Alec Peirce - Scuba 2000 - History of SCUBA Diving


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Alec Peirce
Featured at the International
Legends of Dive Festival

Alec Peirce of Scuba 2000 has been one of the featured legends for each of the Legends Festivals with his memorabilia on Sea Hunt and Lloyd Bridges.

It's 1958, almost half a century ago, and a 10 year old boy runs home from school to watch his hero Mike Nelson on the TV series 'Sea Hunt'. Today that boy runs the largest scuba school in Canada and introduces thousands of divers to the exciting sport of scuba diving each year.

Alec Peirce attributes his interest in the sport of scuba directly to the influence of his life-long hero, Lloyd Bridges and to that famous TV show. He feels the early influence of honesty and hard work that characterized Lloyd in his Mike Nelson role contributed to his success in the business of scuba diving.

Alec became a certified diver in 1962 and counts himself fortunate to have dived throughout the world - the Atlantic, the Pacific, of course the Caribbean and many of the inland waterways of North America

as well. It isn't just the large number of logged dives that make his appreciation of the sport so strong; it's the wide variety of dive experiences and the great personal relationships too.

Alec attended Ontario Teacher's College, York University and OISE and taught math and science in the Ontario school system before entering the business world. His hard work and attention to detail assured success and he achieved enviable results in every effort.

The lure of scuba was too strong, however, and in 1980, Alec poured all his attention and efforts into building the best scuba diving center anywhere. Having been working in dive stores since 1969 and operating his own dive business in Ontario and Florida since 1972, Alec was well equipped to succeed and did exactly that in an industry noteworthy for its many well-intentioned failures.

In 20 years he built the largest chain of scuba shops in Canada (The Wet Shop). Then, in 1999, Alec dissolved that chain to build his dream -the ultimate scuba diving center in north Toronto now known internationally as Scuba 2000. That dream of a dive facility with class, pool. Pro Shop, service center and scuba travel all built for scuba and in one central location in Toronto has come true.

Scuba 2000 is recognized as the finest scuba training facility in Canada and one of the best in North America. Hundreds of happy, new scuba divers have already benefited from the excellent and enjoyable programs offered and run by the top staff assembled there. Scuba 2000 has been the subject of dozens of diving articles, TV shows and endless chatlines.

Alec Peirce continues as the head of Scuba 2000. He currently holds instructor certification with seven different scuba training agencies worldwide plus a number of honorary awards from the scuba industry including the prestigious 'Platinum Pro 5000 Diver'.

Almost 50 years of interest, 45 years of enjoying scuba and 35 years in the scuba industry has not deadened Alec's keen enthusiasm for scuba. "It is the best sport for virtually everyone to try and enjoy" he says. "I've trained divers from 10 years old to 75 years old and they've all been successful. More important, they've all been thrilled".

Alec hopes that he has paid some of the debt of gratitude he feels to Lloyd Bridges by helping so many others experience and enjoy scuba and the ocean world that Lloyd loved.

Alec Peirce with Zale Parry at the International Legends of Diving Festival at Portage Quarry in 2007.

Scuba 2000
EMail Website
Phone: 1-800-324-3483
Fax: 1-905-771-1597
9033 Leslie Street
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Canada L4B 4K3

Portage Quarry Recreation Club, Inc.
12701 South Dixie
Bowling Green OH, 43402
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