The Prairie Diver Club was originally formed by a group of divers from Kansas City during a fabulous trip to the Bahamas in November, 2002. The number of dives during that trip were many, and the boat captain made reference to this fact. It was at that point one member of the Kansas City divers remarked, ‘yeah… not bad for a bunch of prairie divers’. The ‘Prairie Divers’ name seemed to be the perfect fit for the group. It was quickly adopted, and has been used ever since. A photo of the original members can be seen below.
A twist of fate brought the rest of the group together, as a terrible car wreck brought about an introduction between patient and caregiver. Who knew the patient and the rest of their family were serious divers?!? How convenient!! Since that time the divers have shared many wonderful dive vacations together. Dive destinations with the Prairie Divers include the Bahamas, Exumas, Mexico, Hawaii, Bonaire, and Turks and Caicos. Dominica looks to be in our near future! There are so many more places on the agenda to visit! Additional members can also be seen in a photo below.
The group is quite a variable bunch. It includes everyone from scuba instructors, to teachers, to Coast Guard Officers, to COO’s. Also, as honorable mention, our Prairie Diver friends, Jim and Linda, have gone on to become active members of Lee’s Summit Underwater Rescue. This is a volunteer dive team that donates their time to train for underwater recovery, swift water rescues in times of flood, and for serving as safety divers at planned water sporting events. A big pat on the back for them, as they support our Kansas City area.
Oh… and we can’t forget one of the most important members of our group, our mascot. As seen below, our mascot is a cute little prairie dog we’ve named ‘Presley’. He was named after the boat captain from Paradise Divers from the Bahamas trip mentioned above. Presley was a great guide, a great guy, and kept us safe in the water. We thought it appropriate to name our little prairie dog representative after him.
Other important Prairie Diver Club facts:
The Mission:
To boldly go where no Prairie Dog has been before…
in the pursuit of good friends, good times, safe diving,
and living the life that only dreams are made of..
The Group Song:
“Who Let the Dogs Out” – by the Baha Men
Motto:
If you can’t dive with the Big Dogs, you better stay on the boat!!
PRAIRE DIVER CREED:
A Prairie Diver I am, and will always be,
The landlocked Midwest will not deny me!
I’ll be a good diver, a good buddy, and a good friend.
If there’s a diver in need, a helping hand I’ll lend.
May the gorgeous sunrise start my days,
May the beautiful sunsets never fade away.
May the world be seen in the company of good friends,
May the underwater creatures be captured only by my lens.
May our dive days be many, our maladies be few,
May good times and good fortune be bestowed upon our crew.
I’ll foster good friendships and good divers; I’ll protect the big blue.
I’ll cherish each and every dive day, and to the Prairie Divers be true.
--S. Brenner
Well, that’s the history on our Prairie Divers. The current plan is to take as many more dive trips as is humanly possible! We will keep the website updated with any further news updates on our divers or our dive trips as the information becomes available. Hope you enjoy the read, and safe diving!!
Prairie Diver Charter Members: Back Row: Jim, Linda, Sherry Front Row: Fran, John, Shannon
Back Row From Left to Right: Mike, Sherri, Allyson, Vic, Crystal, Sherry and Shannon David on the front row.
Our Mascot: Presley the Prairie Dog
