Out of Office: Dick Behl

I went to an ICBA convention in Hawaii in the late ’80s … They had a scuba experience they offered at the hotel we were at. I took that scuba experience, and after I got home, I was really intrigued by it, so I got certified right after that. … I started diving from that experience in Hawaii, and from there it just bloomed.

I hit it off with the owner of the dive shop. They asked me to be a guide on [scuba spearfishing trips] on weekends. … I’ve made new relationships. It’s really a great opportunity for me to meet new people and make new friends. … Teaching scuba became something I really enjoyed. When I had time, I met new people and turned them on to scuba diving.

I’m an advanced open water instructor ... I’ve taught on the weekends when needed for more than 25 years … I love teaching youth, because it opens a whole career path they can look at down the road … I can go almost anywhere in South Dakota and have somebody come up who I have taught or interacted with. 

For me, it’s a stress reliever. As a banker, I went through a lot of challenging times, and scuba diving allowed me to become stress-free in my life when I needed to. … I look at diving as more than something to do; it’s become kind of a second career for me. … It taught me how to overcome things that become more challenging and has left me with a sense of pride and a lot of great memories.

—Christopher Garritty