Divers Incorporated

A History of Divers Incorporated

In 1974, a dive instructor named Mike Black decided that his dive shop would do better if it relocated from a small retail space on Packard in Ann Arbor, Michigan to a bigger location on Washtenaw Avenue. Recreational Systems was a scuba shop that had a sister store in Royal Oak, Michigan so it seemed right that they should both be about the same size. Employed as an instructor at Recreational Systems was an ambitious guy named Richard Roost,Jr. Richard was an Auto Mechanic at a nearby shop in Ann Arbor. In his spare time he loved to dive and teach scuba for Mike's store.

In 1985, Richard and Mike came to an agreement and Mike turned over the reins. Divers Incorporated was born. Within the year, Richard Roost made Divers Incorporated the number one PADI Dive Center in Michigan and soon after it became Michigan's first PADI Five Star Instructor Development Center. Hundreds of people were certified each year at Divers Incorporated, Ann Arbor. In 1990, Divers Inc. opened it's second location on Ann Arbor Road in Plymouth, Michigan. Divers Incorporated continued to grow, becoming one of the areas first dive centers to teach teach Technical Diving course and supply divers with Nitrox fills. In 1996, Divers Incorporated replaced the Plymouth Store and opened its third location at the Novi Town Center in Novi, Michigan. The Novi Store was a dream store of Richard's showing that a Dive center could be a a showcase of diving as well.


In July of 1998, Richard was diving the wreck of the Andrea Doria at a depth of 240' when tragedy struck and he perished inside the shipwreck. His father, Richard Roost, Sr. continued the legacy in troubling times keeping Divers Incorporated going the best he could. In 2003, the company downsized and the Novi Store was closed.


In March of 2004, Mr. Roost was approached by a former Divers Incorporated instructor about the purchase of Divers Incorporated. On April 1, 2004, Rich Synowiec, at the time, a 15 year veteran of the diving industry became the third "Richard" to own Divers Incorporated. The legacy of Richard Roost was now able to live on in a person of shared philosophies and capabilities and Divers Incorporated entered a new era.


With Rich's leadership, Divers Incorporated continued to forge ahead. The training of new divers, Technical Divers, Public Safety divers and an innovative approach to recreational diving became a cornerstone of Divers Incorporated. A new compressor, trimix and argon filling station, revamped service center and a store facelift were all part of the 2005 season of changes. Divers Incorporated became Michigan's first PADI National Geographic Dive Center and celebrated it's 20th anniversary as a PADI Dive Center.


In 2007 Divers Incorporated entered into an agreement with Sandusky County Parks in Ohio and Divers Incorporated - White Star became the company's fourth location. Divers Incorporated will continue to operate a location at White Star through 2014.
In 2010, Divers Incorporated celebrated its 25th year as a PADI Dive center and also became a PADI Technical Dive Center. Also in 2010, Divers Incorporated opened it's very own online store at www.diverswebstore.com.


In April of 2014, Divers Incorporated opened a new location in Monroe Michigan. This location is just one of the many improvements in store for the future. This location was open for nearly six years when it became necessary to close the location due to staffing issues.
In 2016, Divers Incorporated became more focused on the environment and as a result became a PADI 100% Aware location. A donation to the PADI Project Aware is offered with every certificaiton that is processed. Along with the commitment to the environment, Divers Incorporated beginning students are all taught the Project Aware Certification to allow it's divers to be more in tune with the environment and how our every day actions affect it.
Divers Incorporated locations continue to be shining examples of successful dive centers in an area with some of the best shipwreck diving on the planet. The commitment to diving education, recreation, the environment and social activities has never been greater.