BURSTFor most people, the lakes around Vanderhoof are something to enjoy from the shoreline. For Sam Cheblak, they are an invitation to discover an entirely different world.
Cheblak, the founder of Northern Underwater Explorers, has been involved in the diving industry for more than 27 years, working in both recreational and commercial diving. His experience includes underwater construction, working with the Coast Guard on search and rescue, technical diving, underwater recovery, and years of exploring the underwater world.
His passion for diving began when he was young, but it was after moving to the Vanderhoof area and exploring the local lakes that he saw an opportunity closer to home.
“When I moved up here and started exploring the lakes, I realized there wasn’t much available locally, from general exploration to underwater recovery and search and rescue,” Cheblak said.
That realization led him to start Northern Underwater Explorers, intending to fill that gap while building a community of divers in the region.
Cheblak also wanted to create opportunities for younger people to discover possibilities that exist beneath the surface, including careers they may not have considered.
Today, Northern Underwater Explorers offers diving instruction for a wide range of ages and experience levels. Programs include kids and school programs, open-water certification through advanced recreational diving, Rescue Diver, Divemaster and instructor-level training. The company also offers technical diving, ice diving, referral courses and Search and Rescue/Public Safety Diver training.
For Cheblak, one of the best parts of teaching is seeing the reaction of someone experiencing their first open-water dive.
“I love watching people’s faces the first time they come up from their first open-water dive. That never gets old.”
There is considerably more that goes into scuba training than simply getting into the water. Courses involve preparation, equipment, e-learning and classroom work, along with the ongoing maintenance and servicing of diving equipment.
Cheblak also spends time discovering new dive sites and building a dive club where people can safely learn, gain experience and explore together.
Northern Underwater Explorers isn’t limited to recreational diving, either. Cheblak’s commercial work includes underwater search and recovery, vehicle recoveries, anchor retrievals, dock installations, culvert inspections and ROV work for environmental assessments and archaeology.
His experience in the diving world has also taken him into some unusual and fascinating projects. Cheblak has been involved in volunteer artificial reef projects, including sinking ships, and has worked on marine biology projects involving six-gill sharks and other species. He has also spent years exploring with First Nations, including submerged townships.
Closer to home, Cheblak is a member of the Vanderhoof Search and Rescue team, including swiftwater rescue.
For all the specialized work and adventure that comes with diving, Cheblak says what keeps him motivated is fairly simple.
“Mostly the people and the exploration. There’s so much to explore here in the north, and I love building a bigger community of divers.”
That love of exploration is particularly fitting in a region surrounded by lakes and wilderness.
“There’s a lot of beauty in these lakes,” Cheblak said. “Every one has its own story, and most of the earth is covered in water. There’s a lot left to explore.”
Northern Underwater Explorers continues to offer open-water courses throughout the season, with courses generally running twice a month and flexible scheduling available on weekdays or weekends. Rather than following a rigid schedule, Cheblak works to accommodate clients whenever possible.
Diving doesn’t stop when the temperatures drop, either. Courses continue through the winter, including ice diving as part of search and rescue training. Winter also provides opportunities for referral courses, allowing divers to complete their training and bookwork locally before completing their open-water dives at a destination elsewhere.
Whether someone is interested in learning to scuba dive, advancing their skills, exploring Northern B.C.’s lakes, pursuing professional or public safety diving, or requiring specialized commercial underwater services, Northern Underwater Explorers offers something quite unique to the Vanderhoof community.
At its heart, however, Cheblak’s work comes back to the same thing that inspired him to dive in the first place: curiosity.
There is an entire world beneath the surface, and Cheblak is helping people in the North discover it.
For more information about Northern Underwater Explorers, its courses, commercial services or dive shop, visit www.northernunderwaterexplorers.com or contact Cheblak by email.