July 1960

This advertisement from the July 1960 issue of Skin Diver magazine is the earliest documented record of our dive shop. It lists P.O. Box 724, Station A, Champaign, Illinois — the same address we still trace our roots back to today.

Midwest Scuba Center traces its roots to July 1960, making us one of the oldest continuously operating scuba centers in the United States and among the oldest in the world.

We’ve partnered with the University of Illinois since 1968, training generations of students in campus pools and later at the ARC. Through those programs we’ve collaborated with the Navy and NASA on underwater projects, giving our students real-world experience few dive shops can match.

Over the decades we’ve led group dive trips to more than 53 countries worldwide, with many of those destinations becoming annual favorites.

Six and a half decades later, we’re still here — locally rooted and passionate about getting Midwesterners underwater safely and confidently.

Illini Union 1960

Classic 1960s Double Hose Regulator

Current Classes at UIUC ARC