About Us

The Diving Den began in 1973, owned and operated by Tom & Linda Stough. In 1977, it moved to its present location on East Markland Avenue, later known as County Road 00 North South. It is on U.S. 35 & Ind. 22, 1¼ mile east of U.S. 31 bypass on the south side of the road. An obvious landmark to the property is the 25’X 50’ pool in the side yard beside the shop.

After 31½ years in business, we went into a 2½ year retirement phase. Now, we’re back to resume providing quality dive services to patrons of Kokomo and the surrounding communities.

Linda is full-time in the shop and will be there to help with equipment purchases, classes, service, and dive trips. Tom will be doing regulator and buoyancy compensator service plus maintain his video business.

During summer months, class pool sessions are done in the 4’ to 10’ deep salt- water pool built specifically for training SCUBA divers. It is more environmentally friendly than a typical chlorine pool, better for divers and their equipment.

The business was built on the solid foundation of expert training and the insistence that safety was always first, but fun and good companionship was also a necessary ingredient.

Local dive areas are quarries in Indiana, Ohio and Illinois, and shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. Although diving in quarries is usually considered a necessity for training only, most divers find that those dives give them an excellent chance to develop their navigational skills, along with working on buoyancy and air consumption. The shipwrecks of the Great Lakes are fantastic opportunities to see old wrecks perfectly preserved in the cold, fresh water.

We have always tried to offer dive trips that appeal to all divers, depending on their interests. We’ve taken groups to many Caribbean Islands, Australia, Truk, Palau, Fiji, Bahamas, Vancouver, B.C., North Carolina, Panama City, Florida Keys, and many other sites in Florida. Our destinations vary with the interests of traveling divers. We can also set up individual trips for divers.

The hours for the shop vary by the season. Winter hours are Monday thru Friday 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday 10 am to 3 pm. Summer hours are Monday thru Friday 9 am to 6 pm and Saturday 10 am to 5 pm. France Park Hours are May thru October 9 am to 5 pm Saturdays and Sundays only.