and certify divers and instructors. Dive shops and rental outlets require proof of certification before they will sell or rent you their products and services.

The central San Joaquin Valley has two full-service dive shops, both of which are located about a mile from each other on Blackstone Avenue. Bob's Dive Shop is affiliated with Scuba Schools International (SSI), while Aqua Sports is a member of Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI).

"Each organization teaches basically the same things within accepted industry standards," said Aqua Sports owner Mike Sahakian, who has been in business since 1985. "People choose the shop they're most comfortable with."

Basic open-water scuba classes consist of three parts: classroom instruction, pool instruction and a final exam consisting of four open-water dives held at either Monterey Bay or Catalina Island.

Classes take between three to five weeks to complete, depending on the store. New divers can expect to shell out about $500 for tuition and course materials, plus at least $200 for personal items such as a mask, snorkel, fins, gloves and booties.

Although not required, Sahakian said more than half his students also purchase scuba hardware, equipment that includes air tanks, buoyancy compensators, air-flow regulators and dive computers. The cost of these items range widely from $1,000 to more than $7,000.

"It can be a bit pricey at first, but the equipment you buy will provide years of enjoyment," Tostenson said.

Scuba divers say there are many misconceptions about their sport, ranging from a fear of sharks to the belief that divers must be strong swimmers.

Ashley Herr, an employee at Bob's Dive Shop, has been diving since 2001 but never saw a shark until she went looking for one during a special shark dive in Fiji last March.

"It was quite an adrenaline rush," Herr said.

Once while diving off Santa Cruz Island, located about 20 miles from Ventura Harbor, Sahakian said he was "very fortunate" to see a great white shark.

Scary moment? Not really. Once it saw him, the shark turned tail and swam away.

"He didn't want anything to do with us," Sahakian said.

While scuba divers must be comfortable in open water, the weightless effect negates the burden of carrying around heavy equipment. Divers use their legs (and not their arms) to propel themselves, and the advent of split fins has made this even less energy-consuming.

"I have one customer that we found out later literally can't swim," Sahakian said. "He just stays calm and relies on his buoyancy compensator."

Another common fear of prospective divers is they won't have anyone to dive with -- and that's where local dive shops come in. Both Fresno stores offer monthly dive trips to the California coast and at least one international trip each year.

Turns out when they aren't breathing through regulators, scuba divers can be quite the social animals.

"It's the only time in my life I've been involved with a group of people that all get along and have fun together," Deter said.

"You can meet a diver and within five minutes it's like you've known them forever. I don't know what it is. Must be the water."

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