AUBURN - The Finger Lakes region is blessed with plenty of natural beauty.

The first thing many people think when they see all the waterways may be boating or fishing or swimming. But there may be more to do than immediately meets the eye - under the water.

For nearly 10 years Joan and Henry “Mac” MacDonald, owners of Finger Lakes Scuba, have been sharing the unique experience that lies below the surface.

“It's peaceful and serene,” Henry said. “People want to be tied to nature, and you can do that through the water. It is peaceful and quiet. There's nothing quite like it.”

Henry's love of the water goes back to childhood. He grew up around the water and was thrilled by the adventures he saw on television shows like Sea Hunt and the heroic idea of Navy SEALS, but he never had the time or money to take the plunge.

It wasn't until he was working at the Auburn YMCA as the Community Services-Outreach director providing programs for at-risk children and families that he got hooked on scuba diving.

“I needed a hobby,” he said. “I needed something to take me out of the realm of my day-to-day life, that kind of work can be intense. There was a retired state trooper that said scuba would be a good alternative. I started taking lessons and the rest is history.”

He was immediately drawn into the serenity he found under the water.

It wasn't long before MacDonald wanted to find a way to share his newfound passion, leading him to open Finger Lakes Scuba. From the beginning, there was strong support from the community.

“We were painting the walls here on New Year's Eve,” MacDonald said,“so we could open for the first day of business in 1998. Someone came by and tapped on the window and they said they couldn't believe there was going to be a scuba store here. That was the beginning of our support that has been incredible from the community.”

MacDonald said he has been lucky from the business side of things, but it was something more than equipment and wet suits he wanted to share: a love of the water.

With this in mind he began developing various instructional programs. Finger Lakes Scuba is a Scuba School International Platinum Training Facility that offers instruction at all levels, beginning with “Scuba Rangers” for kids 8 to 12 and ranges through entry level open water diving to technical deep and extended range or mixed gas diving.

“It is a building process,” MacDonald said. “There is an academic side, and there is skill development. It is a performance-based sport, but you can't perform if you don't know both sides.”

Students are required to demonstrate basic swimming ability with an untimed 200-yard surface swim and 10 minutes of floating or treading water. Here MacDonald stresses comfort in the water.

But much of the work is done without getting wet.

“We teach how to plan a safe dive,” MacDonald said. “Safety is not negotiable. This isn't an individual sport; you are never alone and you have to know who to plan and follow through on a safe dive. And you have to know how to be safe and deal with situations that may come up under water, like getting water in your mask or water in your mouth, so that you can continue to breathe and be comfortable and confident.”

Over the years MacDonald has become avid about conservation and he shares this concern with all his students.

“We tell people to take pictures and memories but to leave everything else alone,” MacDonald said. “Diving is an experience where you can see the whole ecosystem from the smallest to the largest predator. There is nothing like it. But we have to take care of it or we are going to be in big trouble. This is something we try to tell all of our students, to respect the environment they are in.”

Since getting started the classes have been growing, being offered year round at area YMCAs as well as the Cato Recreation Center and Wells College.

Every 8 to 10 weeks MacDonald offers free scuba pool experiences that allow those who are curious to get a chance to see what it is all about.

“We want to introduce diving to people as a recreational activity,” MacDonald said. “This gives them the chance to breathe under water in the shallow end of the pool where it is non-threatening. It is great to see when people go wow and getting comfortable with being under water breathing it makes a huge difference.”

In the past 10 years he has seen steady growth in scuba diving locally.

“It is a symbiotic relationship,” MacDonald said. “People need to rely on one another. A lot of families have been getting into scuba diving. You have to trust the other diver with your life and the bonding that people take with them from this is something they will possess for the rest of their lives.”

MacDonald has also seen a steady increase in tourist interest in visiting the Finger Lakes to dive, something he hopes will continue to grow.

“I think scuba diving in New York is one of its best kept secrets,” MacDonald said. “New York pushes recreation, boating and fishing. I get contacted by people all over the United States asking where to go diving here. It is something that isn't really promoted. I'd like to see more promotion and get more people here vacationing and seeing everything the region has to offer.”