Jump to: Under the Sea (Under the Sea)

Midwesterners itching to snap on a mask and breathe through a mouthpiece have had few options ever since cruel Mr. Shabberham next door filled his poorly guarded swimming pool with earwigs and paste. Today's deal scratches that itch while sparing you the respiratory distress of cornfield snorkeling: for $20, you get a one-hour class for either Discover Snorkeling or Discover Scuba (a $50 value) at Midwest Scuba Center, an educational dive center that's been serving the area since 1976, that unfortunate year when the shores of the Atlantic permanently receded from the coast of Indiana. Anyone can take the snorkeling class, but scuba divers must be at least 15 years old (or as young as 10 years if a parent or guardian takes the class, as well). Call Midwest Scuba Center to schedule your discovery session.

At Discover Scuba Diving, you'll get a brief orientation and instruction session at Midwest Scuba's Avon facility, which will give you an encyclopedic knowledge of every fish and plant in the ocean as well as their distinct and beautiful "fish songs." After that, you will be strapped into your diving gear and will plunge 14 feet down to the bottom of the pool in the adjacent Avon High School. Discover Snorkeling, on the other hand, will teach you how to properly use your gear in the pool before you cart off to your Caribbean cruise, dubiously legal offshore sharkfight, or seaside honeymoon. Bring your own swimsuit and towel for Discover Scuba, and your own mask, snorkel, and fins for Discover Snorkeling.

Besides starting you on the path to scuba-diving certification, your experience at Midwest Scuba Center will teach you practical skills that you can use during your next search for shipwrecked treasures beneath the Great Lakes.