Things to Do in Addison

Armed with a PADI certification from Adventure Scuba, students dive into the depths, floating past forests of coral or ancient shipwrecks alive with schools of phosphorescent fish. Aspiring human submarines ease into the process during beginning training sessions, testing out the waters, familiarizing themselves with the gear, and breathing underwater in the 18-foot indoor heated pool. For more advanced adventurers, instructors break out world-renowned Technical Diving International courses, teaching divers how to descend 180 feet into the water while managing decompression and oxygen use. They can also help clients plan and navigate cave dives for underwater archeological digs for cave-mermen fossils.

Making the world's waterways accessible to everyone, Handicapped Scuba Association directors teach divers with disabilities to swim open waters during weekend dives at Lake Travis. They also organize scuba travel jaunts to Cozumel, Mexico or Dominica, where world travelers swim alongside sperm whales and reverse-scale down sea walls and past bubbling volcanic vents.

The sun twinkles over the lakefront as a jet ski speeds across the water's surface, churning a trail of foam in its wake. This image is ever-present across Lake Ray Hubbard, where DFWJetskis' fleet of personal watercraft lets visitors steer themselves toward watery adventures and schools of wild goldfish crackers. The CPR-certified staff keeps a watchful eye as high-performance jet skis enter the water for single rides or rentals that last up to a day. For alternate modes of water transportation, staffers can rent out standup paddleboards or help to find a fish that's big enough for a saddle.

Gleeful squealing rings out across Jump Mania's nearly 10,000 square feet of green, purple, and blue inflatables during jump hours. The laughter is coming from children as they bound through the obstacle courses, bounce houses, and air-filled slides comprising the indoor playground's 10 mammoth inflatables. With private party rooms, the springy arena also entertains bouncers for birthday parties, which are enhanced by goodies such as pizza, ice cream, and grab bags. Additionally, the facility welcomes caretakers with free admission, letting them enjoy a grown-up approach to the youthful excitement without having to sample play-doh sushi.

As waves churn in the mid-Atlantic, Captain Matt Meadows is hard at work. He has to deliver a sail boat to an eagerly awaiting customer at his destination port in Italy. Though the United States Coast Guard Master occasionally delivers boats domestic and abroad, his main passion is teaching. From his home base on Lake Lewisville, Meadows and his Sail Dallas partner Paul Corey lead lessons ranging from intro to sailing classes all the way through advanced sailing certifications, during which they teach students essential sailing lingo, such as starboard and Pirates of the Caribbean. They also instruct on specialty concentrations such as celestial navigation and offshore sailing. They lead beginning and advanced racing lessons for students interested in performance sailing, and they also rent out their schooners for all sorts of occasions.