Hardmeyer - City Magazine

| TRAVEL
Scuba One –
What’s in a Name?!
When Randy Kraft named his
business Scuba One in the
1980s, websites were not in
existence. Now he finds that this
moniker was fortuitous, as his company comes
up competitively on Google and other search
engines.
Kraft had a license plate early on that said
“Scuba 1.” The name caught on so he made it a
registered trademark. Today, the name assists
him in expanding his customer base on
www.ScubaOne.com. He has a number of
clients from out of state.
Kraft began diving as a hobby in 1983 when
he was a student at Moorhead (Minn.) State. He
later worked for several years in Jamaica, where
he further developed his scuba interest and
knowledge of the Caribbean. Kraft ran water
sports for Eden II, now known as Sandal’s Dunn
River resort. During this period, he returned
home in the summers.
“I liked the adventure of scuba diving, and
I liked going to the Caribbean,” Randy says.
Gradually, his avocation became his vocation.
He decided to take a 10-week course in
California to become an instructor.
Now, he is a Master Instructor with
more than 25 years of experience. Besides
instructing, he is involved in rescues and,
occasionally, in some maintenance work
for the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of
Reclamation and utility companies.
“We have a lot of interest in diving in our
area,” Kraft says when asked about Bismarck-
Mandan’s land-locked status about as far from
an ocean as you can get in the U.S. He averages
about 100 new students annually.
Classes are held in a local pool and then
people “graduate” to Lake Sakakawea. In
order to become certified, students must make
four dives in open water, Kraft says. He takes
satisfaction in having introduced many people
to scuba diving for the first time.
By Katherine Satrom
“Kids must be at least 12 before they can be in
my classes,” he says. A portion of the classes can
be completed online.
Scuba One is the only diving company
in N.D. to be a PADI 5 Star Dive Center. This
designation allows his clients to obtain PADI’s
exclusive “Gold” certification card.
Randy shares information on resorts with
clients and helps them plan diving vacations. He
is gone a month a year himself, traveling to the
Caribbean for diving and occasionally escorting
groups personally. Among his favorite places to
dive are Curacao, Roatan and Cozumel.
Scuba One is located at 2010 46th Avenue SE,
Mandan, near Raging Rivers Water Park.
Now Playing at
Open Daily 10 am-7 pm
we ther a pe m r i t t i n g
Sertoma Park, Bismarck
701-223-7543
dakotazoo.org
42 thecitymag.com