It was sink or swim for a local diving shop after a fire struck the business in late March, but Scuba Adventure was back above water at a new location within weeks.
Scuba Adventure offers diving classes and sells and rents diving equipment.
The building that housed the business at 901 Jefferson St. caught fire the morning of March 25.
Owner Jeff Adams, who was in the Bahamas at the time, found out via text message from a friend.
"The text said, 'Your shop's on fire.' That was devastating," Adams said. "There was nothing I could do."
But with help from the local diving community, Scuba Adventure has come up for air better than ever, he said.
"Jeff City's got a wonderful group of people in it. Everybody has been very helpful trying to get me back in business real fast," Adams said. "I had gotten messages where people were saying, 'Are we not going to have a scuba shop anymore?' They were scared that Jefferson City was not going to have a dive shop, and that's when I realized that I've got to open back up quick because people count on me being here."
Adams has learned to work with whatever circumstances he finds himself in. The experienced diver has even lived alone on a deserted island while working for a cruise ship company hosting diving excursions.
"I started from nothing once before - I had nothing when I began - and I said, 'I can do it again,'" Adams said.
A local real estate company showed him several properties, which brought him to 623 Clark Ave. The building formerly housed Dark Horse Electronics and had been vacant for a while.
"It's actually better than where I was at as far as the showroom floor and the classroom area," he said.
Already up and running in the new shop, Scuba Adventure has the retail showroom set up and classes scheduled.
"I just feel real fortunate to be able to find what I did here with this location," Adams said.
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