About Us!
Freshwater greetings from fabulous Las Vegas!

Mission Scuba is the pet project of the Howard family of Henderson, Nevada.  We all enjoy scuba diving, but primarily, Russ (Dad), is the driving force behind the website.

We are firm believers that a certification does not make you an expert, or even qualified, to dive a particular specialty, but we do believe that pursuing further certifications exposes you to more training, different styles of teaching, and of course, more experience, which ultimately helps you become a better (and safer) diver.

Our certifications include:

Russ (Dad): PADI Advanced Open Water, PADI D-Sat, SSI Stress & Rescue, TDI Nitrox, TDI Advanced Nitrox, TDI Decompression Procedures, TDI Extended Range, TDI Trimix, DAN Oxygen Provider, PADI O2 First Aid, IANTD Normoxic Trimix, Divemaster and assistant instructor.

Michelle (Mom): PADI Advanced Open Water, SSI Stress & Rescue, DAN Oxygen Provider, PADI O2 First Aid, TDI Nitrox, and TDI Advanced Nitrox.

Andrew (10 years old): PADI Open Water (junior), DAN Oxygen Provider, and PADI O2 First Aid.

Courtney (10 years old): PADI Open Water (junior), DAN Oxygen Provider, and PADI O2 First Aid.

Doug (Family friend): SSI Instructor (all levels and specialties), TDI Instructor (Nitrox through Decompression Procedures), and too many other certifications to list here.

We have a rare and exciting treat right here in our back yard.

Roughly 75 years ago, deep in Black Canyon, more than 30 miles from the nearest town, the first dynamite blast marked the start of the construction of Hoover Dam.  That first summer, temperatures down in the canyon topped 119 degrees and from June 25th-July 26th 1931, fourteen men on the Hoover Dam construction crew died of heat prostration.

The story of the construction of Hoover Dam is amazing.  The engineering marvels, and the struggle of the workers and their triumph over the brutal desert climate makes this incredible feat such a remarkable accomplishment.  

For the technical diver, there are amazingly preserved remnants of the dam construction deep below the surface.   Most of the structures and railways were removed before the canyon was flooded, but foundations, railbeds, cabling, huge piles of aggregate, train hoppers, concrete tunnels, and more still remains.

We aggressively explore the Boulder Basin and Black Canyon near the dam using old photos and terrain maps as guides, in hopes of finding more undiscovered goodies long since submerged.